Oceana EU's 2013 Baltic Expedition Underway! - Oceana USA
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July 1, 2013

Oceana EU’s 2013 Baltic Expedition Underway!

Dead silence on the boat. All you hear is the waves hitting the sides. We are rolling up and down, up and down, on the waves. Concentrated faces staring at the sea. Up and down, up and down. Klaus is standing up on the boat eating potato crisps. Grillchips. I’m feeling sick, sea sick. I try to focus my eyes on the horizon but it doesn’t help. It’s fine, I will be on the boat for just four more hours…”

We’re thrilled to share the onboard diary for the ten Oceana scientists, coordinators, videographers, navigators, pilots, deckhands and divers that make up our 2013 Baltic expedition! Led by Senior Vice President and Executive Director of Oceana in Europe, Xavier Pastor, the expedition crew drove from Madrid to Sweden with its caravan of trucks, trailers, and a van of supplies and instruments. The crew has explored the waters of Sweden, Denmark, and now Finland, with diary entries capturing every aspect of the exploration, from the creatures observed to the holidays celebrated to, yes, even the seasickness they felt from hours on the rolling waves! 

With the each article written by a different crew member from the expedition, the Baltic expedition’s onboard diary captures (in word and in video) the unique and incredible experiences of our colleagues in Europe as they examine the beauty and surprises housed in the cold, murky waters of the Baltic. 

Here’s a recent diary entry from Logistics Coordinator Maribel Lopez Carmona: 

Author: Maribel López
Date: June 24, 2013

Today was a different day. The crew split up in 4 small work teams.

The camper is based in the harbor of Ahus as our “headquarters”. Some of us had to go somewhere to fill the tanks for today´s dives. We tried to do it as quiet as possible to avoid being a disruption to the neighborhood. Others went to the nearest harbor to document fishing boats. The rest of us had a list of three spots to visit. The captain entered the coordinates in the GPS, started the engines, and then we smoothly sailed out. Different positions, different depths, different temperatures, different habitats, different light. No fish. The ROV went up and down, and then, hard currents.  We had enough fuel to go to another spot, so we decided to set off.

Once back to Ahus we had lunch together and exchanged information, so the divers could easily go to the best spot of the day despite the ROV´s results, that indicated there wasn´t anything special nor relevant today. But we had to double-check.

The boat was ready for the dives and sailed out, after a couple of hours the boat came back with not quite good images.

Tomorrow we´re going to Finland. New waters to explore!!

 

Thank you, Baltic team, for your work and your efforts on this expedition! We look foward to reading all about your adventures below the surface in the weeks to come!