Explorations | Cayman Islands Twilight Zone 2007 | Logs

Confessions of a Barophile¹

May 31, 2007

Marc Slattery, University of Mississippi
Twilight Zone Expedition Science Team

This expedition has been an incredible experience for each of us, made more so by the opportunity to share our experiences in near real-time with the public through the Ocean Explorer website [many thanks to the individuals at OE who developed and maintained this web resource for us!]. Over the past two weeks, and in advance of the expedition, we tried to give a sense of the reason we are doing this research, our results to date, and our strong commitment to see these relatively unknown ecosystems conserved so they might continue to provide nursery habitat and refugia for commercially- and ecologically-important coral reef species. In addition to documenting the transition community, we have demonstrated the capabilities of technical diving for deep reef research. Team Twilight Zone represents a cross section of researchers and educators from broad disciplinary fields, so as we wrap up to our first field season I’ve asked each member to share their favorite moment from this research expedition.

My own spiritual moment came when we dropped below the wall lip at about 200 feet and officially entered the twilight zone. Seeing the spectacular differences in communities above and below this transition was truly amazing. Marc Slattery, University of Mississippi

Deep thoughts with Michael Lesser: I continue to be amazed at the increase in my telepathic powers on each successive deep dive beyond 200 feet. It now seems that the only person I can effectively communicate with is the laboratory mascot and sage, Darwin. He seems to understand my connection with the sea and the deep narcosis I am now grappling with as a result of our two weeks of deep exploration into the “Twilight Zone”. Rod Serling and I have also been having several conversations since we began this expedition. He’s a little miffed at our using his signature logo but is now convinced it is in the best interest of public outreach and marine education. Michael Lesser, University of New Hampshire

On one dive I was excited to see a hawksbill sea turtle feeding intently on a large sponge (Geodia neptuni). The moment was made comical by a juvenile three-spot damselfish, a mere 1-inch in length, that kept trying to chase the turtle away from its territory. The poor turtle had to keep brushing the little fish away from its face like a mosquito so it could finish its meal. Deb Gochfeld, University of Mississippi

Coming up from a wall dive, I was completely surrounded by a large school of blue and brown chromis fish. They were so intent on their interactions that they totally ignored my presence and continued darting around. It was an incredible feeling to be in the midst of such colorful and abundant life. Julie Olson, University of Alabama

I’m a firm believer in ‘Salt H20 Hydrotherapy’-it’s a cure for everything. My top ten favorite moments on this expedition were:

1-Slipping into the 84F, clear blue Cayman H20’s in a thin suit, while 2 days earlier I had been in the dark murky, 39F H20’s of the in the Gulf of Maine in my dry suit.
2-Discovering ‘Darwin’ the Little Cayman Research Centre’s puppy dawg.
3-Realizing Marc really is a ‘Barophile’
4-Figuring out how the mixing panel works
5-Being in sync with the VR3 (my dive computer)
6-Looking over the edge on our 200 ft dive and knowing we would be back to go deeper
7-Seeing with my own eyes the, colorful, and diverse sponge community in the twilight zone at 240 feet of seawater (fsw)
8-Reliving “Nacho Libre” on a daily basis
9-‘Hanging out’ with Jerry the grouper (Groupers are Labrador retrievers of the Sea)
10-Key Lime Pie for every meal!
Liz Kintzing, University of New Hampshire

The walls were really attractive!!!  So much life everywhere, and the sponge communities were healthy and large; there is clearly an important oceanographic component to this system. I was also amazed to see so many sponge recruits. This is a really interesting community.   Cristina Diaz, Museo Marino de Margarita- Venezeula

My exciting moment was the first dive I did where I did something other than concentrate on my buoyancy or some other aspect of diving. I brought the still camera and took many beautiful pictures – including a hawksbill turtle eating a sponge. I’ve been obsessed with what can be found inside a sponge… brittle stars, little fish, algae. Got some really great shots. That was my proudest moment – realizing that I was comfortable enough diving to work at the same time.  Beth Biegler Hines, Mountain Brook High School, AL

My exciting moment was the instant I descended into the water column on the first and every subsequent dive. Having the opportunity to document Team Twilight Zone 2007 has been my highlight, from diving down and collecting samples to post dive work up and characterization. As a result of this trip, not only did I learn a lot about sponges and corals but I have realized I am truly a barophile, and I just can’t seem to get enough of the deep blue.
Nicolas Alvarado, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Ocean Exploration, Maryland

Hi, from the lab mascot at LCRC. My life is all about food, being the center of attention, hiding the shoes of our lab visitors, and communicating telepathically with Michael. Team Twilight Zone spoiled me rotten with attention, and they all had wonderful shoes…  I’m looking forward to another field season with the group. Darwin, Little Cayman Research Center.

¹Note: Barophilia is a term that was coined by Team TZ to indicate an obsessive love of deep diving. At least one member of the team has been afflicted with barophilia; but we hope he will return for our next field season in June 2008…