Awaiting Final Permits to Sail

The fuel tanks are full, the holds are full, our equipment has been triple-checked, so we’re ready to set sail from Havana on a journey that will take us half way around the island of Cuba.We are awaiting final permits that we expect sometime tomorrow. I attached a new hose and computer to my regulator assembly and took a few breaths of compressed air, my first in too many months. That cool, dry air put a big smile on my face and reminded me why we’re here.

Our colleagues were aboard yesterday morning to finalize our expedition plan and sampling locations. They’ll be using a stereoscopic (3D) HD video system that will take close-up, high-resolution video of the coral reefs we visit for later analysis. The system provides sufficiently high-quality video as to allow for analysis of fish just a few mm long. I’m looking forward to getting acquainted with this incredible system, but mostly I just look forward to getting in…and under…the water.