This week we finally got to put our snorkeling practice and SMURFing experience to the test and get in the water to collect the SMURFs! We left Depoe Bay Port early in the morning and it was a beautiful day out on the ocean. Tabi and I took turns swimming out to the buoy with one of our favorite ODFW employees, Neal. She went out with the net and either Tabi or I followed with the new SMURF to replace the one we were picking up. Once at the buoy we would pull up the mooring and wrap the net around the SMURF that had been hooked out there for at least two weeks, while holding the net closed we hooked the new SMURF in place and then signal to the boat to come and pick us up. Once our captain Keith signals that the boat is in neutral we both swim towards it with the net and hand it to the other people on the boat. Once out of the water, we pour water over the SMURF and collect any adolescent fish that might be hiding inside!
It was really fun to accomplish a task in the cold water, all suited up in gear, with hardly any possible communication with the other person. My favorite part was when after one trip we came up out of the boat and realized that there was a Grey Whale only a few hundred feet from where we had been in the water. I have never been in the water so close to a whale before. It was a great day and so glad we finally got to show off the skills our mentors have given us.
On my weekend I drove up north to hike Cascade Head. It was a nice little hike up and had spectacular views of the ocean and the Salmon River. I watched the crab boats while sitting in a field of wildflowers. The Oregon Coast is the most wonderful!
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Morning out on the boat
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| Neal and I |
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| View from the top of Cascade Head |
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