During a seafloor expedition, all thoughts and eyes are on the ocean bottom—but the preparation and analysis occurs at the surface. Life on board a research vessel is work-intensive. A series of highly focused tasks is punctuated necessarily by sleep and occasionally by relaxation. Because a research cruise is relatively short, scientists and ship’s crew alike must make the most of available time. Because it is intense, they also depend on each other a great deal and work in tight teams. Here are some shipboard scenes from ocean expeditions, including VISIONS ’05, the five-week expedition to the northeast Pacific in September 2005 aboard the Research Vessel (R/V) Thomas G. Thompson.