哈咯～ D1のMiyaです！It’s February 2025, and I’m finally writing about a cruise that happened in March 2024. Why now? Because I’m heading on another one next week and, and instead of packing, I’m reminiscing. Call it procrastination or call it "mentally getting into the ocean zone"—either way, here we are.
The Struggle is Real (But Temporary)
Last March, I boarded JAMSTEC’s R/V Mirai (未来, "future" in Japanese) for my second-ever research cruise. We set off from Mutsu, Aomori, drilled 6-meter piston cores from the Chishima Trench (~6000m deep) near the Kuril Strait, and ended in Shimizu Port, Shizuoka, next to the legendary Chikyu (地球, “Earth”)—IODP’s deep-sea drilling vessel.
The first five days? Rough. Literally. I had just said my last goodbye to my grandmother in Beijing, was running hourly water sampling solo, and was severely sleep-deprived while trying to instruct others on something I was still figuring out myself. Large waves, constant motion, and self-doubt hit all at once. But as the days passed, I found my rhythm.
Finding Joy in the Deep
The moment I started getting along with everyone, and leaning on my shipmates for support, things shifted. I wasn’t just surviving—I was enjoying it. The student-led workout sessions every night became a mental health lifesaver (even some professors joined in!). Watching "Deep Blue" while the ship rocked in a storm was surreal. The footage of penguins stumbling on land after returning from sea had me laughing way too hard—because honestly, I could relate.
There was also a magic show performed by a fellow student (who happens to be a semi-professional magician), spontaneous chats with professors, students, and the crew from マリンワーク and 日本海洋事業, and deep-dive lectures on turbidites and contourites that rekindled my love for sediments. (I had drifted away from sedimentology after working on Antarctic sediments for my bachelor's thesis, shifting to seawater and then abalone shells—but this cruise reminded me why I loved it in the first place.)
Another super fun thing is I experienced using mouth to suck out some water in from the top of the pilot core to let the flow begin. I tried it once and accidentally drank a little bit of seawater from >5000m! How amazing!!!
Oh one more thing, the first split of the piston core is like teppanyaki (if you know what I mean)
Water Sampling as Main Job, Sediment Subsampling as Side Job
During my free time, I helped with core splitting. Playing with mud is so much more fun than staying up all night for water sampling! Not that I don't enjoy water sampling at all :p Or maybe, it's because there were so many people helping with sediment core splitting and chatting with them was fun.
Captain’s View & Learning to Lead
Since I was the only person doing water sampling, I had to track the ship’s location, speed, and direction to decide my sampling frequency. That meant I had the privilege of visiting the captain’s room multiple times—easily the best view on the ship.
Most importantly, I grew a lot on this journey. I learned that asking for help isn’t a weakness—it’s a skill. Learning when to take responsibility on myself and when to delegate tasks is a skill I still have to polish.
What’s Next?
I once dreamed of working on Chikyu and even got accepted for a part-time job last year with マリンワーク, but then could not end up going since my residency in Japan caps work at 28 hours/week. Boarding Chikyu also requires helicopter evacuation training, where they drop a full-scale helicopter into a pool, flip it upside down, and make you escape. For several times in various scenarios! Sounds wild, but I still want to try someday.
Despite the struggles, the exhaustion, and questioning my life choices mid-waves, ocean science keeps pulling me back. The adventure, the unknown, and the deep-sea secrets make it all worth it. For now, I’m gearing up for my next cruise—hopefully with a little more sleep, a little more balance, and just as much excitement. I will bring ukulele this time heehee 🌺
Until next time—
Bon voyage! 🚢💙🌊
P.S. Here are more information if you wish to learn more about this cruise~
If you want to see interesting stories of what happened on board, please check out my Instagram story archive.
