The at-sea team poses for a picture on the bow of the ship.

The at-sea team poses for a picture on the bow of the ship. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2016 Hohonu Moana. Download larger version (jpg, 2.3 MB).

Arrival to Kwajalein Atoll
March 18, 2016

This morning, the Okeanos Explorer arrived in Kwajalein Atoll. After more than three weeks at sea, and some of the worst weather the ship has seen in a long time, everyone was happy to see land. However, it will be a quick turnaround for much of the ship’s crew, with the next cruise departing in just five days. For those of us flying home, we have a couple of days in Kwajalein before the next flight leaves for the U.S. While the weather did not cooperate for much of the cruise, it was still a very successful cruise with eight great remotely operated vehicle dives, including the deepest ever conducted in the area, and the first-ever exploration of three unnamed seamounts. The data we have brought back will keep researchers busy for years.