The first time I took the controls was a little bit scary at first. I was definitely driving very slowly and cautiously! It's all so brand new and you don't have a feel for moving the vehicle, but you get comfortable over time. I guess it's like learning to drive a car, you need the practice to do it, and then it becomes no big deal. Usually it's just trying to figure out, “how do I maneuver around this obstacle?” or “I want to sample this thing, how do I position myself the best way?” And that takes some time.
I’ve been to some pretty cool places like the Galapagos and the East Pacific Rise hydrothermal vent fields, but even if it’s mud flats without too much to look at, being down there and seeing it for yourself, it really is a different experience to actually see it with your own eyes. I've been working towards this for two years, and it's really exciting that it's all come together. I've done all this hard work, I've got my certification, now I'm ready to get in the sub and do it. I'm ready to start diving!
I think the first time I heard about ALVIN was when I was in college and I kinda went, “Oh that's cool, but I want to work with ROVs.” I was applying to all sorts of ROV internships and I was really struggling because all of them required sea experience and I didn't have any. I was eventually connected with the ALVIN Group and it was, “Yeah, I'll take it. I need sea experience and it'll be a short, fun internship.” Then the first time I got inside of the sub I realized, “Actually this is the coolest thing ever and I want to do this.”
After that internship, I was hired in 2021 as a contractor to continue to help through overhaul and to go to sea trials. Then a permanent position opened up and that’s how I came on with the ALVIN Group. But just getting this job doesn't guarantee you a place in the pilot training program. It's something you have to work towards. You have to display all the normal skills that technicians have: that you're good at your job, you're paying attention to the sub, and you're on top of things. Then you also have to set aside a lot time to study, because part of becoming a pilot is self-initiative.
When you're first starting training, a lot of what you're doing is observing and asking questions, and the pilot's telling you, “I'm doing this because of this reason. We're making sure to do this.” And as you progress through your dives, you start doing more and more and more. Your last training dive is supposed to be “solo” in which your Pilot-In-Command is still there with you, but the idea is you, the trainee, do the whole dive yourself. That kind of proves you're ready for the next step because a certified pilot just watched you do a dive without having to step in for any problems or assistance.
