An Exciting Excursion You wake up ready for action. You know that scientists on Aquarius have studied the health of the reef. T is has been a good place to research sea sponges, for example. T ey are a source of medicines that fight cancer. Aquarius is even used to train NASA astronauts for working in space. You aren’t an astronaut, but today you are an
aquanaut. Your research will look at the algae that grow on the reef. Corals grow better without algae. You and
your partner want to study which corals are the healthiest and why. You also want to record which fish eat the algae. T e best place for your project is not near
Aquarius. It’s a group of corals nearby. You’ll have to swim there and back without getting lost. You look out the window and see a series of ropes that lead away from Aquarius. T ese are called excursion lines. T ink of them like underwater roads. T ey lead aquanauts to diff erent spots on the reef. T ey also help aquanauts find their way back. You and your partner are going to create a
new road. You suit up, grab a spool of rope, and say goodbye to Aquarius for a while.
Getting to the Site Outside the base, you connect the end of the spool to an existing line. As you swim toward your study site, the line stretches out behind you. T e line looks like thin thread coming off a spool. When you find the right spot, you see some
large, square cages. Your topside teammates lowered these into the water early this morning for you. T e cages are made of chicken wire that is coated in plastic. T e goal is to place the cages over clumps of corals, trapping fish, corals, sponges, and algae inside. Over the week’s time, you and your partner
will visit the cages oſt en. You’re looking to see which animals eat the algae off the corals. You will record what goes on in each cage. You have your waterproof notebook and pen to take notes.
22 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER
Divers test their gear and study fi sh.
Pit Stop Aſt er a couple of hours, you’re running low on air. You tap your partner on the shoulder and point to your tanks. Time to get more air. He gives you the thumbs up. Not far away is a station where you can
check in with Aquarius, add air to your tanks, and rest for a few minutes. T e station looks like a giant upside-down bucket. You and your partner swim beneath it and
stand on a platform. Trapped air inside allows you to take off your mask and mouthpiece. As your partner fills up all the tanks, you call Aquarius to give a progress report. All’s well. Soon, you two are ready to go back to work.
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