Bahamas Expedition: A first timer's experience

This guest blog was written by Christine (left), an Aquarium volunteer, and former intern in the Dive and Penguin departments. Stay tuned for more posts and pictures from expedition participants and staff diver Chris.

My adventure aboard the R/V Coral Reef II was the experience of a lifetime! We boarded the ship on Friday, April 27, enjoyed a fun dinner together and met all the other participants. Then on Saturday we made our crossing into Bimini, which was one of the roughest crossings anyone had experienced. We faced huge waves and down pour rain.




Smiling despite the rain: Trip participant George with staff diver Chris

Our next couple days in Bimini we faced more rain and very strong currents so we lost just about a full day and a half of collecting. We had such a great group of people on this trip that everyone kept their spirits up and we continued to have fun despite the bad weather.

The rest of the week brought us amazing weather and we brought some really great fish on board. Learning to catch fish with vinyl nets was extremely challenging but working with a fantastic Aquarium staff and ship crew we were able to learn and have a great time with it.


Shara, Sherrie and I diving the Sapona  

This picture was from our very last dive of the trip. It was taken at the Sapona shipwreck. I have never dived at a wreck site before so it was a very cool experience. Parts of the wreck stuck up all over the place along with strong currents so it made for an eventful dive. We were following and catching fish in every crack and crevice of that wreck. We were so determined to catch fish that we banged our heads and came back with rust residue from the ship all over our wetsuits and BCDs.

The night dive 

The night dive in Bimini was another great first time experience! We dove in groups of three. Shara, Genevieve and I dove together, we each had a glow stick attached to the back of our tank so we could always see our dive buddies. We were also were equipped with a flashlight. Once we zeroed in on a fish we wanted to catch, Shara and I had the nets so we dropped our lights and Genevieve held her light on the fish we were trying to catch. It took a lot of teamwork and underwater communication, but we did it! It was a little intimidating at first jumping into the dark waters but by far one of the coolest dives.

This was by far the most unique experience I have ever had. Catching fish while scuba diving, living on a boat for a week and a half, traveling, working, living and hanging out with many people that just a few days ago were total strangers! But I could not have asked for a better group of people to go on this trip with. Everyone worked hard and were just a lot of fun to hang out with. I will be talking about this trip forever and I hope one day to be able to go again because it truly was a fabulous experience.

-- Christine

Bahamas Expedition: Finding the mooring

Chris, a regular staff diver in the Giant Ocean Tank, is on an Aquarium expedition to the Bahamas. Stay tuned for stories from the turquoise blue waters of Caribbean, complete with pictures, conservation notes and a taste of life on board a working boat.

Besides the deep dive to 85 feet to find the sargassum triggerfish (sorry, my camera couldn't go that deep), the most fun thing I have done on this trip is jump off the bow in mask and fins to find the mooring near the shipwreck Sapona.

 Waiting for Captain Lou's signal

 Overboard I go

 Getting situated before I begin looking

Searching the sea floor 15 feet below

Normally moorings have a buoy attached to them, so that freediving down to bring up the line isn't necessary. There were moorings to use here at the Sapona, but the Coral Reef II is too big and hence has to keep its distance to avoid swinging into it due to surface currents.

Once moored, we enjoyed a great dive at this site, exploring the outer perimeter of the Sapona. It was here that I saw a beautiful nurse shark about 6 feet long.

-Chris

[Read previous posts about diving at the Sapona on this blog. Aquarium President and CEO Bud Ris visited the site in 2008, Emily shares some amazing images here, Nick reports on a night dive at the wreck here and teen diver Lee shares his reports on it here.]

Bahamas Expedition: Invasion of the lionfish

This guest blog was written by Don Stark, an Aquarium volunteer, avid scuba diver and frequent Bahamas Collecting Expedition trip participant. Stay tuned for more posts and pictures from expedition participants and staff diver Chris.

Indo-Pacific lionfish have become an abundant invasive species throughout the tropical eastern Atlantic and Caribbean seas. They are now recognized as one of the most important conservation issues in the world. [We've been talking about lionfish for some time on this blog.]


Lionfish on exhibit at the Aquarium

This is because, lacking any natural predators and with voracious appetites and impressive reproductive skills, lionfish could become the most abundant fish species on coral reefs, displacing many other species that contribute to the health of coral reefs.


An impressive lionfish, photographed at 25 ft on Rainbow Reef, Bimini

Recently, efforts to manage this invasion have taken the form of creating a fishery for lionfish and a demand from the fish eating public. The good news is they are great to eat. [Check out this previous post about sampling lionfish here!] Dining on them can be one way to deal with lionfish, as long as consumers don't develop such a taste for them that they want to keep lionfish around just to eat them. At the end of the day, it will take the hard work of everyone--scientists, conservationists, fishermen and chefs, to help eradicate lionfish from areas where they don't belong.

– Don

Bahamas Expedition: Captain John

Chris, a regular staff diver in the Giant Ocean Tank, is on an Aquarium expedition to the Bahamas. Stay tuned for live updates from the turquoise blue waters of Caribbean, complete with pictures, conservation notes and a taste of life on board a working boat.

For years I'd been hearing about this guy Captain John from my Aquarium coworkers, and I finally got to meet him on this trip. Captain John Rothchild is the captain of the R/V Coral Reef.  He works for Shedd Aquarium, who owns the boat, and is a department head. His offical job title is "Captain of the Coral Reef". He is retiring this year after 32 years, this trip being his last one with NEAq.  Thankfully I was able to sit down with him for a brief interview, to hear what it's like to spend so many days at sea.

Captain John grew up in the Bronx. He now lives in Miami, but has lived in Chicago and has called the Virgin Islands his home. It was there that he met and befriended the crew of the Coral Reef, and a few years later, when they were in need of a captain and their paths crossed in Chicago, they offered John the job. That was 32 years ago. 2 years after that he helped design the Coral Reef II, which is where I currently am while writing this. [Get a taste of live on board the boat with these pictures from a previous expedition.]

I asked him what he loves about his job. "High ooh-ooh quotient," he responded. And sharing his experiences and the wonders of the ocean with all the people who come out on the boat with him. From middle schoolers to PhD students to senior citizens enjoying a cruise on the Coral Reef, he loves to tell them stories of his time at sea and underwater. Some of the stories are more harrowing than others, like the time he was forced to head to a US naval base on Cuba to escape the weather. There are also tales of stowaways, and finding shiny bars 175 feet below the ocean's surface, and many many stories of past NEAq collecting trips.

Why is he retiring? "You know, I have the best job at the Aquarium... but I'm tired. I've put in a lot of hours these past 32 years. It's time." I know I speak for all of the numerous NEAq aquarists and educators that have been on one of these trips over the years that he will be missed.

Bahamas Expedition: Making friends in the Bahamas

Chris, a regular staff diver in the Giant Ocean Tank, is on an Aquarium expedition to the Bahamas. Stay tuned for stories from the turquoise blue waters of Caribbean, complete with pictures, conservation notes and a taste of life on board a working boat.

We made a friend today. A juvenile green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) joined us on a couple of our dives this morning. A friendly little guy he was, and he even seemed to want to board our boat after we were out of the water.


Our new friend in the Bahamas

Eventually he swam off, but I was able to get a few good pics. We dubbed him "Mini-Myrtle." He was a much smaller and slimmer version of our famous Giant Ocean Tank resident in Boston.

 
Myrtle, undeniably large and in charge of the GOT in Boston

You can find green sea turtles all over the world, including New England during the warmer months. Our blog followers might recall that the Aquarium's Marine Animal Rescue team sometimes cares for green sea turtles that strand on Cape Cod beaches in the fall.

Green sea turtles are endangered. That's why it was so special to see one of these beautiful reptiles in the wild, and so important to rehabilitate the cold-stunned juveniles that wash up on the Cape. The species' numbers dipped over the past couple generations due to over-harvesting of eggs and egg-laying females on nesting beaches. To some extent, the destruction of nesting habitat and bycatch in the fishing industry is also to blame. The green sea turtle is a protected species in the Bahamas, so we simply kept our distance (as best we could, he was a curious fella!) and enjoyed its company.

Bahamas Expedition: Blogging off the grid

Chris, a regular staff diver in the Giant Ocean Tank, is on an Aquarium expedition to the Bahamas. Stay tuned for live updates from the turquoise blue waters of Caribbean, complete with pictures, conservation notes and a taste of life on board a working boat.

As we cross the Gulf Stream from Miami to Bimini, and eventually lose all connectivity (wi-fi, local mobile networks, hotspots, etc.), now is a good time to explain how I will blog from the middle of nowhere, ocean. It's actually quite simple. I have a laptop and a satellite phone (pictured). The sat phone is turned on and using GPS satellites and a USB cord to connect it to the laptop, "wa-la" I have connectivity.

Well, it may not be as simple as I make it sound, but the concept is, and with luck (and user skill) I will be able to post while at sea. Success if you are reading this!

Introducing... the Bahamas Expedition of Spring 2012!

Chris Bauernfeind, a regular staff diver in the Giant Ocean Tank, is on an Aquarium expedition to the Bahamas. Stay tuned for live updates from the turquoise blue waters of Caribbean, complete with pictures, conservation notes and a taste of life on board a working boat.

My name is Chris, and I'm an aquarist and scuba diver in the Giant Ocean Tank at the New England Aquarium. 

Chris at the top of the GOT

I got this coveted job in 2005, after serving as a volunteer with the penguin department. Being able to dive a Caribbean reef year-round while living in Boston, and get paid for it on top of that, is a dream come true. Working at an Aquarium has definitely opened up opportunities I wouldn't have had otherwise, and this is expedition to the Bahamas on board the Coral Reef II is one of the many amazing opportunities of this job.

Coral Reef II

I was offered the opportunity to go on one of these Bahamas Collecting Expeditions last Spring 2011, but my wife was due with our daughter right around the same time so I deferred until another trip. So here it is a year later, and I'm packing this week for Florida! For years, I've seen Aquarium staff leave for Florida and the Bahamas, and return a few weeks later with amazing stories and deep tans. Needless to say, I was always jealous, and now find myself a staff person on this next trip.


We're hoping to find a sargassum triggerfish when we get to the Bahamas. In fact, it's our Trip Fish mascot! 
(Photo by Haplochromis via Wikimedia Commons)

I will be blogging from the boat using a satellite phone and laptop. I'm looking forward to sharing this experience with all of you.

Chris

Our Reef Residents: Banded butterflyfish

Last week, I took my underwater camera into the GOT, and followed around this pair of banded butterflyfish for a few minutes. They remained within a couple feet of each other the entire time I was filming, which you can see in this video:



Banded butterflyfish, Chaetodon striatus, according to fishbase.org, are monogamous, the practice of having a single partner during a period of time. Just like many humans!


Banded butterflyfish (Photo: Bernard E. Picton via Wikimedia Commons)

In fact, during our Bahamas Collecting Expeditions, we never take just one of these fish if it is seen as a pair with another. Trip rules. Speaking of, the next trip is coming up in just a few months. Stay tuned.

Chris

Coolest Co-op: Maggie

Maggie, our Northeastern University co-op, just finished up her six months. She loved it so much that she made a video of how cool she thought it was. We will miss her as much as she will miss it here.



Just some of the animals that Maggie learned about during her co-op.


 Green moray eels


Sand tiger shark

How do you give a fish eye drops?!

One of our beloved balloonfishes was slightly injured when it had a little run-in with one of our moray eels. Here, we show how the divers administered it daily eye drops during its recuperation.






Learn more about the Aquarium's Animal Health Department here and get the story and video from a recent medical procedure done on Bob the green moray eel here.

Thanksgiving comes to the GOT

Thanksgiving day at the Aquarium is like no other day of the year... it's a ghost town!

We may be closed, but the fish and other animals don't know that. It's business as usual with staff and volunteers working before having turkey (or tofurkey) dinners with their families.



Happy Thanksgiving from the GOT divers!

Special video appearances by (in order) Markham the sandtiger shark, Myrtle the green sea turtle, Bishop the cownose ray, Ari the Kemp's ridley sea turtle and Leah the green moray eel.

The deserted Aquarium Plaza

Day 8: Move ‘em out

This is the seventh in a series of guest posts from Aquarium volunteer Sarah M. Winchester. She participated in the most recent Bahamas Collecting Trip. As our expedition leaders are gearing up for next Spring's expedition, Sarah chronicles her experience with the Aquarium in Bimini.

Day eight started at 4 am, long before any thought of the sun rising, but we had a lot of work to complete and the fish had to be at the airport at 10:30 am.

 



Bye-bye see you in Boston.


It was an exhilarating and exhausting eight days, and the people aboard the trip made it all the more special. So it was with tired bodies in need of a nice long shower that we all said our goodbyes. The only thought prevented our parting ways from being so sad was the promise of getting to see all the fish we worked so hard to collect soon on exhibit in their new home at the New England Aquarium.

So with a few more photos, I give you our amazing team.

Staff

 
Our fearless leader, Barbara, New England Aquarium


Diver Dan, New England Aquarium


Calm, cool and collected, Deana, New England Aquarium


Invertebrates expert and chicken raiser, Kate, New England Aquarium


Penguin transporter and blog mistress for our trip, Andrea, New England Aquarium


The fearless Captain Lou, Shedd Aquarium


Lean, mean fish-searching machine, Captain John, Shedd Aquarium


Volunteers

 
Multi-trip participant, Dave (practically staff)


Another long time trip veteran, Don


Power couple from North Carolina, Nichole and Chad


Fellow GOT volunteer, Patty 


My wonderful husband and best dive buddy ever, Scuba Steve


Me, Sarah


I hope you all enjoyed this photo day-by-day account of our Bahamas Collecting trip, as much as we enjoyed participating.  It was an amazing adventure.
-Sarah

Day 7: Count ‘em up

This is the sixth in a series of guest posts from Aquarium volunteer Sarah M. Winchester. She participated in the most recent Bahamas Collecting Trip. As our expedition leaders are gearing up for next Spring's expedition, Sarah chronicles her experience with the Aquarium in Bimini.

With our crossing back to Miami scheduled for the evening, preparations for the fish began bright and early.



A complete list of our fish had to be e-mailed to U.S. Fish and Wildlife first thing in the morning, and fresh Bahamian ocean water had to be collected in multiple barrels for fish shipment. We did have time for a little recreational diving and some reef surveying. Splashing in the water without collecting bags, gear and nets for the first time in a week was an odd feeling. “You mean we are just going down to LOOK at fish?”






No longer needed, our nets were tucked away.

We checked on the fish, made some last recording and began the Gulf Stream crossing back to Miami that evening.



D.O. (dissolved oxygen) meter, used to check the percent of oxygen in the water 

Day 5 and 6: Round ‘em up

This is the fifth in a series of guest posts from Aquarium volunteer Sarah M. Winchester. She participated in the most recent Bahamas Collecting Trip. As our expedition leaders are gearing up for next Spring's expedition, Sarah chronicles her experience with the Aquarium in Bimini.

By day five our list of fish began to dwindle leaving some particular species in which to target. 





First up was the copper sweeper round up.  I do not have any photos of this, as it was quite an event involving the whole team. Acting as a human SCUBA screen Nichole, Don and myself blocked a cave exit in order to keep the copper sweepers contained, as Captain Lou and Barbara scooped in with their nets. The rest of the team transferred the fish underwater to two huge bags, until we had collected 30 copper sweepers. 30 minutes later we were done. Go team!


Next up was the sponge round up. Now these animals (yes a sponge is actually an animal, the part we think of as "sponge" is their skeleton) may not be particularly challenging to collect, but distinguishing which species is which was quite difficult. 



Thank goodness we had invertebrate expert Kate Hudec on the scene. (Queue CSI Miami music.) 



 The sponge colors were gorgeous and vibrant.



Day six began with some cushion stars. A team of six of us donned our snorkel gear, headed to a grassy sandbar and rounded up some beautiful specimens.




With small mouth grunts and tomtates still on our list we headed to another cavernous spot to gather some grunts. 

Another successful day complete, although perhaps breathing all that compressed air was starting to get to us.

All hail Caesar/Dave