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For reference the work watches of a 3rd is 0800-1200 and 2000-0000.
At around 3am we had a failure in the main propulsion and all engineers were called to assist with bringing it back online. We managed to bring it back 3 hours later... already sleep deprived and exhausted from being in a 50degreesC engine room I went up to the stern to have a cigarette... casually leaning on the railings staring into the abyss I heard a voice say “Jump in, the waters cool” I was instantly taken back and looked around only to find just myself on the stern at the time no one else in the vicinity. I basically noped tf out and went to eat breakfast and get 1 hour sleep so I was ready for my watch.
On the plus side I did see whales breaching the water on the northbound sail back to Europe.
According to Oceana, more than 80% of the oceans on our planet remain unexplored. As a result of our lack of knowledge, only 7% of our oceans are designated as marine protected areas.
Ricardo Aguilar, the leader of Oceana’s expeditions in Europe, explains why it’s so important to map out the ocean. “By exploring previously unexplored areas, we have been able to discover new species and new habitats, but also to identify vulnerable habitats or threatened species that were protected ‘on paper,’ but because nobody knew they could be found in these places, there were no measures to effectively protect them.”
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After I got out, I turned to see what it was. It was a manatee, just coming to say hello.
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Dr. Gene Carl Feldman, an oceanographer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, says that the ocean is hard to explore at great depths. You’re faced with zero visibility, extreme cold, and crushing pressure. It’s a real logistical challenge.
“In some ways, it’s a lot easier to send people into space than it is to send people to the bottom of the ocean. The intense pressures in the deep ocean make it an extremely difficult environment to explore,” Feldman told Oceana.
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and saw something white bobbing on the horizon and had to investigate to make sure it wasn’t someone in distress. Turns out it was a full size refrigerator just floating in the ocean.
Also the amount of fine sand and dust blowing off the Sahara is wild. The sky turns a shade of orange and the dust gets everywhere.
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This was on the aft-end (fantail) of a guided missile cruiser
A DSD Divemaster who had done 500 dives while working in Australia previously told Bored Panda that some of the scariest moments while on the job involved other people. "I had a couple of people lying about their air when I first started guiding people. For me, it was scary because I didn't think people would be that stupid. Running out of air puts everyone in that group in a dangerous and stupid position," he explained how even a single person’s actions can endanger the entire group.
“I have never had a gear failure, ripped hose, broken regulator, or anything, so all in all pretty lucky," he said, adding that he has complete faith in his equipment. So long as you do everything correctly, you minimize the potential risks.
The DSD Divemaster told us earlier that some of the coolest moments he’s seen during his dives included a humpback whale swimming over the group, while watching octopi and manta rays is also stunning.
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Just the vast, inky blackness stretching in every direction. The only thing breaking the endless void are the off white caps of the waves. It's the kind of emptiness that makes you feel small and insignificant and hyper aware that you'd be doomed if you fell in unnoticed.
Which of these stories stuck with you the most? Have you ever worked at sea, Pandas? When was the last time you were out on the water? What weird or unusual things have seen?
What advice would you give anyone who’s going to be living or working on or near the water for a long time? Share your experiences and thoughts in the comments.
#13
It's just super creepy knowing beyond that fog is just an endless ocean, all around.
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I spent 4 years sailing full time after college and I can’t think of anything *creepy* exactly. I have some very vivid memories of strange/striking moments.
* Captain smoking a cigarette in 30 knot winds so the ash was spraying behind him like sparks
* Being sea sick in the Gulf Stream in like 15 foot waves at night and falling asleep standing up draped on the rigging (clipped in)
* sailing around Bermuda with a bunch of traditionally rigged sailboats in a fog (looked like a movie, except all the boats were from different eras)
* Getting the p**s scared out of me while someone told me alien abduction stories in the middle of the night sailing in the Caribbean 😂
* looking down from the bow and seeing a shark rising the bow wake like a dolphin
The creepiest thing I encountered was drunk sailors in port tbh.
edit: I have also seen some crazy weather. I remember in the atlantic being surrounded by squalls at night to the extent that the lightning flashes felt like strobe lights. My shipmate and I turned to each other and were like “we need Daft Punk.”
Some of the scariest weather I’ve seen was actually on the Great Lakes, and the conditions can be just as sketchy as the ocean. Plus the waves are closer together so they are more uncomfortable.
Re: drunk sailors. Use your imagination.
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I didn't think much of them other than they were kinda interesting. You'd see them from after touching down and moving around and then dispersing.
Then one night at like around 2 AM we got broadsided by one in pretty severe weather.
This was while our largish vessel was attached to the sea floor. We got pushed off station several hundred meters.
We came a lot closer than I'd like to think about to sinking that night, with close to 300 people on board, most of whom were sleeping at the time.
Then I definitely found them less interesting and way more creepy.
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