Like this:

Observing is a field in which there are often times of high turn over. Observers inherently move from project to project which brings us the opportunity to hire new people, at times we run across biologist who have worked in similar fields before but have yet to do ship-based work. Recently I had the opportunity to train just such a person. Not everyone is cut out for being away from friends and family for long periods of time with limited communication, thrown into a situation where you know no-one and must live together in close quarters and still manage to thrive. I am glad to say she did wonderfully and picked up everything easily. When I asked if she wanted to write a post for the blog on her experience, she agreed. Below is her take on being an observer.
——————————-
New to the Observer Scene

As someone with several years experience working in the biology field, I was excited to get a job as a Marine Endangered Species Observer. It was hard to imagine what it was going to be like working out on a ship even after talking to several observers. One would think that I would have a thousand questions but honestly, until I was out there I couldn’t really picture it fully and think of anything to ask other than the general questions someone would ask who has never been on a hopper dredge – what type of gear do I need?, what should I bring to do on my off time?, etc. After purchasing all my supplies and packing, I had plenty of time to prepare for the job seeing as how the start date was delayed several times – I quickly learned that this is not an uncommon occurrence. Soon enough though, I got the call about our official start date and less than 24 hours later I was on the road heading to Mobile, AL and in eight short hours I would arrive for my first day of work.

Next thing I knew, I was on the crew boat heading out to board the ship. As we approached the ship, it was everything I expected it to be – a large, partially rusted ship that looked somewhat similar to a barge. Once I climbed onboard the ship, I was taken on a quick tour and introduced to some of the crew. It was small living quarters- just as I was told it would be. After getting settled in the observers’ cabin, I began my training – it lasted about half a day before we received the news that Hurricane Ida was heading directly for us! It made sense – the seas were rough and getting worse as time went by so we headed to anchor to ride out the storm. I never would have imagined my first day onboard the ship as an observer would be spent on anchor due to an approaching hurricane – what are the chances?!

About a day later, the storm passed and we were able to go back to work. The next couple of days were spent learning the ropes. Easily, the hardest part was getting used to working from 11:30 PM to 11:30 AM. I ended up spending most of my time off sleeping but after a few days, my body adjusted. Everything was pretty smooth sailing from there on out.

The work is pretty straight forward. At night, when my shift begins, I check the draghead and lander in between loads which is about every five hours and during the day I also observe and document marine mammal sightings. While there are not many dolphins out in the early morning, there are always birds to be seen everywhere.

As time passed, I was even able to tell whether we were digging or dumping based on the vibrations and noises of the ship – this allowed me to leave the house and wander out onto the stern or bow of the ship to look for marine life. It also gave me the opportunity to get outside more which is nice when you’re cooped up on a ship for three weeks!

Overall, it’s a quite relaxing experience being out at sea. I have the opportunity to see things most people don’t get to see – beautiful sunrises/sunsets, birds perched on the ship, sea gulls swooping into the hopper to catch a small fish, brown pelicans flying along right beside the ship and tons of dolphins surfing the wake from passing ships. My first trip out turned out to be a great experience. The crew was great and the work was new and exciting. In the end I left with some good memories, interesting stories and new friends and I’m looking forward to returning soon!

Advertisement