The Nautilus’s exploratory voyage from Honolulu to American Samoa was scheduled to last several weeks. Along the way, they planned to use robotic vehicles to explore the deep seabed around Jarvis Island to learn more about the area’s biodiversity.
However, this did not happen.
Mechanical problems on the ship resulted in a two-week delay in port and a shortened voyage.
“We sort of made a transit from Hawaii to Samoa, where we mapped the seafloor,” said Gandharva Mahina Hou Ross of Molokaʻi.
Ross is a Hawaiian language teacher for Molokaʻi High School’s O Hina I Ka Malama program. He was selected from applicants from around the world as a Science Communication Fellow for this Nautilus leg.
Although Ross said the change of plans was disappointing, he still experienced some memorable moments. He is also a crew member of the Hokule and is familiar with traditional navigation and environmental observations. Crossing the equator was a first for him.
“I really wanted to cross the equator and see how the climate changes and the wind changes and how the stars change as we cross the equator. And so I spent a lot of time watching the stars and observing things that we would observe in traditional navigation,” he said.
Ross’s role aboard the Nautilus was to share the team’s work with students, educators and the public through livestreams.
He said he was able to do so during a short dive off Makapu’u.
“We got some questions in Hawaiian, so I was able to communicate with a global audience on ʻŌlelo Hawaii, no matter who was listening, and I communicated with some people from Hawaii, which was really cool.”
Ross has also shared the experience with his own students since returning. He said he hopes to join a future Nautilus voyage to witness robotic exploration of the seafloor.
The ship will continue its planned voyages until the end of the year.
