I somehow managed to not see a reaper until about 12 hours in I decided that I should head to the back of the aurora (which up to this point I had given a massive birth thanks to my previously mentioned friend) to search for scannables. Every time I went on (or off) I swung way out to the left so that I could make a beeline for the open part of the hull staying at the surface the entire time.
My friend warned me that there was something in the water beneath the aurora, and I was honestly way more terrified than I needed to be. I made it onto the aurora 6 times and back to the life pod 4 times without seeing Sammy.