On our last day at Jarvis we were visited by a small pod of curious dolphins, ready to bid us a fond fair-well. Having completed our Jarvis surveys we are now on our way north to Palmyra. While we are sad to see Jarvis slip over the horizon we are looking forward to the warmer waters of Palmyra. Jarvis is on the equator and is subjected to massive upwelling of the equatorial counter-current which slams into the western side of the island, bringing cold deep ocean water the the surface making for spectacular, but chilly diving. While Palmyra is farther north, it experiences less upwelling and should be about 6 degrees warmer (the difference between winter and summer in diving terms).
We are all hoping to be able to go on shore at Palmyra, at least for a little bit. I have not been to the atoll, but gather it is as spectacular above water as below. Either way, it will be nice to see yet another new and exciting reef.
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