MAIACETUS: Re-cap of 2010: My first international job in Africa!!

Marine Mammal Observer and Passive Acoustic Monitor job, Mozambique, August 2010

After completing my contract as MMO on the Seajade survey with Natural Resources Canada (see previous post) there was a bit of time until I secured my next contract. I was fine with this though because we were moving into the most beautiful part of summer around Victoria and Vancouver Island. During this time I still managed to keep myself busy: I went out on a couple whale watching trips with Five Star Charters (who I worked with as a naturalist for many seasons) and saw our local resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) and a gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) on July 10th, 21st and 23rd, I went kayaking around Victoria Harbour with my good friend, Jacklyn, on July 16th and I visited my good friend Barb and her mom on Saltspring Island July 17th.

L41 a 33 year old male 'Resident' fish eating killer whale (Orcinus orca), July 10

Paddling under the dock at Ship Point in Victoria Harbour, July 16

Jacklyn and I saw this funky sea star with regeneration of what looks like a new sea star attached at the end of one of the legs!

Jacklyn - happily paddling!

And me, happily paddling :)

The awesome view of the Gulf Islands from Mount Maxwell on Saltspring Island, July 17

And another awesome view of the boats at anchor below, July 17

Following two photos: Myself, Barb and her mom taking in the sun on Mount Maxwell, Saltspring, July 17

Female 'Resident' fish eating killer whale (Orcinus orca) swimming towards us, July 21

Following two photos: A gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) was spending a lot of time off the Victoria waterfront and we had a chance to see this hungry critter feeding in the waters around Victoria, July 21

Oh and one of our lovely juvenile 'sprouting' male 'Resident' fish eating killer whales (Orcinus orca), July 23

...and a couple of females from his family traveling near Speiden Island, WA, July 23

Although I was enjoying the beautiful Vancouver Island summer I was also busy spending time securing my next contract. Initially, I was offered a contract with LGL off the east coast of Canada returning to the Harrier Explorer, which I worked on in the Gulf of Mexico this past winter, but that fell through because the Seajade survey was too soon before it. Instead, LGL decided to try to send me on a different job because they were afraid of possible delays with the first survey.

In the end I was offered a contract in Greenland with LGL and a contract in the Beaufort Sea with Stantec. I decided to take the contract with Stantec because it was supposed to be with my good friend and good MMO, Jacklyn Barrs. Also, when I was offered the position in Greenland I was asked if I would be comfortable 'being exposed to the Arctic elements for hours at a time'; the ship's bridge did not want the MMOs working inside! Of course, I took the option to work in the Beaufort Sea where I'd likely be warmer, with the opportunity to escape the elements occasionally on the bridge, and to work with an MMO I knew would do a good job!

So it was decided I would be headed to the Arctic...or so I thought! After spending a great amount of time preparing for this contract i.e. shopping for wool long underwear and socks and cold weather outerwear, we found out the contract had changed and only one of us was required.

In the end we were asked to decide which of us would go, a very difficult decision indeed! Fortunately, the day prior to hearing this I was asked about my availability to work a contract in Mozambique and, although I'd replied by email that I was unavailable that night, I immediately contacted the company in the UK and informed them that I would be interested in that position. Luckily my email had not been read yet and I was now to be headed to Mozambique! One minute I was purchasing clothing for work in the Arctic, the next minute I was purchasing suncream, hats and clothing to work off the southeast coast of Africa! Although I had been excited at the prospect of working in a new region in the Arctic I was also happy to be returning to Africa because I hadn't been back since I'd left Kenya in 2007.

Soon I was on the l-o-o-ong journey to Mozambique and five flights later, YYJ (Victoria) to YVR (Vancouver) to LHR (London-Heathrow) to JNB (Johannesburg) to MPM (Maputo) to POL (Pemba)!, I was on the Osprey Explorer in the port of Pemba, Mozambique. After meeting with the first pair of MMO/PAM operators for a handover and spending a couple of nights in port we were on our way out to the Petronas-Carigali survey site in the offshore waters of Mozambique. I was quite excited about this job but also a bit anxious because this was my first job in which I would deploying and bringing in the hydrophone gear. The PAM operators who were on before us had some difficulty with our hydrophone cable entangling with the ship's gear, due to the strong current in the Mozambique Channel, so we were anticipating this could be an issue for us as well.

In the end we were lucky and had no problems with entanglements during our relatively short, three week, rotation. In total there were 42 sightings and no acoustic detections over the course of the 2.5 month survey; the majority of the sightings during my rotation were humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) but other species included false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens), sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) and spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris). One of the most striking results of this survey was the amount of data collected on the number of humpback whales utilising the waters off Mozambique consisting of 90% of our sightings. It was very common to observe many blows on the horizon during our visual watches!

Following two photos: at the Yotel in London-Heathrow terminal 4 - a great place to refresh and catch up on sleep between flights en route to Mozambique

En route to Mozambique from Johannesburg, South Africa

The little airport at Pemba in Northern Mozambique

Traveling to the ship, the Osprey Explorer, which was anchored in the harbour off Pemba, Mozambique - can just spot it through the trees

Team MMO: Heather and Christy, the talented MMOs who started the job, and Ryan and I coming to finish the job

At the port where we stayed before departing to the survey site offshore of Mozambique

Night time view from my cabin in port, was trying to fall asleep but the jet lag (with a 10 hour time difference from Victoria!) kept me up so I snapped some photos

Alongside awaiting departure to the survey site with our chase boat

Local sailing dhow cruising past us

View of the Pemba shore from the ship

My cozy cabin on the Osprey; being the only woman on board I got my own cabin, lucky me!

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) sighting during our survey

Following four photos: And sometimes the humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) swim a little closer to us...fortunately we weren't under production, i.e. no airguns were turned on, at this time

View on the deck by the bridge...the chair by the rail was my starboard side 'office' :)

The bridge of the Osprey Explorer

Fortunately the captain on the ship liked to have many plants on the bridge...actually not a very common thing to see!

View forward from the helideck of the Osprey Explorer

On our way back to shore - Ryan and I waiting for the FRC to launch and take us back to shore

After completing the survey I decided to stay on and see a bit of what Pemba has to offer. A view of some of the local homes.

I spent a few nights at the Pemba Dive and Bush Camp which was a lovely place with a very 'interesting' person running it, quite a character!

Following 7 photos: views around the Dive and Bush Camp

My accomodation...rustic but comfortable!

The view of the Osprey Explorer, post-survey and preparing to go to it's next site, from the Dive and Bush camp

Mangrove beaches at the dive and bush camp

Places to chill at the dive and bush camp - this was a great spot to hang out at night and watch the stars...especially since I'd come off night shift so was wide awake at 2 am!