Hassan Bayyan is an Area Manager at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. With the vibrant moniker of the “Caramel Cousteau”, Hassan is an urban conservationist, ocean explorer, and fierce advocate for the natural world. As a Science Communication Fellow sailing aboard Nautilus for the first time, Hassan has brought his wildlife knowledge, storytelling passion, and contagious enthusiasm to our team.
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Venturing into the depths and back in time: the bottom of Lake Ontario holds hundreds and hundreds of well-preserved shipwrecks, including this one — the Phillip Becker, a tug boat that sank in 1879. This image was also published in the New York Times feature that highlighted our work.
The Shipwreck Hunters
“Did you hear?” he asks with the eagerness of a child on Christmas morning. “We found a new wreck last night!”
Even though I’m barely awake, I smile at his unbridled joy.
“Really? That’s awesome.” I screw the lid onto my thermos and follow Ben into the main lab.
It’s just after 6am but the room is a hive of activity. Jason Fahy, our expedition leader, leans over a computer screen, his eyes wide. “Check it out,” he says, turning the laptop to show me a sonar image from 2:30am – the standard squiggly lines are interrupted by a long, large object in the unmistakable shape of a ship.
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Worship the sun: my colleagues (and dear friends) Emily Jones and Brianna Bowman embrace a beautiful sunset over Nye Beach.
A Home at Hatfield
I park my car, grab my bags, and make my way inside the Gladys Valley Marine Studies Building, smiling at the sunlight bouncing off its many massive windows. I still can’t believe I get to spend the next two weeks working here.
When I walk into the beautiful lobby, Cinamon Moffett is waiting for me. She gives me a hug and says, “welcome back!”
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Breathe in the magic: Early morning walks in Port Renfrew include beautiful views and abundant serenity.
Read. Walk. Talk. Write.
Vancouver Island | 48.5530° N, 124.4223° W | February 24th, 2025
Thick, gray clouds obscure Vancouver Island as Alaska Airlines Flight 3322 makes its final approach into YYG. Descending below the blanket of gray, I peer through the window and spot a few familiar landmarks: the channel, the port, and the little trail that curves around the perimeter of the airport. I ran there last time I was here, when we sailed into Sidney last June.
After the plane lands, my standard airport routine begins. Retrieve my well-worn duffle from baggage claim. Politely convince the customs official I am not here for work. Grab some Canadian dollars from the nearest ATM. Walk outside and breathe in the cool, misty air.
The familiar motions end there. Instead of heading to the port to board a ship, I’m about to hop in a car with some people I’ve never met and drive to a remote part of the island. We will spend the next 10 days participating in the Port Renfrew Wilderness Writing Residency, led by award-winning authors Harley Rustad and Kate Harris.
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A blip on the horizon: From this beach on Sonsorol Island, E/V Nautilus looks like a tiny pinprick.
Eternity in an Hour
December 9th, 2024 | 5.3268° N, 132.2239° E | Sonsorol Island, Palau
Hard corals crunch under my wet shoes as I walk down a narrow, deserted beach. Looking beyond the small, foamy waves crashing at my feet, I can see Nautilus on the horizon. It’s always a bit surreal to view the ship from this far away – from here it looks like a tiny toy boat. I take a few photos and ponder what our shipmates might be doing right now.
Lynette Davis and I are wandering around a beach in one of the most remote places I have ever been – the island of Sonsorol.
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Hello little friend: The Palau nautilus (Nautilus belauensis) is found in the waters of Palau, typically around 150—500 meters deep. We spotted this nautilus in the German Channel at a depth of 350 meters | Photo courtesy of the Ocean Exploration Trust
Nautilus belauensis
November 26th, 2024 | 7.1274° N, 134.2844° E | German Channel, Palau
Footage of a sandy seafloor fills the large monitors in the control van aboard E/V Nautilus. Three hours ago, we deployed ROVs Hercules and Atalanta for the final science dive of the year. Working with our team onboard from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and our colleagues onshore at the Coral Reef Research Foundation in Koror, Palau, we are currently surveying the geomorphology of German Channel. We are also collecting data on the diversity and density of deep-sea biology here.
So far, we’ve conducted two Norbit mapping surveys, and we’ve seen lots of sea cucumbers and a few six-gill sharks. But for the past 20 minutes, we’ve been staring at undulations in the sand and chatting about currents and tides.
Pilot Robert Waters is sitting in the Hercules seat. He casually remarks, “What’s that white thing floating up ahead?”
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Morning views from the back deck: A beautiful sunrise just off the coast of American Samoa.
Sail with Blessings
August 8, 2024 | 14.2732° S, 170.7030° W | Pago Pago, American Samoa
Thick, tropical humidity feels lighter in this strong breeze. As we stand beside the gangplank, preparing to officially board E/V Nautilus, I look around the port of Pago Pago. Massive forklifts and 18-wheeler trucks pose a stark contrast to the verdant backdrop. Beyond the rows of shipping containers, we can see lush, steep mountains, rising directly from the harbor into the misty sky.
Even though we’re in a far flung corner of the South Pacific, I smile at the familiarity of this place — I’ve been here before.
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Clindor Cacho prepares to recover a set of mooring balls from the aft deck of R/V Atlantis.
The People Doing It
June 22, 2024 | 46.06° N, 130.00° W | Northeast Pacific Ocean
When I walk into the computer lab, a peculiar tension radiates around the room. The atmosphere in here is usually relaxed: members of our science team telling stories, cracking jokes, or peering at 3D maps of Axial Seamount.
But right now, there is no laughter or excitement. Expedition Leader Akel Kevis-Stirling sits directly across from Chief Scientist Bill Chadwick, explaining that the ROV winch has a critical issue. If the winch cannot operate properly, we cannot launch the ROV. If we cannot launch the ROV, we will be unable to conduct the science operations we came out here (300 miles off the coast of Oregon) to do.
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Expedition Leader Akel Kevis-Stirling gives instructions as Fred Denton maneuvers the manipulator arm of ROV Jason while working on Axial Seamount.
Measuring the Might of Axial
June 26, 2024 | Northeast Pacific Ocean | 46.06° N, 130.00° W
Bright lights illuminate rain drops splattering across the back deck of R/V Atlantis. It’s just after 2:00 a.m., but the entire ROV team (and most of our science team) is awake and ready to go to work. Expedition Leader Akel Kevis-Stirling lifts a radio to his ear as the voice of Captain Derek Bergeron crackles through the speaker.
“You are clear for launch.”
“Copy that,” Akel says. “Launching Jason.”
The 11,000-pound remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Jason rises slowly into the air and glides smoothly over the starboard rail of the ship. While launching Jason is a routine activity aboard Atlantis, this particular launch brings a sense of relief for the whole team. After dealing with a mechanical setback with the ROV winch at the start of this expedition, we are thrilled to finally get Jason in the water and begin our work on the seafloor.
We are currently 300 miles off the coast of Oregon, floating above the Juan de Fuca mid-ocean ridge spreading center. A mile below us is Axial Seamount, the most active volcano in the Pacific Northwest.
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Back on board: Gabriela Espino and Isbaella Monaco chat and watch the sunset over Honolulu Harbor from the bow of E/V Nautilus.
The Path is Never Straight
May 24, 2024 | 21.30° N, 157.87° W | Honolulu Harbor
Standing on the bow of Nautilus, I chat with Isabella Monaco and Gabriela Espino. As we gaze out over Honolulu Harbor, I breathe in the salt air and savor the familiarity of this view. I’ve joined a dozen expeditions with the Ocean Exploration Trust in the past few years, and today marks my tenth port call in Hawai’i. It feels wonderful to be back here, especially for the first expedition of the season.
For Isabella and Gabriela, boarding this shipand preparing to go out to sea is still a relatively new experience. They are both seafloor mappers returning to Nautilus for their second season, after sailing as interns last year. We watch the sun begin to set over the port and talk about our career paths.
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Doing what I love: Working off the coast of Honolulu on my 100th day at sea in 2023 | Photo by Nova West
A Beautiful Life
in Personal
Three days ago, I celebrated my 36th birthday in my favorite place in the world. A month ago, I documented a team of international scientists conducting research in Germany. Tonight, I will give a presentation for the Morehead Planetarium Science Center about my work in the deep ocean. A few weeks from now, I will fly across the country to spend time with friends and colleagues in Oregon and California. A few months from now, I will go to sea with a team of volcanologists in the North Pacific Ocean.
By just about every measure, I have a full and vibrant life. The people I engage with and the activities I pursue regularly challenge my body, stimulate my mind, and nourish my soul.
But there is one fundamental thing missing – my dear mother, who loved me beyond measure, is gone.
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Mesobot Ops: Eric Hayden oversees the deployment of Mesobot, a hybrid robot specially designed by engineers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to explore life in the Ocean Twilight Zone.
Welcome to the Fish Tank
October 12, 2023 | 22.021685, -157.143410 | Offshore Hawai’i
The source of their elation swims across Hayden’s laptop screen – thick salp chains glide through the blackness while squid zoom in and out of the frame. Marine snow, tiny krill, and phytoplankton pepper the scene. The swirl of bright, twinkling organisms looks like something out of a science fiction movie – it feels like we’re viewing the far reaches of outer space.
But this is inner space, specifically the Ocean Twilight Zone. We are watching footage that Mesobot just captured, 150 meters below us.
Hayden’s gaze is locked on the screen. “It’s like we’re sitting inside a fish tank,” he says. “Look at that ink trail from the squid!”
We watch, transfixed, as the animals continue to dart around Mesobot. We marvel at the crisp quality of the footage and the sheer number of organisms. Yoerger points out that the small fish we’re seeing are likely some of the most numerous vertebrates on the planet – but humans very rarely get the opportunity to observe them.
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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
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…”
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Rectangle Life: A view of the back deck of MMA Valour during IODP Expedition 389. These shipping containers comprised all our space to process samples, log data, hold meetings, take photos, drink coffee, and exercise.
Container Culture
Living and working at sea is all about adaptability, and it usually doesn’t take me long to adjust to a new ship – but many things about this ship are awkward, uncomfortable, or just plain bizarre. I’m about to learn that life aboard a Malaysian supply vessel is very different from an American or European research vessel.
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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
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.
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Ready to launch: Lynette Davis maintains radio communication with the Data Lab while working on the aft deck of E/V Nautilus. During NA152, Lynette and I served as Expedition Leaders for the first time.
Learning to Lead
Sitting in the Data Lab aboard E/V Nautilus, I feel a flurry of emotions: excitement, exhaustion, nervousness, and a bit of disbelief.
My shipmates and I have been at sea for the past three weeks, conducting seafloor exploration and maintenance operations off the coast of British Columbia with Ocean Networks Canada. It has been a long, busy, and highly productive expedition, and everyone on board is tired and looking forward to wrapping up our work. In two days, we will return to port in Sidney and the entire science/engineering team will disembark — everyone except for myself and Lead Navigator Lynette Davis. We are staying on board for the next expedition.
And we just found out we’ll be leading it.
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Here we go again: Setting sail out of Sidney, British Columbia for my 10th expedition aboard the E/V Nautilus.
Precious Time
“You are all so amazing and brilliant. I so wish I would have done something this unforgettable in my youth. I understand that you are working hard, but these memories will serve you well in your golden years. Please enjoy this precious time.”
— Nautilus Live viewer
These days, Nautilus feels like home away from home. I know where to find just about anything I might need on the ship. I know how to adjust my routines for eating, sleeping, bathing, and exercising at sea. I know how to balance my work tasks, watch schedules, and requests from shipmates or the Shoreside team. I know when I should ask a question and when I should try to figure something out for myself.
This familiarity brings a sense of comfort. But the exhilaration of going to sea and exploring the deep ocean has not faded. I don’t believe it ever will.
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Get ‘em talking. Science Talk attendees engage in a group discussion activity during my “Evolve your SciComm Skills and Career” workshop.
Science Talk 23: Find your People
“Okay, you have five minutes. Ready, set, go!”
As soon as I say the word “go”, the room erupts. I watch 34 people (divided into pairs) talk animatedly with their partners, and I can’t help but smile. This moment has been a long time coming.
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A unique and beautiful phenomenon. Snow in Joshua Tree National Park is a rare occurrence, and I feel lucky to experience it.
As you Walk
in Personal
My windshield wipers flick a mixture of cold rain and sleet as I drive. It’s strange to see snow blanketing the mountains just outside of Los Angeles, and I wonder if there will be snow when I arrive in Joshua Tree National Park later today.
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Balance is key. Camping in the dessert is a great way to equalize my mind and body after spending several weeks (or months) at sea. This shot from my tent was one of many photos I took (for fun — not for work!) during my solo cross-country road trip from North Carolina to California and back.
Lost Dutchman State Park, Arizona | February 2020
Five Years of Freedom
in Personal
Five years ago today, I left my position at the UNC Office of Research Communications to become a full-time freelance science communicator.
Typing that sentence feels a bit surreal. I can’t believe it’s been five years already.
I will never forget the heavy weight of anxiety and frenetic nerves that accompanied the decision to quit my job (a really good job!) and start my own business. After several years of earning a regular salary (along with a 401K, paid vacation time, good health insurance etc) electing to become a full-time freelancer seemed like a crazy idea.
My parents thought my decision was rash. My friends thought it was badass. I alternated between feeling excited and empowered, and then completely overwhelmed and intimidated.
I often wish I could go back to that time and tell myself: As scary at it seems, this is the right move. You are in for the ride of your life, but you can handle it.
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