Today came short and sweet. Breakfast was early then a quick briefing before we started our lab. The point of the lab was to observe the abundance and diversity of fish species in the reef. In order to do this we had to lay a 30 meter transect line from the edge of where the reef began that extended out toward the ocean. Sounds easy, right? Wrong. Now, it was easier than I assumed it would be. An easy breeze and light current made it not so difficult. But when you're swimming, pulling a 30 meter tape measurer through 6 foot deep water the waves do try to have their way with it a bit. I got it straight after a couple minor re-adjustments but it did the trick. Then we had to follow the line with a GoPro camera to be analyzed later. We did this at high tide (where we had to swim the line out) and low tide where we were able to walk it out instead. To get an idea of what the camera saw here's a quick snip-bit for your viewing pleasure. Unfortunately at low tide there weren't many fish to be seen, but getting an up-close look at patch reefs was pretty incredible. There's a whole marine city hiding under there, pretty neat! Now at high tide there were quite a few cute little damselfish and plenty of wrasses to enjoy. Once we got back to the lab and got all the data put in it was time for a quick muffin and off to watch the sunset. All the colors and the beauty of the ocean sunset. So much different than the ones at home. The way the mountains become stained with pink and the white tips are stark against the blazing sky. The colors so much the same and the sun still reflects upon the land only so much different than it does with the sea. The sea serves as a mirror whereas the mountains bend the light to show a different side of them altogether. I love this little island and all the people I'm getting to know on it. After this I return to Alaska, a place fun, yet foreign and not quite where I want to be. I dream of the Wellsvilles and the rolling Cache Range. What I wouldn't give to be there just for a day.
Having this odd yearning for home surprises me, as I've never had a home before. Cache Valley has been the true first, though the Big Island of Hawaii was quite close. The only two places in my life that I have cried when I left. They are fittingly tattooed on my body forever. Both places I will always remember. In my mind I can return to Alaska another time, in a job I actually like. Not this one where I'm a underpaid guide for overpaid tourists. They aren't all bad ya know? But they came for vacation, for adventure, they care little about conservation, education and the intrinsic value of nature. Maybe my homesickness is giving me a biased. I'm not sure, but the job applications are out and the first bite I'm buying a ticket for home. Until then I'm going to enjoy this lovely little Heron Island out in the middle of the ocean. It is beautiful and freeing. Intimate and deep. A place of mystery and curiosity. A place that may even be laid to memory in ink.
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About MeAn educated outdoor enthusiast with a passion for the planet and all its inhabitants, I wish to be a liaison between the scientific world and the public. I believe that knowledge and compassion are the keys to understanding and bettering our complex existence on this beautiful Earth. Archives |