#9. Free time on the R/V ISABU

We are officially halfway done with our scheduled research expedition! However, it is looking like we may finish quicker than we originally planned and so we will get back to the lovely island of Mauritius earlier than expected. This is the opposite of what usually happens on science vessels as there are typically weather delays while at sea that put the ship behind schedule. So fingers crossed that we continue to make good time and have great weather!

When we are not busy doing science or science related tasks on the ship, we also spend our time enjoying some other activities. Being on the ocean every day, it is natural that we would want to do some fishing if possible. When our sampling instruments are being deployed at night, the lights from the ship and sampling equipment attract many smaller sea creatures, including squid. While the CTD rosette is being brought back to the surface from the bottom of the ocean, there is some time when the crew not operating the CTD rosette and some scientists have a short break they can take advantage of. Therefore, those that have spare time will go out on the back deck every night and do some line fishing for squid. To do this, they attach a heavy weight and flashing light to the end of some thick fishing line. A little further up the line are two triple hooks to catch the squid. They then lower the line by hand about 40m (~130ft) below the water surface while continuously pulling the lines up and down to create movement for the hooks. This method is very successful and they catch quite a few squid every night. Additionally, we have had a couple meals in the last few days that have a main component of squid, so we are certainly making good use of what we catch on the ship.

It took me over a week, but I finally had time to go to the gym on the ship. Many people on the ship use the gym almost every day to run, lift weights, or do some yoga. There is also a very nice ping pong table in the gym that gets quite a lot of use from the crew and scientists on board the ship. As we continue to slow down our sampling pace, hopefully I will have more time to get to the gym and to take on some ping pong challenges. Additionally, I have heard there is a sauna somewhere on the ship that could be nice to use. However, I am beginning to wonder if it really exists as I have not been able to find it yet. Although, there could be a giant sign with an arrow pointing to it and I would not know because they are all written in Korean.

Outside of these activities, I have continued to enjoy the spectacular and breathtaking sunrises and sunsets over the water when I can. In the past day or so I have also begun to learn how to read Korean from a couple of the scientists on the ship. I do not necessarily understand what things mean, but I will finally be able to read all of the information sheets and signs posted everywhere on the ship. Hopefully this will aid me in finding the sauna as well. In addition to reading Korean, I have learned how to count in Korean. This is very useful because we have to call out all of the sample bottle numbers while we collect from the CTD rosette at each station. Typically, everyone else is calling out their bottle numbers in Korean while I say mine in English. Therefore, I have been hearing all of the Korean numbers repeatedly for a couple of weeks. This repetition made it easy for me to memorize the numbers once I was officially taught them. As such, I have now successfully sampled at two stations where I called out all of my sample bottle numbers in Korean rather than English!

With around two weeks left at sea, I hope to be able to get to the gym more and partake in some squid fishing. Also, there is a lot of potential for me to learn quite a few Korean phrases and have a lot of practice reading. By the time we get to Mauritius, my goal is to be able to hold a short conversation in Korean.