This is the final rush for the Wave Glider Papa Mau of the PacX Challenge. After a large bypass to approach the EAC (East Australian Current), the valorous robot has crossed the powerful ocean current today (November 12, 2012). Now, pushed by a strong current, it is riding at a fast speed up the 4.7 knots (8.7 km/h) - 3 times faster than its good mean performance. (Recorded at 2012:11:12T20:11:55Z located on 153.216 °E and 21.456°S)

So, as the famous ‘Nemo’ fish, it has found an exit buddy to be ejected from the EAC and whiz through Swain and Wreck Reefs to the bay of Fraser Island.

Watch: Do you have your exit buddy?

Data from SLAB Database of Liquid Robotics Inc.

Since October 13, the Papa Mau PacX Wave glider is trying to cross the last 600 km until Brisbane and encountered the EAC (East Australian Current), one of the most powerful and faster ocean current, generated by the mixture of warm water from the tropic and icy water from Antarctica. During the last 23 days, the faster marine robot manufactured by Liquid Robotics has traveled around 750 km to find a way to jump over the large ocean current. By using small scale vortex, the robot has moved slowly to the north and is now at around 250 km from a main entry of the EAC and a highway to the finish of the PacX Challenge.

On November 5, pilots, from the headquarter of Liquid Robotics at Sunnyvale CA, have driven the robot for the last race against time through meanders of the strong sea water current. Now, arrived in a warm water stream entry, the robot could join quickly the main branch of the EAC and rush to the coast of Australia.

Papa Mau locations coming from the slab data of Liquid Robotics Inc.

OceanMAPS slides coming from the Australian Bureau of Meterology.

PacX Status, the finishline board of PacX Wave Gliders Challenge announce ‘last heard at 2012-10-01T19:46:50Z’ for the Second robot Benjamin. The last position 13.827°S and 172.032°W is located at the border of Upolu Island (Samoa).

This is the local morning and the sun is 31° over the horizon. The weather is cloudy (50%) but dry and the visibility is good (10 miles). The air temperature is 28°C and the water temperature is 29°C.

What a nice place to take holidays !!!

After the first part of September spent to cross the New Hebrides Trench, Papa Mau, the fastest Wave Glider of the Australian PacX team take a short-cut to arrive at Brisbane (Australia). During the 25th of September, the robot crossed the barrier of 4000 Nm (more than 7400 km) since the departure from Hawaii on 22nd of May. It happens close to Nouméa (New Caledonia) at 200 km.

The traveled distance has been computed by using GPS data recorded of the one hour sampling of Power dataset from the Slab database of Liquid Robotics. (http://slab.liquidr.com/fetch/)

Papa Mau one Wave Glider of the PacX Challenge crossed the deep New Hebrides Trench during the 14th September on the road to Australia. After accoutering strong reverse current and taking a western route, the robot jump at 200 Nm from Nouméa (New Caledonia) the 7,000 meters deep abyss (23,000 ft) during the night. The water temperature decreased to 22°C (71°F) and the air temperature to 20°C (68°F).

During this night, the robot crossed also the distance of 7,000 km (3,780 Nm) traveled from Hawaii Big Island (Kawaihae Harbor) since the 22nd May 2012. The robot has more than 2,000 km by the South route to Join Brisbane in Australia.

The following picture shows the route of Papa Mau on both Google Map and a Isobath of the New Hebrides Trench area from the 6th September to the 16th September.

As reporting on http://liquidr.com/press/press-releases/hurricane-isaac/, another Wave Glider was on the path of the Hurricane Isaac last August 28. The following picture represents the estimated trajectory of the Wave Glider G2 near the Timbalier Bay on 28 Aug 2012 18:00 GMT (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Isaac_Aug_28_2012_1630Z.jpg). The center of the hurricane is located at 28.4° North latitude and 88.7° West longitude. A maximum of wind speed has been recorded at 74 knots (137 km/h).

After 3 days of cloudy weather last week and all scientific sensors’ switched off, the Wave Glider Papa Mau of the PacX Challenge’s Australian Team has refilled the batteries and run at 1.5 knots since Friday, 7th of September.

But in the last two days, it covers only 10 Nm at the low speed of 0.1-0.3 knots, even if the weather is sunny and surface currents are slow. Here is the route of Papa Mau on the satellite image near New Caledonia. The weather data of the nearest station (Loyalty Islands) are:

• Air Pressure: 1017 mBar,
• Air Temperature: 22°C (71°F),
• Water Temperature: 23°C (74°F),
• Humidity: 71%,
• Significant Wave Height: 0.6 m,

Here are the unfiltered surface currents computed by OSCAR (NOAA). The animated picture shows the route of Papa Mau from 30 August to 9 September in a slow surface current at the level of the glider speed during the last hours. Is that meaning rudder or fins don’t work properly ? Float and Umbilical current are nominal  and payload current seems a little bit higher than last month.

During the long way between Hawaii and Australia, the second Wave Glider Benjamin has slowed when crossing equator. Now, he is taking time along the meridian 170°W and will arrive at the Weather Station floating at 5°S. This buoy is close to a 440 hectares atoll Manra and 390 hectares atoll Orona of the Phoenix Islands. Benjamin is at less than 33 Nm and should arrived to the Weather Station near 2012-08-29T22:31:20Z.

Weather conditions are good with Air Temperature 28°C and Water Temperature 29°C.

After swimming in a 30°C (86°F) sea water temperature during 44 days, the Wave Glider Papa Mau of the PacX Challenge Australian Team has left the very large Phytoplankton Bloom on 3rd of August (around 1500 Nm traveled inside at the mean speed of 34 Nm / day).  

Now, the robot is running to Brisbane by passing more South of New Caledonia before arriving to Brisbane harbor. He is actually crossing Fiji Island at 200 Nm and has to travel more than 1400 Nm before finishing the Pacific crossing.

The Wave Glider of Liquid Robotics having the ‘old brain’ of PacX Challenge’s Fontaine Maru glider is performing comparison measurements near the Weather Buoy 41043 (South Western Atlantic) located NNE from Puerto Rico Island since 2012-08-12.

The Isaac Tropical Storm passing south of Puerto Rico is close to the Wave Glider (less than 400 Nm) before going to West. (based on http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/east/carb/rb-animated.gif)