A 21st birthday celebration on land is deceivingly similar to that underway. Full of well wishes, tasty cakes, reflection, and likely some vomiting. I began my morning with a watch shift, where we made sure the boat was safe and secure and that all was well as the sun rose.

Only one day remains until we get underway! The excitement about setting off and going out to sea is becoming more tangible, as that time and date draws ever nearer.

Good Morning faithful followers of Cruise C284 Blog!  Welcome to the story of our academic and scientific explorations of the Caribbean.  Today we stepped off the deck of the Corwith Cramer and visited Cane Bay, St Croix, a popular beach and dive destination on the north shore.  Our mission, to practice and refine our snorkel survey techniques, document coral reef health and reef fish and invertebrate diversity, and finally to have a bit of fun at the same time

After a wonderful night’s rest in our 6’ x 3’ x 3’ coffins (bunks), we woke up for an all-hands breakfast. Some more ship orientation occurred, and we cleaned the ship, with each watch group having a separate task. Amidst all the deluge of information, I keep asking our chief mate, Rebecca, about climbing aloft to the top of the mast. Unfortunately, that day will come much later.

I am happy to report the successful start to cruise C-284 – Colonization to Conservation in the Caribbean (CCC).  Just moments ago students arrived from various cold destinations around the globe and have convened here in St Croix, USVIs to begin their adventure onboard the SSV Corwith Cramer.  Sea bags were quickly stowed and all hands turned to on the quarterdeck for introductions and messages of welcome to their new home.

The students, faculty, and crew of S-284, The Global Ocean, have arrived aboard SSV Robert C. Seamans, docked in Auckland, New Zealand.

SEA Semester in the NEWS
A Young Island on Earth May Reveal Clues to How Water Shaped Mars
By Niraj Chokshi
The New York Times

Four years ago, an underwater volcano erupted in the South Pacific, creating a new island. And NASA took notice.

Following five weeks of coursework at the SEA campus in Woods Hole, students join the SSV Corwith Cramer in St. Croix on Feb 12th.  Their sea component ends March 22 in Key West, Florida, following port stops in St. John, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Grand Cayman.

The Global Ocean, New Zealand program begins Jan. 2nd at the SEA campus in Woods Hole. After about six weeks of classroom work, students join the SSV Robert C. Seamans in Auckland, New Zealand on Feb. 12th. The voyage ends in Christchurch, N.Z. on March 22nd after port stops in Russell, Wellington, and Dunedin.

SEA Semester in the News
New Tonga island ‘now home to flowers and owls’
BBC News

Scientists have found signs of life on one of the world’s newest islands, just four years after it was spawned by a volcanic eruption.

Unofficially known as Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, it lies in the kingdom of Tonga, and is already nurturing pink flowering plants, sooty tern birds, and even barn owls.

Tonga is made up of over 170 islands in the Pacific Ocean, east of Australia.

A team from the Sea Education Association and Nasa visited the small land mass in October, having previously kept watch through satellite imaging.

Read the full story.