Victory and Defeat (27.47, 154.54)

Our first OBS recovery attempt started at 5:30 am. Once we were in range, the OBS engineers sent down a signal to tell the OBS to release its anchors. They can then send additional signals to figure out how far away the OBS is so they can tell if it is rising. After signaling it to release its anchors for about 2 hours, the OBS still had not moved from the seafloor. The ocean had claimed its first victim. There are a million ways something can go wrong and there is no way of knowing what happened. The OBS might have been stuck in mud or the flotation devices could have imploded due to such high pressures. There is about a 2/3 success rate with these instruments, where failure could be due to not getting them off the seafloor or if we do get them back on the ship, having something mechanical go wrong so we can't get any data from it. We knew sooner or later we loose a solider to the sea. It was not a good way to start off the day or the mission. As one of the engineers put it "There is our 70 thousand dollar contribution to the seafloor."

Our spirits brightened a little when Tina and I won our first Quiot game, handily at that (21-11). Due to my quoit-elbow I had to change throwing techniques. It turns out I am better with my new method. We were both on today - GO SALTY STICHERS!

After cutting our losses at the first OBS site, we had to travel about 7 hours to get to the next site. This OBS got off the seafloor on the first try. Once the OBS is confirmed to be rising, we had to wait around for about 2 hours for it to get to the top. They rise about 45-50 m/min, but they are just really deep so it takes a while. While we waited, we spent our time watching sunsets, watching squid and watching distant thunderstorms.

 At one point, one of the crew members got out a fishing pole. He was fishing for squid (or whatever else that was biting) and he let me cast a couple times, which resulted in my first squid catch. It was a riot trying to reel that thing in. I am pretty sure it was related to The Kraken because it fought like a sea monster. It also squirted me with a gut full of seawater. Tina got it all on film.

Finally the OBS surfaced and Tina was the first to spot it (WooHooo! That earns you serious bragging rights). There it was, blinking its strobe light off in the distance, telling us it was ready to be picked up after a long year on the ocean floor. Welcome home little buddy.

The Captain steering the boat from the back deck. OBS blinking in the water.

That'll do pig. That'll do.