By Jacqueline Leung, STEMSEAS Student
So what does one do with free time on the ship? When we aren’t recreating the mouth of a Megalodon, having ship-to-shore interactions, or looking at ancient microfossils, my fellow STEMSEAS students and I make the most of our free time on the Nautilus.
One great way to spend free time (and my personal favorite) is to sit on the various benches situated around the ship and admire the ocean. I’ve long been enthralled with the ocean’s beauty, and sitting at watching the sparkling blue of the waves, seeing how endless the ocean is, and looking at the small waves the Nautilus creates while going through the water is really peaceful. Putting on some music for extra contemplation or a podcast for additional entertainment really seals the deal.
The Nautilus has an area called the “monkey deck” – a deck located directly above the navigating bridge of the ship (lowermost image below). It has SPECTACULAR views. When we first left Honolulu, all of us situated ourselves up there and watched as the lovely landscape of Hawai’i as it grew more distant. The monkey deck is usually intensely windy so I like to stick to the lower levels so my earphones don’t fly out of my ears. Our spots of relaxation aren’t just sequestered to benches; there is a covered tepid tub (it’s supposed to be a hot tub but it’s really quite tepid) that offers the perfect place to lie, sunbathe, and read.
Additionally, the Nautilus has a fantastic social deck. It’s a place that has been a hub for us STEMSEAS students to have our lessons, have lunches, and engage in great and educational conversations with Nautilus crew and with each other.
The third way to pass time on a ship is napping! Every STEMSEAS student agrees that the rocking of the ship almost feels like we are being rocked to sleep. Often times when we finish a mid-afternoon activity and we’re given a break, many of us (myself definitely included) rush to the berthing area to nap. Just a few days ago we had a 50 minute break between an activity and a zoom video interaction with a sister STEMSEAS expedition, R/V Kilo Moana, and a lot of us made the most of that break to nap. As we made our way deeper into the expedition there was less time for napping and more time spent on STEMSEAS science communication projects and blog post posts like this! Thank you STEMSEAS and E/V Nautilus and the Ocean Exploration Trust for the wonderful opportunity to participate.