COCOS (Feb 17): Best laid plans....

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DeepSee submersible onload
(Photo credit: P. Auster/NURTEC/UConn

The NURTEC team of Technical Director and Hela ROV pilot/technician, Kevin Joy and ROV pilot/technician Lance Horn from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington arrived in Puntarenas on February 14 with the hope of seeing our shipment at the dock after it cleared through customs.  The schedule allowed 3 days to assemble and test the ROV, checking that all the bumps and knocks during shipping did not damage our equipment.  Unfortunately, it took days to get our equipment from customs.  They checked on status morning, noon and night!  At least they had time to think hard about the layout of gear and how operations would commence on the MV Argo, our floating home for the expedition.  Needless to say they were frustrated during those days as the buzz of activities around them were all focused on preparing the ship, dive gear and submersible vehicle.


Meanwhile, the Undersea Hunter Group on-loaded the DeepSee submersible (top right) onto the support ship Argo.  After a busy day of onload, the ROV gear cleared customs late in the day and arrived at the port of Puntarenas around 2100 hrs.  The cloud of dust and glare of headlights coming down the dirt road to the dock was a welcome sight.  Everyone pitched in and all of the equipment was loaded onto the ship in two and a half hours.  That was the easy part - then began the task of unpacking crates, organizing equipment and making Hela ROV operational.  Work continued to the early hours of the morning.


This National Geographic expedition is supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DRL-1114251. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.