Morning breakfast came at its usual time, 07:30, we smelled the bacon before we even go through the doors! This was a much-needed breakfast after the power going out for about an hour last night, making the rooms a bit hotter than usual. We were definitely relieved when it kicked back on!
Our first order of business today was to go about 20 minutes offshore to a new reef that we had not seen before called Gaulin Reef. The wave action at this reef was much stronger than what we have been in, but it didn鈥檛 matter once we saw the many corals, big fish and amazingly blue water. We split into our research groups so on the little boat we had Wyatt, Parker, Mason, Kelsey, Liv, Kait, Dr. Phillips and our captain, Spam. Wyatt, Mason and Parker are doing research on if the richness or corals corelates with the richness of fish, Kait, Liv and Kelsey are doing research on behavior of Parrot Fish. One of the first things we all noticed after we got off the boat was, yet another, Barracuda watching us and that we forgot the camera, so we had to go back to the boat. This reef was one of the most colorful and healthy reefs we鈥檝e so far on this trip. As noted, before we saw the barracuda as soon as we entered the water but we also a saw a school of 20 or more blue tangs which was breathtaking. As we explored the reef, we noticed the sheer size of this reef and realized that we probably weren鈥檛 going to able to explore it all given our one hour time limit. One thing about the reef and its structure was the way the corals were distributed on the reef. The harder more fragile corals were where we entered the water from the boat on the 鈥渟afe side鈥� of the reef, and the more bendy and fan corals were on the far side where the wave action was the strongest, and it was almost night and day with the species of fish and coral on the two sides of the reef. We saw the most diverse amount of parrotfish we have seen on the entire trip, and we saw the most blue tangs, as well as the largest grouper which was later identified as the Black grouper it was almost 4 feet long. Once we were done exploring Gaulin we loaded back onto the boat to drive by Green Cay (key), and we got to see a national park and see the birds in the area and the possible iguanas. The San Salvador iguanas are very endangered, we have already gotten to see them twice which is pretty remarkable! Once we were done checking out the Cay we started our boat ride back to the research station, and on our way back after we started to dry up a little we were drenched with the sea spray from the boat crashing into the waves and this was because some weather was starting to form on the other side of island, but we made it back to the station a little wetter than we would have liked.
The other students who stayed at the research center, split into their own research groups to start on their data collection. There are two other groups, one is collecting data on Nerites, and the other is doing research on Brittle Sea Stars. Unfortunately, due to weather the other group will have to visit Gualin another time.
Tonight we enjoyed dinner at Columbus tavern just down the street from the research center. the main dishes were Cracked Conch and Conch Fritters!
Liv鈥檚 Reflection:
The trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I would not trade for the world. I have learned so much about different fish, corals, algae and tides. The different sites that we have been to are absolutely breath taking. My absolute part of this trip has been looking at all of the colorful fish and being able to look at them in the wild and not at an aquarium. I have always wanted to be a marine biologist but have been so scared of moving far away from home in order to follow my passion. By going on this trip, it has grown my love for the ocean and all of the mysteries and questions it holds. This trip has also helped me sort a path out for my career. I aspire to be a grade 7-12 life sciences teacher and share my experiences and passions with my future students. This trip has done wonders for me and there are still six days left!
Wyatt鈥檚 Reflection:
This trip has been equally challenging as it has been rewarding. I have had my fair share of being stressed and tired, but I have had equal amounts of laughs and good moments if not more. I think going on this trip has also taught me a lot about myself in ways that are rewarding. I have always wanted to become a Marine Biologist and I have had my fair share of doubts but after only being here for two weeks and gaining the ability to identify most of the organisms we are seeing without a second thought is something I didn鈥檛 think I would be able to do. Despite the past few days of no power at night, and all the flight problems from the start and the intense heat in the dorm rooms, I have managed to make it work and have fun and go with the flow, and I am not a go with the flow person, but I had to make it work and I did. I absolutely love throwing myself into the environment of the ocean and slowly uncover the secrets it has, and I hope I get to do for the rest of my life. This trip has just driven my passion to work in this field more and I couldn鈥檛 be more grateful for this opportunity. We still have some time left on this trip and I am going to the best I can to take it all and absorb all the knowledge I can in this once in a lifetime experience.
Kait鈥檚 Reflection:
This trip has definitely been hard at times. From luggage not arriving at the same time we did, to heat and many bug bites, it would have been easy for any one of us to disengage for the rest of the trip and essentially give up on motivation. However this group has pushed through these things and kept wanting to learn each day. I have never taken a marine science class before, so essentially everything was pretty new to me, but luckily the upperclassmen and others who have more knowledge have helped me a lot throughout the entire trip. It is hard to come into environment not knowing much while being surrounded by people who do know a lot, but it has been such a welcoming time here. I never imagined myself ever doing something like this. I sort of knew right away when the professors told me about this trip that I would be going. My grandpa who passed away last May loved all things travel and everything to do with the water would have loved to be able to see me do something this special. It is no coincidence I have been able to face my fears this entire trip (barracudas and honestly the ocean in general) because I know he has been with me this entire time. Every time I see a sailboat I am reminded of him, he is the one who got me and my sisters into sailing, I was not surprised to see two sailboats in the water here almost every time we went out to snorkel. So am proud of myself, and very thankful that I have these moments to hold onto forever. I am sad to see this trip go, but all good things must come to an end, I guess. I am so grateful that 鈥淏ahamas 2024鈥� worked out so well.
- Wyatt Poling 鈥�26, Liv Follick 鈥�26, Kait Colahan 鈥�27