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
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.
