The Argonauts began their morning with a couple of rounds of volleyball. Students put up a valiant challenge but succumbed to the teachers by 2 points.
After breakfast we were treated to a researcher, Mackelllar Violich, who studies the diversity of the deep sea. She took us about 1 mile off shore where the waters are app. 1500 meters deep. Although breakfast was delicious, as it usually is, it ended up being returned back through and out of our mouths during the Deep Sea Adventure. While the Argonauts waited patiently for the trap, set by Mackellar Violich five days before, to surface, the weather around the Argonauts was not so calm. The waves were rough and choppy, resulting in our boat swaying back and forth. This caused almost all of us to be seasick. And then . . . as the trap was being reeled back to the surface, the alternator failed. This taught the Argonauts that not all experiments have the outcome one might expect.
After returning to the boat house, the Argonauts got a few minutes of down time before reporting to dissect a conger eel. Mackellar described the parts of the fish while dissecting in front of the curious Argonauts. Next, Mackellar brought to the table a bucket full of Bathynomus giganteus, a species of deep sea isopod. In order to preserve the carcasses, the remaining tissue had to be taken out of each deep sea isopod. This was a very messy job for the daring Argonauts.
Mackellar presented the results of her studies thus far. The Argonauts were so ecstatic to learn that Mackellar and her team have discovered two new species of deep sea isopods of the genus Bathynomus and Booralana!
This was followed by a special shirt signing by all the Argonauts, so each of us would have one with special messages from each Argonaut. Also, the Argonauts presented Stan, Kristen, Jude, and Amy with thank you gifts signed each one of the Argonauts.
