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Life at All Depths
July 11-13, 2000
Today, we are able to conduct exploratory work just west of Sur Canyon. Past research suggested that this area might provide a natural refuge for rockfish. The steep topography makes it a difficult place for fishermen to work, thus, it was hoped, a safe haven for these greatly depleted animals. This was a rare opportunity to see first hand whether that theory was correct.
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Rick Starr and Kim Riesenbichler surveyed the canyon wall, and were delighted to find the area to be exactly as they’d hoped. Not only are rockfish present, but for the first time during this mission, we also find some individuals that appear to be large enough to be fully mature. Elsewhere, juveniles predominate. During his dive, Rick uses the sub’s manipulator arm to retrieve a discarded beer can from the sea floor, 600 feet [183 meters] below the surface.
We are concentrating on underwater observations, but there is plenty of action topside as well. Dolphins frequently ride the ship’s bow wake; blue, humpback, and fin whales blow and show their flukes nearby, and two dozen or so albatrosses keep us entertained with their insatiable interest in the sub, the ship’s lines, floats, and anything that is red or moves. The chase boat gets closest to the action, and was rewarded today with a visit from a young Mola. These large fish, which can weigh in excess of 1,000 pounds [373 kilograms], look more like a child’s version of a fish than anything real. Matt Hovelman, in the water to release lines from the sub during a launch swam within arm’s length of it for several minutes. |
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During his afternoon dive, Kim Riesenbichler was surprised at 300 feet [91 meters] by a visitor from the surface, a playful and curious sea lion who swooped down over the sub, peered inside at the fellow mammal trapped within, then sped off. Meanwhile, on the surface, another sea lion seemed to playfully loll in the water as sea lions often do, sunning her flippers in the pale afternoon light. But as we got closer, what seemed like play was distress. Hooks from a large silver fishing lure were embedded deep in her face. Using the RHIB, we were able to get close, but while discussing how we might help, she disappeared from the surface, and we did not see her again.
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Last year, a major goal we had hoped to achieve was underwater exploration of the Big Creek Ecological Preserve, 60 miles [96 kilometers] south of Monterey Bay. The biological and topographical richness of the place has made it something of a holy grail for scientist Rick Starr. Even though it’s only a stone’s throw from the shore, no one has ever been able to take a sub to see this place first hand. Ever! Last year, we were repeatedly skunked by the weather; this location is almost always too rough and windy to permit launch and recovery of the DeepWorker systems. But today... Today was different. The seas were so calm that the McArthur, a notoriously rocky boat, seemed to be dockside.
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This day seemed almost charmed, as we also had one of the most trouble-free dives we’ve had in some time. The ship was better able to keep its position in synch with the movements of the sub, which allowed for better tracking of the sub’s movements. This in turn made it easier for the RHIB to stay on top of the sub, and we were able to maintain good through-water communications throughout most of the dive. Rick dived to 750 feet [229 meters], surveying a section of canyon wall rich with sponges and other invertebrate life, nooks and crannies filled with fish, spot prawns, crinoids, and countless other critters. The jubilant smile on his face upon his return told the tale. The results of this dive will be of great help in his research, and he can hardly wait to come back and explore further.
On the morning of the 13th, we arrive back in Port Hueneme, ready to begin the last short segment of the West operations for the year, and maybe, just maybe a dive to the DeepWorker’s maximum rated depth, 2000 feet [607 meters].
—Sylvia A. Earle
Project Director
Sustainable Seas Expeditions
[Note: nationalgeographic.com does not research or copyedit dispatches.]