Day 1 - DAMAI II

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Created: Sunday, 30 September 2018 23:33

Daily log – DAMAI II

Date: 30 September 2018

Boat location(s): Saumlaki Port - Nils

Weather conditions: Sunny and smooth waves (0.1 – 0.5m high)

General notes:

Team DAMAI arrived in Saumlaki Mathilda Batlateri Airport after an overnight flight. The team (and almost 700kg worth of luggage!) was promptly transferred to M/V DAMAI II. The crew welcomed the team and introduced us to our home for the next ten days. DAMAI II commenced the Elysium Heart of the Coral Triangle expedition at 1330 hrs. In the afternoon, we spent the night relaxing after three days of travelling. We also had a special birthday celebration for Sarah-Jo Lobwein (our Plastic Team Leader)! The team is heading overnight to Nils and is expected to reach about 0900 hrs to start their exploration of the coral triangle.

Day 1 - MSY Mola Mola

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Created: Saturday, 29 September 2018 21:33

Day 1 and the Team aboard MSY Mola Mola reported that they had arrived safely and were enjoying a beautiful Indonesian sunset aboard their new home for the next 10 days. 

Behind the scenes of expeditions such as this, sometimes not everything goes according to plan and flexibility is a must. The Mola Mola team were faced with a very last minute route change due to fuel not being available in Nabire. Luckily we were able to get everyone last minute flights to a new departure point to meet the vessel. On boarding the MSY Mola Mola they were treated to a luxurious platform for the next 10 days. The MSY Mola Mola is a 32 meter long traditional wooden Phinisi boat, newly built 2018, and custom designed to explore the waters of Indonesia.

MSY Mola Mola has 8 air-conditioned cabins with en-suite bathrooms catering to a maximum of 16 guests. There is also a full air-conditioned dining room and lounge plus a camera room which is a central hub for Elysium Heart of the Coral Triangle.

D Day - Time to Depart

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Created: Saturday, 29 September 2018 21:30

D-Day Time to depart.  It's going to be a long night.  Those aboard MV Gaia Love must fly to Ambon.  Those aboard MV Damai will fly to Ambon and then on to Saumlaki.  Those aboard Mola Mola have had a sudden change of plans and instead of heading to Nabire must now fly to Sorong.  Regardless of departure point all the flights are departing Jakarta around 11pm which means an overnight flight, some with a stop en-route, before arriving in time to board the vessels tomorrow morning.  Albeit excited for the trip it is also a sombre mood with the news of the recent earthquake and tsunami on everyone's mind.  Many on the team have dived in North Sulawesi and Sulawesi so the people of Donggala and Palu are very much on their minds at this time.     

D Day - 1

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Created: Saturday, 29 September 2018 16:33

D-Day 1 to the 3rd Elysium Epic expedition.

The first day is almost upon us! Elysium Heart of the Coral Triangle expedition is about to begin!!! All 49 of our team members are meeting to review the expedition goals and plans and will then disperse to dive some of the planet's most pristine reefs in an effort to artistically and scientifically document how climate change has impacted the marine and coral reef ecosystems.

With everyone convened in Jakarta the team only has 1 day to meet together before they break off into 3 separate groups. Within each boat team there will be 3 smaller teams focus on the science of the expedition.  Dr Paul Muir briefed the group his procedure for the coral surveying to be completed on the 3 routes.  Charlotte Young outlined methodology for microplastic sampling.  Renato Morais undertook the oversight of the fish survey to be completed by each vessel during the expedition.