Getting into the Swing of Things

Aloha! The past few days have been exhausting - hence the lack of posts the past week or so.  I am finally getting into the swing of things.  I am working 6 days on and 2 days off.  I had my first few days on our research boat - Ocean Protector.  I really enjoy it.  It's a 26' catamaran. So, a lot smaller than the rest of the boats we're normally on for our ROB's.  Here is a link to all the vessels in our fleet.  These are the ones accessible to the public.  The Ocean Protector is only for the research department, so it's not on the website.  However, here is a video of the OP before she got her beautiful PWF paint job.  Seeing the boats might help you visualize what I'm doing.

Anyway, while we're on the OP, we run transect lines in the surrounding four island area and are scanning for what we call 'surprise encounters' and a 'near miss.'  A surprise encounter is when a humpback whale is first spotted within 300m of a boat and a near miss is when a whale pops up within 80m of a boat.  A few of the objectives of the study are:

     1) Model the probability of whale-vessel collisions using SE and NM as proxy data
from line transect surveys to help reduce the incidence of whale-vessel collisions
and allow vessels to operate more safely;

     2) Test the hypothesis that sub-adults, calves, and/or specific individual whales are
more susceptible to collisions in Maui;

     3) Test the effects of boat speed and environmental conditions on the probability of
whale-vessel collisions;

So that is what we're working towards.  On my first trip out on the OP, we actually encountered a group of about 6 False Killer Whales.  There are only about 100-150 that remain in the Hawaiian population so it was wicked awesome to see some on my first run out.  Some of the naturalists that have been with PWF for 3 years have yet to see one!  We followed them for about 30 minutes and one was really curious about us and started bow riding.  I was about 2 feet away from him at times!  So amazing!  I couldn't stop smiling.  We popped a GoPro in the water and recorded video of them swimming.  You could even hear their noises above water.  It was an incredible experience that I won't soon forget.

I also had my first two days off and took full advantage of them.  My first day off, Helen and I decided to explore some beaches and try to find some turtles to snorkel with.  We first stopped at a popular beach called Kam III and snorkeled on the small reef around there.  Saw my first octopus in the wild and some beautiful fish.  We then wanted to explore another area so we walked down this little mulch path along the rugged lava rock coastline and found a pretty secluded pebble beach.

We were a little sketched out initially because the visibility of the water along the shoreline was pretty terrible and our lovely friend the Tiger loves the murky water.  We braved it and swam into the clearer water and onto the reef.  We saw a few beautiful green turtles and colorful fish.

My second day off was with another intern named Jack and we actually booked a snorkeling trip through PWF to the tiny island of Molokini.  It was only $10 for us and that included breakfast, lunch and a cocktail.  Not too shabby.  The snorkeling was fun.  Saw some turtles and a lot of different kind of fish including the state fish of Hawaii the Humuhumunukunukuapua'a.  :) It's a type of trigger fish.

Most days of work on the boats require me to wake up around 5-5:30am and spend about 6hrs on the water.  Definitely not complaining but it is exhausting (in a good way!).  I am loving every minute of it and am still in a daze that I am actually here doing this.

Mahalo.

DISCLAIMER: My views are personal and do not represent the views of Pacific Whale Foundation or any person or entity affiliated with Pacific Whale Foundation.

A Whale of a Tale

Written: 2014/01/05

Com'on, you had to expect at least one post to be titled that, didn't you?

I feel it's fitting for today's post because today was my first day out on a "Research On Board" trip.  These kinds of trips are when the research intern (that's me), tags along on a whale watch cruise.  These are obviously hosted by PWF and are open to the public.  For the most part, we hang out in the helm with the Captain, which is nice because we can generally avoid the public (years in retail will teach anyone to avoid the public when possible).

It was different than I expected.  I guess I didn't quite realize how much work and data needs to actually be collected because it's A LOT.  It might just seem that way to me now because today was my first time, but it was almost overwhelming.  We continuously need to do scans of the water (360º) every 15 minutes for the entire 2+ hour cruise, recording numerous pieces of data via several pieces of equipment.  On top of that, if we have an encounter with a whale (which is specifically defined) then we have to take even more data while maintaining our 15 minute interval scans.  Today, Jack and I were getting trained by Shannon but normally it's just one intern on the cruise. (Side bar: If you feel so inclined, here is the link to the scientific research that has been done/what I am currently doing).

 Besides the heart pounding I experienced while trying to obtain all the necessary data, we saw some amazing whales!  There were several that hung out around the boat for a while!  It was beautiful to see them up close again.  It's been a while.  The weather was great and the water was beautiful blue.

After the cruise, we then immediately return to the office and download all the data into spreadsheets.  Spreadsheets galore! I'll be an Excel expert by May.  Usually, we'll do two trips a day, but today was an odd day and we only had one, but it was a good one.

Another thing we briefly worked on was for an event in February.  February is one of the busiest months here for whale season.  February 14th is World Whale Day!  As you can imagine, it's a HUGE event.  There is also a Run/Walk for the Whales going on February 1st.  I am excited about this because we'll be talking/teaching the public about plastic pollution.  YAY!  I can't wait to spread the knowledge.  I am actually VERY excited to be able to talk to people and open their minds to what an incredible issue it really is.  We'll be brainstorming ideas about that tomorrow. Eek! :-D

After work, a few friends and I went to the beach for a quick dip and watched the sunset.  I don't think I'll ever get tired of that.  It was a nice way to unwind.  That was followed by some turkey burgers and pasta salad at the hostel.  Not a bad day at all.

Alas, once again, I am exhausted.



DISCLAIMER: My views are personal and do not represent the views of Pacific Whale Foundation or any person or entity affiliated with Pacific Whale Foundation.

Work Hard, Play Hard

To start, I must tell you that since I signed my agreement with PWF now, there is a limit to what I can say/post so don't expect whale pictures anytime soon (hence the 'disclaimer' at the end).  But today was my first day of work for PWF.  It was an office day so I learned the ropes of analyzing and processing the data from our whale watches and research outings.  It was actually pretty exciting because while working on my GIS certificate, I worked mostly with data that was already produced but with this I'll actually be creating the data.  It was a lot to take in and a lot to remember but eventually I'll pick it up.  My lovely boss even bought lunch for us at PWF's restaurant across the way.  The restaurant is called Porto and all the proceeds from it go towards research (it was delicious, by the way)!

After work, I went on an Island Rhythms Sunset Reggae Cruise.  This was put on by PWF and is open to the public, too.  This was the first of the season so a big portion of the crowd was PWF employees.  It was a great opportunity to meet some of the naturalists and other employees I might not have much contact with.  It was incredible fun and a beautiful way to start my time at PWF.  It was also a great way for most of the interns to bond.  We definitely have a great crew!

Tomorrow, I'll start in the office and learn how to directly download the data collected from the day prior and then will go out on a boat to do some research.

Sorry for the short post but I'm exhausted.  :)  Quick updates might be all you get to start.

Aloha!







DISCLAIMER: My views are personal and do not represent the views of Pacific Whale Foundation or any person or entity affiliated with Pacific Whale Foundation.

Time to Acclimate

Hostel living...not what I remembered it to be.  I just might be getting too old for this.  One day I'll be able to afford to stay in hotels! *gasp* Maybe.  Any who - today was my first full day on the island.  I decided to put off starting work until the 4th (tomorrow) so I could get my bearings around town and the bus systems.  I also didn't want to be groggy, seeing as how I went to bed last night around 3am (central time) and woke up at 11:00am (central time).  I needed some time to adjust.  

Since I arrived at the hostel late last night, I didn't have any food here, yet so I found a coffee shop just up the road a bit.  It was between this place or Starbucks.  Ha.  It was all local DELICIOUS coffee and the outdoor seating over looked the beautiful mountains.  Not a bad way to start the day.

After that, I needed to set my sore eyes on the ocean.  The hostel has a pretty nice location and is only about 3-blocks from the water.  I walked around downtown, found the grocery store, liquor store and the Lahaina PWF store location and boat location.  All the important places.  After spending about $8.99 on a box of five granola bars, I realized how expensive Maui really is.  Yikes!

I settled on the beach and watched all the local and tourist surfers out on the waves.  The difference is extreme.  Surf wasn't great so it was mostly tourists.

As I was watching them, I saw a big splash in the distance and I thought....did I really just see that?!  Then I saw a beautiful whale breach!  It was incredible to see.  I actually laughed out loud.  I got some strange looks but I was just so excited I couldn't contain myself.  I cannot believe I get to be out on a boat tracking them, watching them, hearing them 4-5 days a week! Yippie!

I met up with two other interns, who are staying elsewhere, for a beer.  It was nice to finally meet them, after talking via Facebook for about 2 months now.  They're from the UK and seem really nice.  I think we'll get along just fine!  They will also be my house-mates when we move into our house.  I'm pretty sure we're all SCUBA certified so we'll be diving together too!

I start work tomorrow and I'll be on our smaller research vessel called the Ocean Protector (OP)!  Hopefully.  That depends on the weather.  Otherwise, I'll be in the office learning those ropes.  Either way, I am eagerly waiting to get started!  Stay tuned!

The Journey Begins...

Written: January 2, 2014

And I’m off! 

First of all, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and a great New Years Eve.  I know I did!  Over Christmas, I spent a week at home in Connecticut with my family and friends, filling up on delicious home cooked meals and maybe a glass of wine or two. ;) 

After that, I flew back to Madison, to spend a few last days in town with Dave.  It was nice spending nights in, just cuddling up since we’re not going to be able to see each other for 4 months.  Since we moved in together, we’ve spent almost every day together for the past 2.5 years.  It’ll be a strange adjustment not to come home to him every night, but it’s only for 4 months and it’ll fly by.  Nonetheless, good-byes are never easy.

For New Years Eve, we drove down to his brother and sister-in-law’s in Illinois.  They were so kind and thoughtful and threw a Hawaiian themed New Years/Good-Bye party with Hawaiian pizza and all!  The spread was incredible and the entire house was decorated.  Ringing in the New Year with Dave and his family was a blast and if you guys are reading this, I really appreciate everything you did!  The mid-night champagne was popped and kisses were had.  Time to bring on 2014!  It’s going to be a good year.

On New Years day we went to Dave’s sister and brother-in-law’s house for a family feast and gathering.  Again – the food! So delicious and the company was fun as always.  Dave brought me to the airport this morning amidst a near-blizzard.  Did I expect a pleasant, sunny day for my departure to Hawaii?  Well, I guess I was hoping.  Instead, I was sent off with this:

Now…now I am on my way to Maui.  Finally, getting a career started in something I have a deep passion.  I am incredibly excited about this opportunity.  It’s not easy to find an internship relating to marine science when you’re not in school and/or don’t have a science degree.  I could not have passed this up.  I know I definitely couldn’t have done this without the help, support and endless encouragement from Dave and my family.  Thank you‼ 

While I’m in Maui, I’ll eventually be living in a house a few blocks from the beach in Kihei.  Can’t complain there!  A couple of the other interns and I will be living together.  And get this, there are 3 dogs that we can play with whenever we’d like.  Bonus!  The only downfall to the house is that we cannot move in until January 7^th.  So for the first week, I’ll be staying in a hostel in Lahaina. 

Lahaina is where our research vessels are located and our office is located in Ma’alaea Harbor.  My first day of work is January 4^th.  Once I get a few days of work under my belt, I’ll update you on what exactly I’ll be doing.  I do, however, have my first Island Rhythms Sunset Cruise booked for Saturday.  Pictures to come! ;)  These cruises are run by PWF and all profit goes towards our research.  This is the first of the season of the kind, so it will be a great opportunity to get to know my fellow co-workers.

I apologize if I am rambling but it’s a long flight and I still have 3 hours to go.  I’ll leave you with this Maui sunset.  Aloha!