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Stormy Seas and Fond Farewells
September 15-17, 2000
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Returning to Key West, SSE personnel and the crew of the Gordon Gunter threw themselves into preparations for a final open house aboard the ship. Early on the morning of the 16th, the Gunter docked alongside the pier at Key West’s Mallory Square, while representatives from the sanctuary, Reef Environmental Education Foundation, and other organizations set up their booths and displays near the ship’s brow.
Student participants in National Geographic Alliance education program were among the first to tour the ship and see the DeepWorker submersibles. During their time in the Florida Keys, SSE education program coordinators Laura Francis and Francesca Cava worked closely with the students, introducing them to the fragile ecology of this coral reef ecosystem.
Secretary of Commerce Norman Y. Mineta was on the scene to meet with Dr. Earle and members of the SSE project team, see the subs, and gain a better appreciation for the kind of research, exploration, and outreach his agency supports. By providing use of NOAA ships and the assistance of NOAA specialists like tracking experts Dave Lott and Craig Russell, Mineta’s agency has helped SSE accomplish much during our first two field seasons.
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Over the course of the day, over 500 people visited the ship. We welcomed a delegation from Indonesia who are interested in finding ways to study and protect their own vulnerable coral reefs. Hundreds of motorcycle enthusiasts whose annual Key West pilgrimage coincided with our visit stopped by to tour the ship. Most enjoyable for me were dozens of children, some as young as 3 or 4, who soon queued up for their chance to sit in the sub and imagine what it must be like to explore the deep ocean. Their sense of wonder and excitement was infectious, reminding me how rare a privilege it is to be a part of this unique expedition.
When the crowds had departed, we began preparations for the last few days of this year’s expedition, with plans to explore some of the waters around the upper Keys. As in Tampa, we were threatened by a potential confrontation with a hurricane, but decided to make a move to our next dive site while keeping a close eye on the weather.
Throughout the night, as we transited northeast, rough seas and high winds made it seem unlikely that we would be able to do any diving soon. The next day, we found out that indeed the conditions had been bad enough to shear off several of the bolts on one of the Gunter’s two rudders. With no way to repair the damage short of dry dock, we were forced to cancel the remaining four days of dives and make our careful way back to Key West.
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Such an abrupt end to the field season was hard to accept. Although we only had a few days left, we had been so looking forward to what we expected to see and do during our last remaining dives. Still, it was hard to stay glum as I spent the return trip taking stock of all we had seen and done during this remarkable four month odyssey.
We completed a total of 100 dives in the DeepWorker submersibles, including many dives to over 1,000 feet [305 meters], and one to the sub’s maximum rated depth of 2,000 feet [610 meters]. We saw researchers like Guy Cochrane and Alex Score, and educators like Mike Guardino and Laddie Akins swiftly gain skill and confidence as DeepWorker pilots. As operating the sub became second nature to each pilot, they were able to conduct their research, capture great images, and make invaluable observations.
In California, we were able to make significant advances in exploring and ground truthing the geology of the sea floor near the Channel Islands. Donna Schroeder made key observations of numerous rockfish species, fish that are pressured by, and vulnerable to, the effects of overfishing and other human activities. Through her work, these species may enjoy better protection in the Channel Islands in the future.
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We explored the relationship between krill and blue whales, and studied krill in their natural habitat, making unprecedented observations of their behavior in the wild. A new California law has just been enacted banning commercial fishing for krill in California waters. The law recognizes the vital importance of krill to the food web on which the entire ecosystem depends.
In the Point Lobos Ecological reserve, we were able to extend existing exploration and documentation of the habitat and fauna well below scuba depth, adding vastly to the knowledge base of that important protected area.
In Florida, we were the first to explore many areas never before seen by human eyes. In the Middlegrounds, we documented ancient shorelines, threatened grouper populations, and vital fish habitat. Our dives in the Big Bend area supported study of the important role of seagrass beds in the ecology of the northeastern Gulf of Mexico.
At Pulley Ridge, previous exploration had been limited to crude trawling methods and a small amount of ROV work. Through their observations and video documentation, SSE’s DeepWorker pilots have contributed vastly to our knowledge of this biologically rich and diverse feature.
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South of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, in waters soon to be designated as part of a no-take zone, we discovered and explored previously unknown mountains and ridges, home to a bewildering abundance of fish and invertebrates. These deeper systems play a significant role in the health and vitality of the better-known but terribly vulnerable coral reefs in adjacent shallow waters.
Our exploration of the coral reefs in sanctuary waters revealed the disturbing presence of coral disease, even in remote reefs 70 miles from the nearest inhabited island. By documenting the depth limits of the area’s hard corals, we gained a new appreciation for how rare and precious our coral reefs are, able to exist only within a narrow range of depth, water clarity, and temperature conditions.
We return home now with hundreds of hours of underwater video, dozens of rock samples, countless algae samples, and reams of data. Scientists from numerous institutions will be combing our footage for documentation of the sea floor and its inhabitants. Botanists, fish and coral researchers, geologists, archaeologists, oceanographers, and others will each bring their expertise and professional interest to bear, gleaning the full measure of knowledge from the images captured by DeepWorker pilots on their dives.
I look back at our accomplishments during the 2000 field season, and I am amazed. The hard work and contributions of so many people and organizations have paid off handsomely. And already we are turning our thoughts to next year’s expedition, and continuing plans for years to come. This year’s expedition is ending, but truly, our adventure has only just begun.
—Gale Mead
Sustainable Seas Expeditions
[Note: nationalgeographic.com does not research or copyedit dispatches.]