We awoke this morning at 6:30 to a flurry of cleaning and packing activity in preparation for our 8:30 departure from Aquarius. We were all a little groggy from the long night of decreasing pressure. It was important that we were awakened often during the night, so as not to restrict blood circulation if we were to lie only on one side, or have a leg or an arm bent and crunched up for long periods. This could restrict nitrogen off-gassing. We stripped the linens off our beds, double bagged the last of our belongings to be dry-potted up, wiped down counters and shelves, and vacuumed the laboratory. During this time, the pressure inside Aquarius had been decreased to surface pressure, while the wet porch remained at 47 feet. All of a sudden the time had come to go.

We moved into the entry lock and sealed off the door to the galley and bunks. Seven of us crowded into the small space. The technicians turned valves and quickly the pressure increased to 47 feet and the air became hot - we cleared our ears as the pressure increased. When the pressure reached that of the wet porch the door was pushed open and we exited the entry lock into the wet porch, quickly changed into our swimsuits, fins and masks, were handed bail-out bottles, and left the wet porch for the last time. We were led slowly up a line to the surface. The sun streamed through the water and we climbed onto the support boat, the "Sur-D" in bright sunshine. The sun and the breeze felt good on the skin, a reminder that we are terrestrial creatures. At the same time, sad to leave our watery home. What an amazing experience our Aquarius mission had been.

We would like to extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation to Dr. Steven Miller, Craig Cooper and the entire NURC staff for making this project possible. We could not have asked for better support and training every step of the way. Tim Gallagher and Ken Johns led our pre-mission dive training and are some of the best instructors we have ever encountered. Aquarius technicians Mike Florant and Mike Smith, who have been patiently locked down here with us for the entire mission, deserve special thanks for all their hard work and generous assistance with the science and tolerance of our sciencey ways. Finally, surface support divers Cyd Yonker, Emina Begovic, and Ryan Snow were indispensable and kept this show on the road topside with their long hours in the lab and on the water.