I just returned home from another 3-wk trip to Maui. This trip, I inspected and confirmed that all experiments were still in place, cleaned & repaired equipment, and collected additional data. If you need a refresher, you can read about our projects here (last 3).
I also scheduled some free time with my good friend, Maui roommate, and future dive buddy Mark. We had a lot of fun hanging out! Shenanigans included Gabriel Iglesias (LIVE), MBC, Don’s winter wonderland, Lulu’s pool & bevs, etc. We also got to hang out with Meg D on several occasions, and much of Makai Watch folks (incl. CORAL & DAR).
- Gabriel (LIVE!) was hot, fluffy and hilarious!
My dive buddy this trip was Mindi Summers, also a student at Scripps. She was a huge help, a lot of fun, and great in the water. We swam all over the island, collecting water samples, scrubbing CAU cages, deploying SeaFETs, harassing urchins, and gawking at sea turtles, humpback whales, mantas, nudibranchs, and a tigermokacuda. Work hard, play hard; I need a (short) vacation from Maui. ;~)
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- These starship destroyers of the sea are thick this time of year.
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- Mindi practicing her underwater juggling
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- Clod card construction – glueage
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- The epitome of majestic.
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- These little parrots are keeping my cages clean.
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- The elusive “tigermonkacuda”
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- Mark Miller on the longboard
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- The flame angel is the star of the reef…brilliant!
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- Mindi assuming “the position.”
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- More like a seapony.
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- Scorpion leaf fish: per pound, the coolest fish on the reef.
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- Pau Hana = surf session
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- SeaFET, dive slate, and Niskin on a “Pam” float — pH time!
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- Deployed SeaFET (pH sensor)
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- Levi assuming “the position.”
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- Mindi & shelled friends
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- Pau Hana = surf session
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- Have you seen the movie Junior? It’s like that to the Hippocampus.
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- An endangered hawksbill stopped by to inspect our work.
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- Clod cards deployed to assess water motion
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- Clod card construction: drillage
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- Urchin diversity cages look great!
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- Settling sediments.
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- Mindi was the quintessential dive buddy & ‘lab’ assistant.
