Today started with crew wake-up at 6:00 am (EDT). Most of us crawled out of bed at 6:15 am and prepared our Kona coffee with the instant hot water. During breakfast we got a briefing from Ryan on using the Nikon Coolpix camera in the Ikelite underwater housing. We will be using this camera for our reef science experiment and also to get some crew photos while doing EVAs (dives) outside the habitat. Breakfast this morning was oatmeal with brown sugar, vegetable quiche with melted cheese on top and tobasco sauce for a little extra flavor. Fortunately we found a large bag of Kona coffee so we could have more with breakfast.

Our first night underwater marked the important transition to the group of about 900 "aquanauts" worldwide. This technically occurs after 24 hours underwater, but traditionally it seems it is the first sleep underwater that is particularly memorable for aquanauts. In contrast to space where the novelty of sleeping in the absence of gravity is the biggest challenge on the first night of a mission, sleeping underwater was remarkable for the incredible view out the porthole in the sleeping area looking at the fish illuminated by the outside habitat lights. It seemed like we were looking at a 36 inch circular aquarium, which in reality represented the new environment we were living in. With such a compelling and entertaining view I took an extra 30 minutes to fall asleep, impressed with the tranquil harmony of the fish swimming in and out of the light. The noises in the habitat were quietly audible and provided a reassuring hum that all of the environmental control and life support systems were functioning normally.

At 7:30 am (EDT) Bill and I started suiting up for our first EVA (dive) of the day. This was an excursion down the S4 line to perform an evaluation of the Kirby Morgan super mask that has integrated communications capability. We checked transmission and reception of the mask at 5 minute intervals down the excursion line in four different orientations to the habitat. Bill and I made it out 85 meters down the line (that is, 85 meters from Aquarius, not 85 meters deep) before we had to return to the habitat and terminate the dive. During the dive our attention was focused primarily on completing the test objectives but we were able to have a look at the marine life in our vicinity. We saw 2 Southern Sting Rays and a number of barracuda. After we returned to the habitat we switched places with Mike G. and Mike L.A. and they continued the equipment test on a different excursion line to the northeast of the habitat.

Lunch preparation started after Mike and Mike returned and we got together to enjoy a meal of minestrone soup, broccoli au gratin, more vegetable quiche and Kona coffee. During lunch Jean-Marc and Rod came by for a quick visit and waved at us through the porthole by our dining table in the main lock. We exchanged greetings and got some great photos before they had to leave for the surface. After lunch we immediately got suited for a team EVA with all 4 aquanauts, rendezvousing with Dr. Steven Miller for further training on the reef science experiment. It was a personal thrill to meet Dr. Joe MacInnis (also on the dive from topside), a very famous Canadian underwater explorer, underwater at a depth of 50 feet outside the habitat. He and I were unable to talk to each other but we exchanged a hearty hand shake before we had to depart to the reef. It seemed very fitting that the first time I would meet Joe would be underwater and I will never forget this memorable occasion.

We spent the remainder of the dive completing the reef science experiment in which we photo-documented the condition of coral colonies on the reef. This will allow Dr. Miller to determine the changing character of the coral reef, especially the larger corals. The duration of the dive required us to refill our twin 100 cubic feet tanks twice. After we refilled a second time Bill and I left Mike G. and Mike L.A. to complete a water sampling experiment to measure the concentration of nutrients in the water. At 5:30 pm we finished our second dive and swam back to the habitat to change, shower and get ready for dinner.

As we were getting ready for dinner we had a videoteleconference with our surface support team at the watch desk (NOAA mission control). After we reviewed the technical accomplishments of the day and discussed tomorrows timeline we all had a chance to chat with Joe and talk about the importance of undersea and space research to helping all of us appreciate and understand the diversity of life on our amazingly complex planet. We are now finishing the documentation of our data collection, collating our digital photos and getting caught up on e-mail as we finish off our pre-sleep timeline and get ready for bed. Who could ask for anything more exciting than doing science in space and in the ocean! It is indeed an honor to be part of the first joint NASA/NOAA mission to Aquarius.