GUEST BLOGGER MARY BOONE
When the first humans sailed across unknown oceans or descended deep beneath the water’s surface, they didn’t simply bring along compasses, cables, or extra oxygen tanks. They packed journals. It’s true. Because before scientists can share discoveries with the world, they have to describe them. They have to observe, record precisely, and make sense of what they see. In other words, they write.
Field notes, diagrams, labeled sketches, timelines and reflections are as essential to exploration as any piece of technology. Science doesn’t just happen in the lab or underwater. It happens on the page. Ocean explorers have long understood the connection between data and description.
Oceanographer and environmental advocate Jacques Cousteau kept detailed logs of his dives. After one of his earliest underwater explorations, he wrote about seeing “…rocks covered with green, brown and silver forests of algae and fishes unknown to me, swimming in crystalline water… I was in a jungle never seen by those who floated on the opaque roof.”
Notice what he’s doing: observing like a scientist and writing like a poet.
In 1979, Sylvia Earle set a world record for untethered diving by walking on the seabed 1,250 feet beneath the ocean’s surface. After spending hours in a place no human had visited before, she wrote that “the water… seemed to glow with internal light.” That single sentence captures both a scientific observation and the wonder of discovery.
Cousteau, Earle, and countless others show us something powerful: when they’re at their best, science and storytelling are intertwined.
Read and discuss
Ask students to read my latest book, Unfathomable: 20 Wild (But True) Stories of the Ocean, illustrated by Max Temescu (Bright Matter/Random House Kids, 2026). Focus on Chapter 17, “Eruptions.” Ask students about their impressions of ROVs and HOVs based on Kenna Rubin’s descriptions.
Divide students into groups of three students each. Ask each group to use masking tape to create a circular outline on the floor that’s six feet in diameter. That’s the size of a typical Human Occupied Vehicle. There’s no room to stand. How would the students arrange themselves, their diving gear, computers, and cameras into this space? How would they feel about being in this small space with their crewmates for 10 or more hours?
Now the dive begins
Remind students that much of the ocean is still unexplored. New species are discovered every year. Hydrothermal vents, submarine volcanoes, and bioluminescent creatures await.
During their imagined dive, each team must decide:
- Where are they diving?
- What conditions exist there?
- What three to four organisms or phenomena do they observe?
Encourage students to ground their ideas in real science but leave room for imagination.
Write like a scientist
Assign each group the task of writing a Field Mission Report, as if their HOV has just completed a real dive. The report includes:
- Vivid descriptions of plants, animals, and landscape.
- Labeled diagrams or maps as well as drawings of newly discovered plants and animals.
- A narrative dive log, including a timeline. What happened underwater?
- A short personal reflection from each crew member, detailing their emotions as well as their biggest thrills or disappointments.
Encourage students to use vivid sensory details and precise vocabulary and remind them that often the most powerful tool on an expedition isn’t a robot or a submersible. It’s a journal.
Featured image credit: “Underwater treasure chest” by benhosg is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Mary Boone has written 70+ nonfiction books for young readers, most recently Unfathomable: 20 (Wild But True) Stories of the Ocean (a Junior Library Gold selection), Flying Feminist, Pedal Pusher, School of Fish, and Bugs for Breakfast. Prior to becoming an author, Mary wrote and edited for several Midwest daily newspapers. She now lives in Tacoma, Washington, with her husband, Mitch, and their very stubborn Airedale Terrier, Ruthie Bader. For more information, visit Mary’s website or follow her on social media: Instagram, Twitter/X, Threads: @boonewrites, Facebook: Mary Boone- Author
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