Shipwrecked diaries
Shipwrecked
The first challenge - the team are going to have to find a boat that's been shipwrecked...
Kathy Sykes's diary about the challenge for the Shipwrecked programme, from the BBC/OU series Rough Science 5
Day 1
Wow! Here we are again. Another amazing place it’s a privilege to be in.
I came to Zanzibar once before - about 12 years ago during a 6 month stint travelling, mostly alone in Africa, then in India. I had loved Zanzibar. It’s such an exotic mix of cultures. It feels like different kinds of people have been passing through for eons. Which they have. It feels quite a lot more touristy now - but you can still escape … and our location is a complete escape. It’s empty. Deliciously!
So - to the challenges. I have to determine the tides - and find a shipwreck. J has to build an R.O.V. (remotely operated vehicle) - to work underwater (!!), Ellen and Mike are making iodine to purify water for us to - drink - allegedly.
I had a lovely first day looking at the tides. Didn’t think too long and hard … just decided I had to get on with it. I judged we were pretty close to high tide when we were given the challenge. Ideally I wanted to measure the highest water level, and the lowest. Basing it all on one reading would be daft, so I had to get going quickly to see if I might catch the high tide.
So I took a long bit of wood - marked off regular distances, which I indicated by tying on a bit of orange rope - and stuck it in the water like a giant ruler.
When the water level got low on the ‘ruler’ - I stuck another one in - further out to sea.
Then I measured off where the water level was every hour. High tide had been around midday - so I knew I had about 6 hours before the lowest water level - indicating low tide.
So I was forced to nip in and out of the sea, sticking poles into the sea bed, propping them up with big rocks. On a sunny day, on a beautiful beach, in warm turquoise water - this was just divine. What a job!
From the place everyone else was working - I must have looked a sight. I could be seen, wrestling with a pole in the water - using my feet to try to get the rocks underwater in place, wearing rather sad, baggy M & S undies (having not been quite prepared for this concept!). Clearly - it was hysterical for them.
I carried on, happy as Larry, oblivious. Happy in my absorbing, delightful task.
Towards low tide, the waves calmed enormously - so it was much easier to measure the depth. Of course.
I took depth readings every 15 minutes - and kept going a couple of hours after the lowest point so I could plot a graph showing depth of water over time to get a really accurate measure of the lowest point. It meant taking some measures in the dark. But hey, in a warm sea, it was a pleasure.
A long but brilliant day!
next > Page 1 of 3
Content last updated: 26/01/2005
