From sky to ocean...

What a coincidence, our ocean adventure started from the sky. On June 11th at 10am, as the Leg 2 crew, we took a float plate from Victoria's Inner Harbour to Bamfield, while the Wiring the Abyss 2012 R/V Thomas G. Thompson was waiting for the crew change offshore close to Bamfield. The Leg 2 crew consists of scientists, communication specialists, technicians, and loggers.

Wiring the Abyss 2012 Leg 2 crew in Victoria Inner Harbor

We had an amazing flight over Vancouver Island. No wonder the official motto we see on car plates is “Beautiful British Columbia” – this province is stunning. There is nothing like living the experience yourself...often words just limit and diminish the beauty of an experience.

Waterfall by the ocean. Photo by Murray Leslie

Beatiful British Columbia. Photo by Goksenin Sen

100% natural! Photo by Goksenin Sen

Sandy beach. Photo by Goksenin Sen

An example of estuary. Photo by Goksenin Sen

Light house. Photo by Murray Leslie

Amazing colors. Photo by Murray Leslie

The shadow of our float plane. Photo by Murray Leslie

Bamfield from air. Photo by Goksenin Sen

We were also fortunate to see three different groups of whales from the air. Earlier I saw orcas from the ferry, but seeing them from above made me realize just how big they really are. We also saw a humpback whale from above; humpback whales can be as long as a bus and they are great singers!

Humpback whale. Retrieved from http://animals.nationalgeographic.com

The leaving crew and the upcoming crew met at Bamfield, sharing lots of warm wishes.  Wiring The Abyss 2012 is a kind of relay race, and as the new crew we happily took over the mission for the next two weeks.

Wiring the Abyss 2012 crew change in Bamfield

Wiring the Abyss 2012 Marine Educators Scott Doehler (first leg)

and Goksenin Sen (second leg) at the crew change in Bamfield

Farewell to the stable land… A boat took us to the R/V Thomas G. Thompson.  It was bumpy, but a cool short trip to the ship, with lots of wind blended with ocean water. To see the Thomas G. Thompson for the first time was an exciting moment.

R/V Thomas G. Thompson

We approached to the R/V Thompson and climbed up to the deck. Our luggage was carried by a rope,an old but still a smart way to carry things over to the ship. Despite the tremendously increasing technology in our lives, still the best solutions can be the simplest ones.

Boat to ship transfer. Photo by Goksenin Sen

Now we are on board, heading to Folger Passage.




Goksenin Sen
Marine Educator