Hola! My name is Elizabeth Griffin and I am a Marine Wildlife Scientist from Oceana’s Washington, D.C. office. I met up with the Ranger in a small port in Southern Spain called Aguadulce on Sunday. We were in port until this morning which gave me the chance to become acquainted with the boat and the crew before we set sail. I also got to know the mosquito sharing my bunk! I was happy to have Margot, another scientist from our Washington office, here to show me the essentials, such as how to flush the toilets on the boat.
Today we left Aguadulce and visited two nearby sights in search of sea grass habitats. The divers had two successful dives and got lots of video footage and photographs of the sea grass beds and wildlife in the area. After my first day at sea, I am happy to report that I am not sea sick or sun burnt, and I have killed the mosquito in my bunk. Although I will admit, he died fat and happy.
The Ranger crew is a great group of people and they have been extremely tolerant of the fact that I speak very little Spanish. Life aboard the Ranger is very peaceful compared to my normal Washington, D.C. lifestyle. The scenery is beautiful and I am thrilled to be here.