Rough Weather
April 14, 2018

During overnight mapping to Whiting Dome, the mapping team identified a seep north of Whiting Dome that does not appear to be in anyone’s database. NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer arrived on site to sustained heavy winds and high seas, with conditions continuing to build throughout the day. We even had an evening squall! With the weather being uncooperative, we unfortunately had to cancel the planned dive. On days when we can’t dive, there is still plenty to do. We spent the whole day mapping and performing maintenance onboard. Maintenance projects included the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) team improving access to the drawer for sample recovery, swapping out the starboard lower lightbar swingarm pan and tilt, and installing adapter brackets on ROV Seirios. The weather system that caused today’s dive to be cancelled is expected to continue producing high winds and seas though tomorrow afternoon. We will aim for calmer weather while mapping overnight and see what tomorrow brings.