This isn't a pop quiz or essay assignment: all of these questions were posed to our SEA TURTLEs during a recent guest lecture. Paul Leonard, a Penguin exhibit staff person at the Aquarium, asked our students to think about the decisions that made them explore diving.
Some of the answers were easy to come by. An interest in seeing the world from under the waves, their work here at the Aquarium inspiring them to learn more, wanting the experience of being in another universe all were things expressed. Some answers were harder as many of our students don't know what is out there in the world of SCUBA.
Paul talks to the class
To make it fair, Paul answered all of these questions from his perspective and shed some light on a few opportunities available to our students. He described his connections with the ocean as a child, his inspirations (Bob Ballard, Sylvia Earle and Jacques Cousteau) and how he wanted to learn more about ocean life. All of these things pushed him to learn how to dive and to explore his new passion.
Too many questions!
In addition, Paul was able to describe another avenue for the students to explore diving. Paul has the honor of belonging to the Boston Sea Rovers, a group of highly-esteemed divers that help to educate people about diving and to further the sport throughout the world. (Read Paul's guest entry on the GOT Blog for more information about his involvement in the Boston Sea Rovers!) They hold a yearly clinic with classes for people to refine and learn new skills as well as the chance for people to network with other divers. It's a great opportunity for a new diver to go deeper and to connect with people of similar interests.
The students were very interested in learning about Sea Rovers and were fascinated by Paul's experience. Here's what one student said about the presentation:
Paul told us about the organization called the Boston Sea Rovers and the potential scholarship opportunities. He spoke about different famous divers which was great because I didn't know about any beforehand. We learned especially about Sylvia Earle and Robert Ballard (who discovered the Titanic wreck). Dr. Ballard is now doing a project on the Black Sea and when I got home that night I researched all about it. This lecture particularly inspired me to want to learn and train towards being an ocean explorer and coming up with my own questions and discover! -Oriana
Oriana, Isaiah and Evan listen
Yet another great guest lecture that clearly made an impact on the SEA TURTLEs! It's been awesome to watch the class become aware of all of the great experiences and opportunities that will be open to them as divers. And one of the biggest opportunities, the Bahamas trip, is coming soon. I hope that everyone is looking forward to it as much as I am! More fun to come!
The Giant Ocean Tank - what a beautiful and imposing exhibit. Impossible to miss during a visit to the Aquarium, the GOT rises four stories through the very center of the Aquarium, the pristine Caribbean water contained within bathing the Aquarium in an azure light.
Wait, what? Caribbean water? Isn't the New England Aquarium in the very heart of New England, home to Nor'easters and the Red Sox? Where does this warm, clear, and decidedly non-New England water come from?
Good question! (Well, of course I asked it, but still...)
The short answer is, we create it.
But that answer is unfair, it short-changes the truth. That crystal clear water is created through the dedication of an entire team of skilled technicians, men and women who work literally day and night to make sure the water that flows into, throughout, and out of the GOT is absolutely the best water the exhibit's inhabitants could ever hope for.
Like the wizard pulling levers behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz, the Mechanical Systems Operators (MSOs) are the wizards behind the Giant Ocean Tank. Or maybe I should say below the GOT, for much of the magic happens in the very bowels of the Aquarium, far from the inquisitive eyes of the visitors.
The long corridors in the basement of the Aquarium, with its complex network of piping everywhere, reminds me of a submarine.
Mark, one of the MSOs, recently took me on a tour of what really goes on down there, and helped me connect the dots from when water enters NEAq, to when it bids it farewell.
MSO Mark surveys everything from his command post
Yep, that water starts its journey into the GOT straight out of Boston Harbor. Of course, it has to clean up its act before it's allowed to enter the inner sanctum of the GOT. It's just too cold, too filled with algae and sediments, and too - well, it's just not ready for the big time. But we all gotta start somewhere...
The intake pumps
Powerful pumps periodically draw water out of the harbor and into holding tanks in NEAq's basement via two massive intake pipes. I've been SCUBA diving down to the 'business end' of those intakes, out on the seafloor of the harbor, and it's pretty creepy to think about accidentally getting sucked into one of them. Luckily, we have a very strict safety protocol to ensure that could never happen!
If I ever was sucked into the intakes, you'd find me inside this giant strainer (the thing I'm leaning on). Fortunately I'm only standing next to it.
Once it's brought into the Aquarium, the water spends a good amount of time in "H2O charm school", where it's steam heated and filtered, filtered, filtered. I won't bore you with the technical details of the many styles of filtration we employ, just suffice it to say there's a LOT of filtration systems within the footprint of NEAq.
One of the GOT filter rooms.
Even Barbara, Husbandry Operations Manager, gets into the act. She's getting a little water time in one of the filter beds. Believe me, that's not an easy place to get into.
Once the harbor water has been made Caribbean-ready, it's finally allowed to mix with the GOT water. This water, which includes the 200,000 gallons inside the tank as well as about another 50,000 gallons that flows throughout the GOT's life-support system (LSS), is circulated every ninety minutes. That's right - the entire volume of the GOT is replaced every ninety minutes.
Here's a view of the main GOT pump and its backup
Powerful pumps draw this water out of the GOT, through yet more filtration, and push it all the way up to the fifth floor, ABOVE the top of the GOT, where - yes - it's filtered again.
Protein skimmers, part of the GOT LSS, a floor above the top of the GOT.
At this point the water is treated with ozone gas - a gas that's basically created by man-made lightning! Ozone is just one of the tools we use to help break down organic waste (aka 'fish poo').
This is the ozone generator dedicated to the GOT. It makes a big scary noise about every thirty seconds.
After protein skimming and a healthy dose of ozone, the GOT water thunders into a 26,000 gallon tank called the 'head tank' on the fourth floor, helping to oxygenate the water (fish need oxygen to live, just like us humans). This tank provides a reservoir for the GOT LSS, and because it's located four stories up, it enlists gravity to help propel the water back into the GOT.
This is where the water is dumped into the head tank.
Here I am at the entrance to the head tank (that black hole behind me). The pumps have been turned off so Dan and I can do an inspection dive in the tank.
That's Dan crawling down into the tank.
I brought an underwater camera with me to inspect the tank. The sound is pretty cool.
Once out of the head tank, the water flows down another pipe, all the way into the basement, where it then flows UP into the bottom of the GOT. That's right - the entire weight of 200,000 gallons of water, and four stories of tank, sits above the machine shop of our facilities guys.
MSO Matt in the machine shop under the GOT. He's standing beneath over 1.6 MILLION POUNDS of water! Those big red pipes going into the ceiling are the intake and discharge lines for the GOT.
Well, that's about it. Harbor water gets dressed up, introduced into the world of the GOT, then after a good long stint circulating within the Aquarium, it's treated and released back into the harbor, probably cleaner then is was when it came in.
I suppose if you think of it like that, NEAq is kind of like a health spa for water...
So next time you visit the Aquarium and marvel at the Giant Ocean Tank, you'll know a secret. There's a team of wizards busy behind the scenes pulling levers and pushing buttons to make it all happen.
My name is Kylie, and I began working at the Aquarium last summer as a teen intern in the Education department. Now, I'm learning how to scuba dive with nine other students and am getting ready to go down to the Bahamas in April.
Diving gets a thumbs up from Kylie.
We have had three classes at the Aquarium so far. For each two and half hour class we read a chapter from our scuba book and discuss the nooks and crannies of scuba diving. We also have had two pool sessions so far which are usually about six hours long.
Kylie excited about diving in!
Everything has been going by so fast! I wasn't sure how I would be able to learn everything AND scuba dive in a pool at first. But all of us have done so well at it! Our first pool session, we learned the basics of snorkeling and by our second pool session we were diving ten feet under with our scuba equipment. I loved being able to breathe underwater with my regulator. It was awesome!
Kylie relaxing at the bottom of the pool
During our last class, our guest speaker was Bill, an aquarist at the Aquarium. He talked to us about the differences between cold water scuba diving and warm water diving, like in the Bahamas. It was really interesting and he also showed us his dry suit, which is different than a wet suit. We've learned so much already in just three classes, I can't wait for our next class!
Kylie and her classmates take a break
-Kylie
(See another picture of Kylie from way back at the beginning of the program here!)
Tropical breezes. Warm waters teeming with life. The fantastic turquoise-blue ocean color. During the winter doldrums, it's not difficult to imagine warmer places. This is particularly true for our SEA TURTLEs as our trip to the Bahamas draws closer and closer.
However, not all scuba diving is done in warm tropical waters. Though it can be bone chilling cold, there is some fantastic diving here in New England. Bill Murphy, our latest guest speaker, described diving in the Northeast and what it's like to collect some animals for our cold water exhibits.
Bill presenting to the class
Bill definitely knows something about cold water. He is the aquarist for our Northern Waters Gallery where the exhibits focus on habitats in the Pacific Northwest as well as here in New England.
He discussed what it's like to collect animals in Eastport, Maine. Nutrient rich waters and big tidal currents allow for lots of of marine life to flourish there, and thus it is a favorite site for our aquarists to find exhibit animals. The animals are collected, brought on board the boat and then kept in floating pens until they are shipped back to Boston.
Floating pens used to hold animals before transport back to Boston
Lots of types of animals are brought back, according to Bill. Things like stalked tunicates, sea stars and hermit crabs are always common finds. (You can see sea stars and hermit crabs at the Aquarium's Edge of the Sea Touch Tank!) The aquarists even find lumpfish - green bumpy fish with a suction cup on their chin that are a favorite of visitors and volunteers alike.
Little lumpfish stuck on a fingertip
As with all scuba diving, cold water diving in Eastport takes a lot of planning. There are lots of safety precautions taken because of the large tidal flow and currents that are typical in this area. Sticking to a schedule, staying with your buddy, keeping warm and hydrated are all important good safe diving techniques that Bill described and that our SEA TURTLEs have been learning over the past weeks.
Aquarium divers get suited up for cold water
One of the favorite parts of the night was the "show and tell" portion. Bill brought a dry suit and described how they differ from the wetsuits that our team will be wearing in the Bahamas. Dry suits are designed to keep the water out (the dry part), and with a warm-layer suit underneath you can stand to be in the cold waters. Our TURTLEs enjoyed checking it out and measuring themselves up against the suit. Granted, Bill is well over 6 feet tall, so it wasn't quite fair!
Oriana measures up to Bill's dry suit
Overall it was another great night featuring another great lecture. Bill was able to introduce the TURTLEs to cold water diving and how we collect animals. He also had the best quote of the night when he said, "Each place you dive has a unique feel. The more you dive, the more you will love it. But most of all, it is important to have fun!"
As a lot of the teens have said they can't wait for the next part of this crazy adventure. Another great class session down and another step closer to those warm tropical breezes and blue turquoise waters.
- Jo
PS: Last year, Bill was featured in a guest post on the Giant Ocean Tank Blog about the Aquarium's crafty octopus. Check out that entry here!
One of my favorite reef residents in the GOT is Mero, our warsaw grouper, Epinephelus nigritus. In the 40 years that the GOT has housed fish, this is the only representative of this species to have lived here.
According to fishbase.org, warsaws can reach a length of 230 cm or over 7.5 feet. In our tank, this individual seems to be a slow growing fish. Although we have hosted this fish in the GOT since 1993, it is only about 3 feet long. In comparison, the other large Caribbean grouper species that we have here at the Aquarium, the goliath grouper, seems to grow much faster. It can be found in our Blue Hole exhibit.
Mero loves to eat tiny silversides!
Mero is interesting because he came to us as a Gulf Stream orphan (GSO) at least 18 years ago. Gulf Stream orphans ride the Gulf Stream north from the tropics to New England while still in their microscopic egg or larval stages. At some point they drop out of the stream close to shore and grow into miniature tropical fishes. We start seeing them up north in August. Since these tiny tropical fishes can't swim all the way back down south, they usually succumb to the dropping water temperatures by October. Mero was less than 3 inches when collected and was practically indistinguishable from the baby snowy groupers that are a much more common GSO species. It wasn't until years later that this fish could be recognized as a warsaw and not a snowy.
At a certain size, one way to ID the warsaw grouper is by its extra long second dorsal spine. Here Mero shows off his.
More than any other in the tank this fish loves to be scratched. The divers can make his day by dropping sand onto his skin and into his gills. Mero will open his gill covers wide to encourage this activity.
But what is really happening here? Mero is responding to the touch of the sand the same way he would to the touch of a cleaner fish. Cleaner fish are tiny fish that hang out in particular sections of living coral reefs referred to as cleaning stations. Larger fish like Mero are attracted to these stations. The cleaner fish eat the parasites off of the skin and gills of the larger fish. The cleaner fish get a free meal and the big fish get healthy glowing skin and fresh feeling gills. We don't have tiny cleaners in the GOT but next time you visit the Aquarium you are likely to see this activity with neon gobies involved in cleaning duties on the goliaths in our Blue Hole exhibit. Say hello to Mero while you're here!
My second underwater dive session was most definitely a life-changing experience.
Evan getting his tank set up
When I was underwater, I was comparing myself to everything from a small seahorse to a seal. (The Aquarium has seahorses AND two kinds of seal, Northern fur seals and Atlantic harbor seals!) I even felt like an astronaut.
I have to admit that when we're geared up (literally from head to toe) my team and I look pretty good...
Lookin' good...
Buddied up and ready to roll, we're all in our own lil' worlds, exploring the world of water even though we're only in a shallow pool. When we moved through the skills and jumped into the bigger pool it got even more exciting. Breathing underwater is amazing! (Read what another SEA TURTLE thinks of breathing underwater here.) I love the feeling.
I always thought that my life was amazing in many ways. My friends, family and youth center was always there to back me up. But for the last year and a half there has been another supporter: the staff whom I work with closely at the New England Aquarium. As a coworker once said to me, "The Aquarium loves you!" And I love the Aquarium.
Jane is feeling okay!
Thanks to the New England Aquarium I have learned so much about animals and myself. And recently I learned that I can BREATHE UNDER WATER (dun dun dunnnn...). SEA TURTLE has turned senior year of high school into the most exciting year ever. Aside from worrying about college financial aid, now I have something to look forward to!
Jane waves hello
The SEA TURTLE pool sessions have been amazing. Sunday, February 7, 2010 completely made my week. Waking up early in the morning was totally worth it. Learning to set up the equipment was easy enough, learning that a tank filled of air is amazingly heavy was ironic but learning that breathing under water is the most calming thing you can experience was ultimately magical.
I can't wait for our next class!
- Jane
(Click here and here to see how just how much Jane has progressed throughout the program!)
It's February school vacation here in Massachusetts. It's always an exciting time to visit the Aquarium but we decided to make it even more special this year. We thought visitors might like to see how we care for our animals so we scheduled sea turtle exams this week. First up, our two Kemp's ridley sea turtles, Scute and Ari.
We started by swimming both sea turtles into our turtle removal box.
Then we attached the box to the crane so it could be lifted out of the water.
Our Animal Health Department checked their eyes, nostrils, and mouths...
...and performed ultrasounds.
They also took blood samples to send away for testing.
And our visitors got to have front row seats!
After getting a clean bill of health, the two sea turtles were put back into the turtle box.
And were returned to the GOT safe and sound.
A special thank you to Mariah Shore who photographed the exams and provided all the images for this blog post. Click here to read about a turtle exam on Myrtle, our 550-pound green sea turtle.
My name is Tori and I have been a volunteer in the Education department at the Aquarium since 2007. I am now a part of a team of ten students selected to learn how to scuba dive and then travel to the Bahamas on a learning and research expedition.
Tori carrying her steel tank.
The second Sunday session was one of the most fun, productive, and rewarding days. This was the first day that we were able to use the scuba tanks and buoyancy control devices (BCDs). Regulators, as well as a pressure gauge and a tube to connect to the BCD, are attached to the tank. One regulator is for primary use, while a second regulator (usually colored bright yellow) is a backup and can be used if a buddy diver needs to share air. The pressure gauge lets a diver know how much air is in their tank.
The BCD fits like a vest and can inflate to obtain positive buoyancy, or deflate and work with either integrated weights (weights inside the BCD) or a weight belt (weights connected outside the BCD), to obtain negative buoyancy. The goal of most divers, however, is to obtain neutral buoyancy, so the combination of these pieces of gear is very important. Once we all got our wetsuits on, we were all given our BCDs and tanks, and we learned how to use them and correctly set them up.
Tori sets up her gear.
Then, we entered the water!
We weighted ourselves down and took our first breaths underwater -- an incredible feeling! After we were comfortable swimming around and breathing underwater, we started to learn some skills, such as removing our regulators underwater or taking our masks off underwater. Taking my mask off underwater was one of the scariest things that I had done so far. After a while, though, I got used to breathing without a mask on and was able to complete the skills.
After a much-deserved lunch, we entered the water again...this time, to the large pool! While in the large pool, we practiced sharing air with a buddy diver, and practiced ascents and descents (going up and going down in the water).
Students practicing air sharing skills.
At the end of the day, we took a group photo underwater with our gear!
Group photo in the deep end of the pool.
Scuba diving for the first time was certainly an exciting, and somewhat overwhelming experience. I most definitely cannot wait to scuba again!
My name is Alex Bailey. Both of my parents are divers and they both work at the New England Aquarium. (You can read some of my father's past blogs here.) I have been hearing about their diving adventures since I can remember, and I have always wanted to go on an Aquarium collecting trip to the Bahamas. When I heard about the SEA TURTLE program, I knew that I wanted to apply.
Alex practicing the mask removal skill
I am already scuba certified and have been diving in open water a few times. But, I like reviewing the skills I have learned and even more so with the SEA TURTLE team.
I really look forward to seeing everyone and hanging out together. My favorite part of the pool sessions is definitely when we are down on the bottom of the deep end just having fun and learning the all the scuba skills with our gear on.
Alex does some heavy lifting
And, lunch, don't forget about lunch, that part is good, too!
We go on several daily dives to care for the animals in the the Giant Ocean Tank (GOT), the Aquarium's signature exhibit. Follow our posts for the latest about GOT animals and other scuba stories.
Note
This is an archived page in the divers blog. For the current blog visit here.
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