Dan O'Brien '20

We started our day on the Zodiac boat. They're like really fast pontoon boats, and they're used by the Navy Seals. We sailed a few miles off shore and there we saw some Short-Finned Pilot Whales. They were all in groups of females with one male, that was larger than the females. There was even a neonatal pup, probably...

This morning, we left early for a two tank dive off of Honokohau Harbour. Our first dive was at a place called Sucle Er Up. At this site, it has a great big lava tube with lots of natural light from. It got its name from that lava tubes tendency to suck divers up and spit them out on the...

Yesterday, we started the day off with the Ocean Conservation Tour. This was at the National Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA). We learned about a lot of interesting techniques that they are developing to meet our energy needs. One of these developments that I found most interesting, was Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion, or OTEC. OTEC works by using the...

The plane touched down at KOA today around two this afternoon. We met up with our hosts, the Hansens, and we drove about thirty minutes to where we're staying. The weather was very foggy today. There was lots of vog in the sky. Once we all got settled in our rooms, I went for a swim, and then had...

I am very excited to study marine biology in Hawaii. I have only done one previous dive without an instructor with my friend Zach, but I am very excited to get better at the skill. I am also very excited to dive at Cook's Point. I have been snorkelling there, but I was pretty confined to a depth of around...