Training for the Arctic

With a wake up call of 6:30 on my first day with Kim Malkoski, I headed out to get trained in CPR and First aid. I am incredibly grateful to Kim for letting me join at the last minute! Before such taxing activities however, a French bakery breakfast was needed. After a wonderful fruit tart and the most buttery croissant I’ve ever had, we were ready to get the day rolling. We spent the morning learning the basics of rescue. I learned a lot as we discussed in depth all the first aid skills I’ve never practiced before. Once we were done saving lives, we toured the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and got to see the amazing work being done all around. It was cool to see all the different equipment they use to conduct various science projects. We even got to sit in the old Alvin chamber and ponder how in the world 3 people could ever fit in there for 6-10 hours at a time in the deep sea. For the rest of the week, we fell into a rhythm of morning dives and then working on my online training. I was fortunate enough to get dry suit certified, CPR and first aid, and Science Diving certified at WHOI! It’s been lots of work but also tons of fun! Thank you to Kim for helping me through it all!

Finally, I got to visit Dr. Roger Hanlon. It started out cloudy, cold, and unpromising and became sunny, warm, and beautiful. I am incredibly grateful Roger could sneak me into his busy schedule before going out on field work. I got to see around his lab and meet all the octopus, cuttlefish, and squid. His work is absolutely fascinating, and I could have stayed there all day. We ended up chatting for a while about diving and science and he gave me lots of invaluable advice before regretfully having to run off to another appointment. Thank you to the Malkoski family, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, and Roger Hanlon for an amazing week!