**We out here**: Waving at the drone from the monkey of E/V *Nautilus*. The coastline of the Big Island of Hawai’i is visible in the background.

Ship to Shore

December 01, 2023 in Ocean Exploration

I rub the sleep out of my eyes and check my watch. It’s 2:57am. Too early for coffee. I take a sip of cold water, pretend I am fully awake, and click on the meeting link on the computer screen in front of me.

A Zoom window pops open, and I suddenly see 20 fifth grade students waving enthusiastically at me. I can’t help but smile. It’s the middle of the night and I’m very tired, but their enthusiasm is contagious.

I quickly confirm with the teacher that they are ready to get started, then I launch into my spiel.

“Hi everyone! My name is Marley and I’m the Communications Lead aboard the E/V Nautilus. I’m currently sitting in our studio, inside our Control Van. Right now we are 60 miles southwest of Hawai’i…”

**Embody resilience:** Chloé Easterling stares at the horizon from the bow of the MMA *Valour*, just off the coast of Kona, Hawai’i.

Don't Settle

September 26, 2023 in Personal

When I was 28-years-old, I got on an airplane for the first time in my life. I flew from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Houston, Texas, then to Dubai, then to Kandahar, Afghanistan. Before that trip, I had never even been inside an airport.

I was working for Remote Medical International, a private company that had been contracted by the U.S. air force base in Kandahar. I spent almost a year there. As a girl from Small Town, USA, it was my first dose of real culture. I was interacting with Kenyans, Indians, and Afghanis on a daily basis.

It taught me a lot about resilience. In the book Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert writes you can let fear sit with you, but you tell it to get in the back seat. I told my fear to get in the fucking trunk.

**Flying high**: I took this drone shot of E/V *Nautilus* while we were working off the coast of Maui in October.

Build your own Dream

December 29, 2022 in Personal

Standing on the monkey deck of Nautilus, I stare at the massive mountains of Maui. My focus lingers on the steep, rugged ridge lines. Leaning against the railing, I watch the steady rotation of the giant, white windmills in the distance and exhale a deep breath.

Gazing at this island feels both meditative and familiar —I’ve spent three months of this year looking at it from this ship. While the angle shifts slightly depending on Nautilus positioning, the view is more or less the same.

It never gets old.