When we woke this morning Will didn't feel any better. He got up and tried to eat, but he wasn't able to keep anything down. Jay called up to the surface to speak with Craig Cooper (Aquarius Manager) about the possibility of getting a doctor down here to diagnose Will's ailment. Under conditions like these, when it would take us 16 hours just to decompress and allow accumulated nitrogen to leave our bodies, it's best to be as conservative as possible. Because Will's diagnosis is unclear and because we are required to be in the habitat for 6 hours prior to decompression, the rest of us cannot dive this morning. If the doctor determines that Will needs to be treated on land, we will have to begin decompression.

Craig contacted the diving physician (the program has a physician "on call" for just such a situation, who can make "house calls") and they quickly left shore to visit Aquarius. After careful examination, the doctor determined that Will's ailment was not a "pressure-related injury" and that he probably had a stomach virus that would have to run its course. We were all glad to hear the news and Will seemed relieved to know that it wasn't something more serious. Because both Jay and Tim G. are Diving Medical Technicians (DMTs), who are trained more extensively than their terrestrial counterparts, Will was put on IV fluids to help him stay hydrated. At the end of the day he was feeling much better and was again able to eat and drink fluids.

When you throw six people, essential life support equipment, and what must be a thousand assorted dials, knobs and valves, into a tube that is 9 feet in diameter by 40 feet long ... it's amazing just how small Aquarius sometimes feels. Add to that a little boredom, (by not being able to get out and work on the reef), the fact that we've all been in a small space together for six days, and you have the recipe for some added stress. It's interesting watching different people deal with it; some go to their bunk and read or listen to music, some engage in card games and others graze almost continuously. I'm impressed by the lack of short-tempered comments, but that edge may be softened somewhat by the constant joking that occurs. I can't think of too many people with which I could live in such a small space for so many days. This crew has just the right combination of personalities to make this a very successful mission.