Day 21 : The Pacific Ocean - That's a Lot Of Water

We're now on Day 2 of a 5-day haul across the Northeast Pacific on our way to Hawaii. This is a case of resetting expectations. So far, we've had two days of cold (60-65F), windy, and occasionally wet and foggy days. Today, the exercise deck up on 12 is closed as the ship is rolling so much, and we have 30-40 mph gusts. Not what I had envisaged. I'd thought we'd have clear, blue, sunny skies with high temperatures and warm waters. So, that made me decide to learn more about our largest ocean.

The Pacific is indeed our largest ocean - weighing in at 64 million sq mi or 165 million km2. Its average depth is 14,000 feet, and its maximum depth is almost 36,000 feet. That's deep enough to bury Mt. Everest with over a mile to spare! In fact, if you were an alien approaching the Earth on your hyperwarp spaceship and came in from the right direction, our planet would appear to be mainly water with a few small islands. That analogy appeals to the geek in me. It covers 1/3 of our total surface area. Ocean current circulation, caused by the Coriolis effect, basically split the Pacific into two systems - conveniently called the North and South, and the International Date Line (which we cross in a few weeks) splits it into an East and a West. Looking at the water heat map, we're definitely moving into warmer waters. It's about 68F/18C where we are (see map) and 75/24 in Hawaii.

Early in the 16th Century, the Spanish explorer Balboa crossed Panama and sighted the Southern Sea, or Mar del Sur in Spanish. Literal bunch, these explorers. About a decade later, our good friend Ferdinand Magellan renamed it Mar Pacifico (Peaceful SEa) on account of the favorable winds and currents he encountered during his circumnavigation voyage. He obviously had a better experience than we did. 

We're currently heading SSW towards Hawaii. Three more full sailing days to go!