Meet Neah Baechler
Read the full text of Neah's interview below to learn more about her experiences.
About Neah's Role
What were your duties as an Explorer-in-Training?
I boarded the Okeanos Explorer as an Explorer-in-Training (EiT) in 2015, sailing out and back from Honolulu, HI to the Johnston Atoll. Duties included standing a night watch with another EiT and a Hydrographic Contractor acquiring data with the shipboard sonar systems and processing that data in realtime using CARIS. EiT’s also stood a 2-hour marine mammal watch, recording any observations and adjusting data acquisition accordingly.
Which school are you attending, or did you recently graduate from?
I’m a 2015 graduate of the College of Charleston.
Where was your work experience located? If you were working at sea, what were your impressions of living and working on a ship?
I loved my time aboard the Okeanos Explorer, it was an incredible learning environment with opportunity to gain experience in then new-to-me hydrographic softwares like Fledermaus, FMGT, Midwater, SIS and Hypack. The team I sailed with was supportive and informative, answering any questions EiT’s may have and overseeing opportunities to troubleshoot and learn how to collect acoustic data in a hands-on way.
What sparked your initial interest in ocean sciences?
My interest in ocean sciences began as a kid playing on the Oregon coast. I’ve always found the wildness of the ocean enthralling and longed to learn the secrets of it’s depths.
What was the most personally rewarding part of your experience?
I found running survey collection with the supervision of the Watch Lead most rewarding. I performed my first ever hydrographic research project on data collected by the Okeanos Explorer a few years before sailing as an EiT, so being the person behind the wheel for data acquisition felt full circle to me. This time I was the hydrographer collecting data for a student onshore learning.
What is the most unexpected thing you have learned?
My own tenacity. Going to sea for long periods of time tests a person in unexpected ways, and I’ve found that I’m much stronger than I ever knew through at sea experiences like the one I had as an EiT.
How do you see this experience fitting in with your future career plans?
I’m currently a Contract Hydrographer, working with a variety of research vessels on a variety of projects. Since my time as an EiT, I’ve had the privilege of participating in ROV expeditions aboard the Okeanos Explorer, something that has propelled my passion for exploratory ocean science like nothing else. I actively seek out and prefer this discovery driven work and have been lucky in continuing work with the Okeanos Explorer and vessels such as the E/V Nautilus with a similar mission.