Because I am a joint appointee between PolarTREC and NOAA Teacher at Sea program, I have some NOAA training to take. Some of the animal population survey will be done from flying helicopter transects from the Healy. In a brief telephone conversation I had with Mike Cameron, of the National Marine Mammal Laboratory in Seattle, I discovered that if I want to do some flying, I have to do the helicopter safety program.
Do I? Want to do some population sampling of ice seals. Me?
Yah HUH!
The opportunity for training coincided with the PolarTREC training. All I needed to do was little detour dogleg through Seattle to accommodate the training.
I have to express that there is just a little bit of galloping heart when I think about this. Today, our aviation safety instructor, Vince Welbaum, outlined the procedure.
PIG
PIG equipment
PIG stands for Personal Immersion Gadget. It is made of PVC pipe that is pounded together with a hard rubber hammer.
Test the PIG
PIG test
Our safety instructor ran some tests with the PIG to make sure everything was put together correctly and ready for the plunges
After you are hoisted up over the surface of the training pool, you’ll be turned around so that you don’t know up from down and then dropped in the pool.
Cool and Calm
Calm and cool
John and Lee practice ditching in the PIG. Stay calm, count to five, and don't lift your hand from the reference point.
Just count to five, get your bearings, release your safety belt from the PIG (personal immersion gear) and swim calmly up to the surface.
Four times.
So I have been practicing holding my breath, and doing visualization of successful escapes. I am prepared.
A Teacher Learning to Ditch?
Learn to ditch
Swimming with your clothes on is fun for about three seconds.
Or I thought I was. Today, I learned I wouldn’t be in my swimming suit, but in my regular on-board gear. I’ve never purposely swum in my clothes. The voice of my mumma telling me to keep my shoes dry always stops me.
Tomorrow I’ll find out if my instinct to keep my shoes dry can be overridden by survival instinct. And the PolarTREC people have given me a camera that is waterproof to help document it all.