Nadav Shashar’s first journal report: Filed Tuesday evening.

Today we started to get some real measurements. Justin measured horizontal and vertical spectral beam attenuation while Nadav and Tom made some polarization measurements. Roy and Hutch found more animals to sample, and Roy set up a camera in front of a mantis shrimp home for longer-term measurements. With luck, we will be able to monitor the shrimp’s behavior throughout the day. While we were out diving to complete our projects, Craig Cooper (Lead Habitat Technician for our mission and Aquarius Manager) was also out today, diving on hookah (this is diving from Aquarius but connected by a hose that has a regulator on the end), building around the habitat. He works at an amazing pace, and by afternoon he finished adding a complete new deck outside the habitat. The deck will support experiments, and later a second gazebo.

While we are making progress on some projects - we are suffering a few technical difficulties. One more computer is down, and so are a digital camera and a polarization measurement sensor. The computer that stopped working yesterday was replaced and we hope to repair the other instruments. Otherwise we will have to work around these problems.

While working from Aquarius I have time to really observe the environment. It was sad to see how many corals show old or current death in parts of the colonies, and how algae are covering more and more areas of the reef. Coral bleaching appears more severe at 50 feet deep than it did near the surface earlier this week. We sent some samples to the surface team for a thorough analysis. Observing animal behavior is a feast. For once I can stay under water long enough to actually see the details and intricacies of how animals behave and interact - without the need and worry about having to run to the surface for air or to avoid the bends. We all spend a good portion of our time in such observations. I spent a lot of extra time today with Justin watching animal behavior during twilight and sunset. I also worked with Tom setting up a scattering light meter for night work, which meant that I stayed out even longer – and that’s the point of all this! Now we are all exhausted and even the large schools of baby squid near the window can’t drag us out of bed. That is to say - all with the exception of Roy who stands in the shallow waters of the wet porch, with a flashlight in one hand, and a net in the other. He fishes for larvae without any sign of being tired.