Getting in Gear: May 9, 2000   @Sea correspondent/ photographer, Mark Carroll   We headed out to sea this morning under soft, pre-dawn light. Our trip was over by the time the sun had risen barely above the horizon. The Research Vessel EDWIN LINK passed through the sheltered harbor of Willemstad, Curaçao and came to rest just a few miles away from the colorful city. The deep blue waters of the Southern Caribbean stretch beyond the bow of the HBOI vessel R/V EDWIN LINK. This gleaming white ship will be our base of operations throughout the coming expedition. The seas are mercifully calm. Ceaseless tradewinds often make this region notoriously rough. We are floating in the island's lee -- Curaçao itself partially protects this small patch of ocean. Seen from a porthole, the sunrises over the mainland of Curaçao signals the beginning of the first full day of research. The potential exists for nastier seas in the coming days as our expedition moves through the deep waters of the Netherlands Antilles: the first week around the coast of Curaçao, then three to four days off the coast of Bonaire, and finally, perhaps, to the waters of Aruba.   If the seas are quiet, the atmosphere on board the ship has been anything but. While the ship's crew spent the morning working out a few minor glitches in the ship's hydraulics, the science crew had their hands full preparing for research.   A research expedition is like anything complex system (troublesome hydraulics for instance) -- sometimes it can take a little time for all of the assembled parts to start working together like a well-oiled machine. Most of the researchers on board are marine science veterans. Some have been collecting samples at sea since the 1970s, logging thousands of dives and countless months away from home. Peering over the shoulders of these seasoned investigators, a group of eager newcomers stand ready to make their own contributions to the biomedical marine research endeavor.

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Chief Scientist John Reed displays a depth profile and discusses upcoming dive operations with the crew. Detailed charts of the local waters help the crew decide on the best dive locations. Primary Investigator, Dr. Shirley Pomponi (Director of the Division of Biomedical Marine Research at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution) called a meeting in the ship's galley, which smelled like bread on account of the stuffing that was cooking for dinner.   Each of the assembled crew members -- representing various scientific specialties -- contributed thoughts and expectations. This is obviously going to be an intensely multidisciplinary mission. The coming weeks of scuba and submersible operations will allow the team to observe, photograph, and collect selected deep water specimens of sponges, soft corals, sea fans, and tunicates. Years of collections experience will guide this careful sampling process toward species that seem like they might just contain the next powerful anti-cancer drug, or anti-inflammatory agent, or antibiotic. Each sample will present an overwhelming array of possibilities for investigation and discovery. On their quest to find potential medicines in these organisms, teams of scientists will analyze specimens down to the cellular, microbial, even to the molecular level. This comprehensive, collaborative approach between cell biologists, chemists, molecular biologists, and other specialists gives this mission its best shot at success.   Along the way, each submersible and scuba dive will be meticulously documented in order to catalog the biodiversity of the sampled environments. This baseline ecological "snapshot" can become a critical conservation tool, allowing scientists to evaluate changes in the environment as time passes. If important new drugs are found here, it will become especially important to protect the health of these natural systems.   So now it's time to get into our dive gear and jump into the water! Researchers, ship's crew, and submersible pilots discuss upcoming dive operations during a meeting in the HBOI vessel EDWIN LINK's lounge.

© 2000, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution