Life at Sea

While conducting an expedition, space and other resources are inevitably strained. Please be considerate of others.
The bunking facilities on board are spartan. Most cabins are two-person or four-person rooms with bunk beds.
It is your responsibility to keep your cabin clean.
Don’t slam doors or let them bang shut. People are sleeping any time of the day or night. Please be especially careful about not letting the door slam shut behind you.
Keep fingers clear of door jambs at all times.
The ship will provide linens (sheets, towels, blankets, and pillows), hand soap, and laundry detergent. Please bring your own toiletries, such as shampoo, razors, toothpaste, etc.
Fresh water should be carefully conserved. Showers should be brief, don’t leave taps running while you shave, etc. Washing clothes uses a particularly large amount of water; please be sensible.
ONLY HUMAN WASTE AND SHIP TOILET PAPER are allowed in the toilets.
The ship has a good wifi connection and you will be able to connect up one or two devices to our network. When you arrive at the ship, please provide your computer information (e.g.,Mac Address, Serial number, and type of device) to the ship’s ET. We ask that you disable automatic updates prior to connecting your device to the network and that you use the Internet responsibly (close browsers when not in use, no streaming applications/video, etc) to preserve the bandwidth for everyone.
There is a gym and two lounge spaces onboard for your use during down time.
The forward lounge is stocked with a large collection of DVDs that can be streamed to any TV on the ship (including your room). You will get more information about this system during the ship orientation.
Meals are served at 0700-0800, 1100-1230, and 1700-1800, but cereal and snacks can be found in the galley around the clock.
There is a ship’s store onboard that sells ship souvenirs and snacks. They primarily accept cash, but credit card transactions can be handled via Paypal.

Clothing and Gear

This ship is usually kept fairly cold – particularly the control room, so you may want to bring a sweater or sweatshirt.
Bring sunglasses, a baseball cap or a hat, and sunscreen.
Bring pajamas that you won't be embarrassed to have others see. You will be sharing a cabin with one or more other people, and you may be woken up at any time by a cabin mate, a non-cabin mate, or ship’s alarm.
Bring a laundry bag to carry your laundry down a couple flights of stairs. A pillowcase serves in a pinch.
Bring a small flashlight!! That way, you don’t have to wake up your cabin mate by turning on the light.

Rules and Regulations

Sexual harassment will not be tolerated. If you have a concern, speak with the Expedition Coordinator immediately.
Alcohol and drugs are not permitted aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer.

Communications

Specific information on how to contact NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer and all other fleet vessels can be found online.

Ocean Exploration and Research (OER):
OER Program Administration:
Phone: (301) 734-1010

Shipping information for the ship changes for every cruise, so please reach out to the Expedition Coordinator if you need this information.