Thirteen undergraduates from the University of Washington, Queens College, and Western Washington University participated in the at-sea experiential learning program VISIONS. They were outstanding contributors throughout the cruise, standing 4-hour-on\/8-hour-off watches in the ROV control van, assisting with CTD launches, and supporting fluid sampling efforts. Their spirit and joy were evident every step of the way.<\/p>\n

As a special gift, we had the rare opportunity to directly witness the breathtaking seascapes and remarkable biological communities flourishing at Axial Seamount and Southern Hydrate Ridge\u2014where life thrives not on sunlight, but on gas-rich fluids rising from the subsurface. Equally awe-inspiring was the abundance and diversity of organisms, of every shape and size, drifting past\u00a0Jason<\/em>\u00a0in the twilight zone and in complete darkness, enduring pressures nearly 300 times greater than those at the surface.<\/p>\n

Through their Daily Blogs and astounding artistry, we gained meaningful insights into their experiences and perspectives. The\u00a0Jason<\/i>\u00a0pilots served as incredible mentors to the students and early-career RCA team members, even allowing them to sit in the \u201chot seat\u201d in the\u00a0Jason<\/i>\u00a0<\/i><\/b>control van and\u2014under close supervision\u2014fly the vehicle themselves. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and the students\u2019 excitement was unmistakable, marked by ear-to-ear grins.<\/p>\n

We all say a heartfelt thank you \u2013 we do not know when we will sail with you again, but look forward to it and wish you fair seas along the way.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Illustrations by UW Oceanography VISIONS students a) two octopus and a rattail by Ada Carter. b) a blue heron and secretary bird by Leo Couchon. Credit: Ada Carter and Leo Couchon, University of Washington, V25.<\/p><\/div>\n
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A swarm of krill engulfs the Oregon Offshore Shallow Profiler mooring as the ROV Jason conducts a survey after replacing the profiler pod. Credit: NSF-OOI\/UW\/WHOI; Dive J2-1698; V25<\/p><\/div>\n
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Nate and Oliver, VISIONS\u201925 students, help RCA staff member Andrew Paley. sample CTD waters. Credit: M. Elend, University of Washington, V25.<\/p><\/div>\n
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Blue ciliates intermingle with tubeworms, palm and scale worms and limpets at the 9 meter chimney in the International District Hydrothermal Field. Credit: UW\/NSF-OOI\/WHOI; V25.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Tomorrow, we say farewell to our incredible friends aboard the R\/V Atlantis\u00a0and the amazing ROV\u00a0Jason\u00a0team. They have welcomed us with open arms and treated us\u00a0spectacularly\u00a0well throughout our time together. We are deeply grateful for their hard work, generosity, kindness, and outstanding professionalism\u2014not to mention the delicious meals that kept us going! Thank you all for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":217,"featured_media":536696,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[324],"tags":[326,155],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.whoi.edu\/site\/ooi-expedition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/536693"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.whoi.edu\/site\/ooi-expedition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.whoi.edu\/site\/ooi-expedition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.whoi.edu\/site\/ooi-expedition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/217"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.whoi.edu\/site\/ooi-expedition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=536693"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www2.whoi.edu\/site\/ooi-expedition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/536693\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":536699,"href":"https:\/\/www2.whoi.edu\/site\/ooi-expedition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/536693\/revisions\/536699"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.whoi.edu\/site\/ooi-expedition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/536696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.whoi.edu\/site\/ooi-expedition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=536693"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.whoi.edu\/site\/ooi-expedition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=536693"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.whoi.edu\/site\/ooi-expedition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=536693"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}