Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 02/24/2012 - 17:52

Hi Ms. Herrmann, Your last two journals are even more awesome than usual! I love the video of the Fuelies--I could never do that job, but it was amazing to see what it's like. The leopard seal seems almost unreal! I would love to experience being out on the water, especially on a beautiful day like in your video, but it seems like the responsibility/pressure of being dive tender would be a bit intimidating at first. I think the Bahia Paraiso looks a little bit like the LMG... strange. I'd never really thought about the presence of tourism in Antarctica before, but I looked it up after reading that there were tourists on the boat when it sank, and apparently thousands of people take cruises there every year. I bet their trips are nowhere near as awesomely in-depth as yours, but it would still be a cool experience! I was wondering, how many Zodiacs are there at the station? Do they use these same types of boats at McMurdo as well? I bet it's a challenge to design gear that can work for a long time in arctic regions. Also, when sample collection for the ocean acidification experiment ends and the special table is all set up, does that change your typical daily responsibilities? Will you still be out on the water quite a bit? I hope everything's going well! All is fine in State College, but tomorrow is State Patty's Day unfortunately. LE is doing great--Mrs. Mistrick brought in the seeing eye dog she's raising and I learned a bunch about the whole process. We miss you though! Mila

Nell Herrmann

Hi Mila!Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the latest journals. I continue to learn a lot every day. I'll be going in the field with some different scientists on Sunday and Monday, so that will be fascinating, I'm sure. There are 4 zodiacs at the station. I don't think they use them at McMurdo (my understanding is there's not much open water- just the Ross Ice Shelf), but I'll ask around. The divers at McMurdo go through a hole in the ice (beneath a dive hut) rather than diving from a boat.
I think I'll be out on the water less in the upcoming days and, as I mentioned, I'll be checking out some of the other research happening here too. Dr. Amsler and his team are staying for several more weeks after I leave, so they've got some other people lined up to be dive tenders. Julie and Kate are actually staying here until May to work on their experiment.
Glad to hear Mrs. Mistrick brought the seeing eye dog. What is her name again? That's so cool! I miss you guys too and will be happy to see everyone back at home. Until then, I'm soaking it all in!
:) Ms. Herrmann