At Sea
After our equator crossing party last evening we were ready to enjoy more of the warm tropical ocean, so this morning we stopped the ship at 2º 26.8’ N and 18º 5.8’ W in 4850 meters of water and went for a swim. We not only went for a swim, but we lowered our kayaks and paddled about. As we were 470 nautical miles off the coast of Sierra Leone, we had no real destination in mind. The warm tropical sun, the 30ºC sea temperature and the calm airs of the doldrums kept many of us in the water most of the time. Swimming in water this deep is a pretty interesting experience—it’s definitely over your head.
We were greeted by a pod of spinner dolphins at our swimming spot and we’re beginning to see more birds as we sail into the more productive equatorial waters. The easy motion of the ship as we sail along makes it hard not to relax and just take in the beautiful sea and sky. On this voyage we have experienced water and air temperatures, which vary from sub-freezing conditions to the tropical ones we enjoy now. It is a wonderful way to appreciate the great diversity of environments, which exist on our little water planet, and how we are able to be comfortable throughout the range of temperatures on Earth, which are themselves the result of the great abundance of water on the Earth’s surface.
After our equator crossing party last evening we were ready to enjoy more of the warm tropical ocean, so this morning we stopped the ship at 2º 26.8’ N and 18º 5.8’ W in 4850 meters of water and went for a swim. We not only went for a swim, but we lowered our kayaks and paddled about. As we were 470 nautical miles off the coast of Sierra Leone, we had no real destination in mind. The warm tropical sun, the 30ºC sea temperature and the calm airs of the doldrums kept many of us in the water most of the time. Swimming in water this deep is a pretty interesting experience—it’s definitely over your head.
We were greeted by a pod of spinner dolphins at our swimming spot and we’re beginning to see more birds as we sail into the more productive equatorial waters. The easy motion of the ship as we sail along makes it hard not to relax and just take in the beautiful sea and sky. On this voyage we have experienced water and air temperatures, which vary from sub-freezing conditions to the tropical ones we enjoy now. It is a wonderful way to appreciate the great diversity of environments, which exist on our little water planet, and how we are able to be comfortable throughout the range of temperatures on Earth, which are themselves the result of the great abundance of water on the Earth’s surface.
