Today we dove in full-face Kirby Morgan dive masks that we'll use on Mission31. They were designed exclusively for military use, but Fabien secured them for our team. The masks are manufactured by Kirby Morgan, just like our dive helmets, so both have the same name. They look a little scary (or fashionable... depending on your perspective), similar looking to gas masks, I think.
Fashion or Function? Once again, Lady Gaga would love our new full-face dive mask look. I love it because I can talk underwater, breathe through my nose, and relax my jaw with no regulator in my mouth.
The full-face masks were tricky to get used to at first, especially getting them on and clipping the regulator into the side. But once I got the hang of the mask, it was nice to be able to relax my jaw while diving and not have to grip a regulator in my mouth, and to be able to breathe normally from my nose.
Underwater Choreography & Dive Drills
We practiced many dive drills again today. Remembering basic diving drills is a lot like remembering dance choreography, such as . . .
| Isolate-the-tanks-and-check-everything drill:
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The drills were complicated at first, but now we can all do them without even thinking, with and without our masks!
Manatee at the Dock
 I've always wanted to "meet" a manatee. This one was so friendly and wanted to play! | When we returned to the aquanaut house, we had the pleasure of meeting a manatee by our dock! I've always wanted to "meet" a manatee, and this one was so friendly! She stared at us and rolled around for quite a bit before heading below the dock. This evening at mission headquarters, we met with a representative from Nokia, one of our sponsors. She showed us some cool features of our new phones, including its professional-quality camera and image editing capabilities. We also finally got to meet Mission31's publicist, Amy Summers, who visited today. It's so nice to meet the face behind so many emails! |
Serious Training . . .
 A selfie with the new Nokia as we motor to Aquarius. |  "Training is always super serious." Credit to fellow aquanaut Adam. |
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