The Adventure Begins... March 7, 2000   @Sea correspondent/ photographer, Tim Calver   Mar. 7, 2000, off the coast of Natal, Brazil -- Seabirds are working the ocean just off the starboard side. Skimming low over the wave tops, they rise suddenly then dive. A group of musicians lead a song in the streets of Natal during the closing nights of Carnival. I can see the trails off bubbles that mark their high-speed passage from air to sea, reaching down ten or fifteen feet beneath the surface. Occasionally they will emerge with silvery fish in their beaks, rushing to swallow them headfirst before another bird can snatch the hard-won meal. Researchers Sara Konigson and Maureen Kuenen share the weight as they load their gear aboard the RVSJ in Natal. These seabirds have been with us since the Research Vessel SEWARD JOHNSON (RVSJ) left port in Natal, Brazil, four hours ago. Now, the sun is setting and the mainland has fallen far below the horizon. Our ship seems to be alone in the Southern Atlantic Ocean. The swells out here are large. They lift and drop and roll our vessel. Up and down. Uuuup and dowwwn. My determination not to get sick is being severely challenged.   One hundred and three nautical miles off our bow, in the middle of all these waves sits a tiny ring of rocky land surrounding a warm lagoon -- the island of Atol das Rocas -- our destination. The lemon shark population that swims through the Rocas lagoon has lured members of our science team from faraway places like New Zealand, Sweden, Australia, and Canada. The 27-member science crew is led by Chief Scientists Dr. Samuel "Doc" Gruber and Dr. Ricardo Rosa, who are returning to the atoll to continue work begun almost one year ago.

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Top: Dr. Ricardo Rosa checks a morning's catch on display at the market. Bottom: Dr. Gruber examines the carcass of a large nurse shark, eventually identified by it's rough skin texture, despite being finned and decapitated. Learn more about the noted scientist leading the Brazil shark mission... Seaman Scott Hopkinson casts off the bowline as the Seward Johnson prepares to leave port. CLICK HERE to learn more about our correspondent, Tim Calver. This expedition is a reunion, bringing together an experienced crew trained by Dr. Gruber over the years at his lab in the Bahamas. The friendliness and familiarity was evident two days ago in the Natal airport, where Dr. Rosa and his students greeted us. We exchanged hugs and luggage, and climbed aboard their bus bound for the SEWARD JOHNSON. Surrounded by old and new friends, driving through strange streets and green hills, it felt like the all of the planning and preparations for the mission were finally complete...it felt like our adventure had begun.   Our first night aboard the RVSJ, docked in Natal, coincided with one of the last nights of the Brazilian Carnival. Most crew members put their jobs briefly on hold to walk the streets, hear the music, see the extreme costumes, and experience an atmosphere that was (to most of us) absolutely nothing like home. The next morning (yesterday), our group made their way to the Natal fish market. The local fishermen laughed as we bought fresh barracuda and snapper to lure sharks for research. All is eaten here, from glassy-eyed snappers to large sharks. Even the trimmings from the cutting tables are snatched up by hungry cats.   At 11:00 this morning, the SEWARD JOHNSON cast off all lines, and the harbor pilot guided us out through the narrow channel to the open sea. I watch the seabirds and feel the swells, and the complete change of scenery makes our walk through the fish market seem like it happened days ago. Soon, the scene will shift again just as dramatically, as we arrive at a tiny, isolated pinnacle of land to greet some more old friends--the lemon sharks of Atol das Rocas. Two Natal fisherman shake grass and debris from their net to prepare it for their next day of work.

© 2000, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution