New toy to use on Palmyra

It is hard to believe I will be departing in just two weeks.  On Wednesday morning I have a  training session to learn how to ID coral polyps.  I have a very gracious friend who is letting me and Paul crash at her place for two nights while we wait in Honolulu for our flight to Palmyra.  Things are falling into place.

For the most part I already had everything I need having been there last summer.  I still need to buy a good pair of flip-flops as the ones I took last summer were cheap ones that didn't last the month.  The other item that just arrived in the mail is a new dive mask.  I take two masks with me just to be safe.  Last year my primary mask died so I was glad I brought a backup mask.  Since I needed a new mask anyway, I decided to get one that allows me to mount a GoPro camera on it.  We are taking a couple GoPro cameras from the Fio lab.  Their main purpose is to be set out to film how fish are interacting with the settlement plates.  When the cameras aren't being use for that purpose, I am hoping to attach one to my mask and film us at work.  I know last year it really would have come in handy when a large manta ray swam right up to me and Doug and then banked around within a few feet of us.  Unfortunately we were in the middle of doing fish counts, so I couldn't put down the transect line I was reeling in to get out my camera to get a photo or movie.

This is a XS Scuba GoMask camera mask.  It has solid stainless steel mount with built-in threads so no nut is needed.  It will be interesting to see how it works.