After days of bad conditions (poor visibility and strong currents), the weather finally broke in our favor and we have been able to successfully run the full dive roster these past two days and make exponential progress on site! In this time, we have been able to set the baseline, hammer in datum points, and establish and label the grid, as well as clean up the site as the currents had pushed some of our equipment on the ocean floor out of position (the perimeter lines, safety tanks, and decompression trapeze). The team has also worked out a possible solution to set up oxygen decompression, which we will test first thing tomorrow morning. If this plan works, we will be able to crank out two dives per day. Considering the many unforeseen complications that have plagued us thus far (which are to be expected on the first season of any excavation), morale was very high this afternoon as we counted our many recent successes and prepared for the work still to come. Keep your fingers crossed as I should be able to report the commencement of excavation on the morrow!
Laura hammers in a datum point on site. Photo by Susannah H. Snowden.
Preminda works on laying the grid. Photo by Susannah H. Snowden.
The Puffin XI is anchored and the team is ready to aid the returning dive team. Photo by Susannah H. Snowden.
