Koala pics

Koalas and Kangaroos

Hello all,

Last weekend was great fun. I went out to Yanchep National park to see some Koalas and Kangaroos in the wild. The kangaroos are only out in the early morning so I had to get up at 630. It was great though, all the roos hopping around and some even had little joeys in their pouches. The koalas were too funny. All of them looked so sleepy and cuddly all curled up in their trees. I also went to a Perth Glory soccer match. Perth lost to Sydney, but it was fun anyway. Aussie Rules Footie season just finished so sadly I will miss that, but there is always rugby and cricket. This weekend I am heading out to Rottnest Island, which is just a 30 min ferry ride from Perth adn boasts great snorkeling, so I will try to update again tomorrow when I get back. Miss you all! See you soon.

B

I'm on a boat, or I was on a boat...

Hey everyone,

Finally back from 3 weeks and 2 days aboard the Jack Bates. I had so much fun and learned a bunch. Life on the rig can get fairly monotonous but there is TV, Internet, and ping pong so you can find ways to change it up. I was working as a sample catcher to keep my spot out there as the rig has a max capacity due to lifeboat numbers. It wasn't too bad, although I had a bad reaction to the synthetic based drilling mud they use. Chemical burns are no good, but I'm all better now. Being an operations geologist, we ask a lot of the mudloggers and wellsite geologist and I was able to see exactly what those requests entail. I can say that I will think twice about sample intervals after my experience.

I was able to see exactly what goes on in the logging unit, caught and washed samples, and attended the morning meetings. I got to drive a crane (over the water where no one could be hurt), saw the moon pool, pressed the button that set off the air guns for the down hole seismic survey, took a mud weight, watched the leak off test, and watched all the mud chemistry readings. I think I even learned things that my brain is still processing.

The rig had a really nice gym so I tried to go there everyday after my 12-12 shift. I have to say the gym was essential because they feed you all the time and the food is sooo good. I think I gained like 10lbs out there! The helideck was a nice place to take a walk or go for a run, though I felt like a hamster running in a wheel out there.

The rig was always surrounded by large tune, mahi mahi, and sharks. I saw some everyday sharks and a huge hammerhead. In the event of an evacuation I decided to let everyone else jump first to feed the sharks, and then go last :)

So the whole experience was awesome, and hopefully I'll get to go back offshore at some point in the future. For now I am enjoying the time back in Perth and look forward to seeing more of Australia. More updates and photos to come!

Brianne