There is a bittersweet feeling in the air today. The trip is coming to an end. It has been a hell of an experience with unforgettable memories. We presented our final projects today and had an awards ceremony. I was awarded the Ansel Adams photographic magic award for my photos and videos taken throughout the trip. I just love getting good footage. Once again the outer reef trip was epic. We went over to Wistari reef and then drifted in a very strong current back toward Heron. Best outer reef trip yet. Got some great footage of clown fish as well as had no leakage in my mask making for a much more enjoyable experience. Saw a very large eel and once again, so many fish. We did a shallow snorkel through the patch reefs which was good until the tide dropped too low for me to be able to maneuver over the coral. Snorkeling back to shore in a foot of water was a little sketchy having to swim through a mine field of cone shells. Then last but not least, the last sunset snorkel. There was a good sized reef shark taking a nap in the channel and we made friends with another hawksbill turtle. I will miss the snorkeling, my new friends, and this beautiful island. Now to go back to work and reality.
0 Comments
Final project complete, teenagers have f***d off, Maggie is happy and serving steak and there is peace and tranquility here on Heron Island (at least the research side, the resort side perhaps not so much seeing as there was a medical helicopter out here). Outer reef trips are amazing. Can't express that enough. I am bummed I didn't get to see the manta ray that Braden so calmly announced was there. We did see some bump head parrot fish (different than hump head). I love how colorful they are. It's amazing to see the vibrant colors of the ocean. Even the birds and the scenery above the water is pristine and gorgeous. I've been hoping to get a good close look at the sea eagles but so far to no avail. I have loved getting the opportunity to come out here see one of the great wonders of the world and will think fondly back on the memories here. I learned some stuff too which is a bonus.
Nuff said... The outer reef is amazing. So vibrant in color and diversity of coral. Getting the experience to see the reef and the wildlife here has been incredible it feels like I'm living in a fantasy. My favorite fish to see is clown fish. Cute little buggers. They act so aggressive for being cute little guys buy I think it's endearing, so much heart and courage. I aspire to be more like a clown fish. Jerron and I finished analyzing our samples with the microscopes. Now to put the charts together and type up our report. I feel like we have experienced what I assume is a large part of what most scientists and researchers run into. Inconclusive results. I suppose we learned something though. More data the better. It makes statistical analysis much better to have a lot more data. I felt like we did so much work for only 10 data points. Not even enough data to meet a 30 sample standard deviation. But it would have required weeks and weeks of time to collect and analyze samples in order to collect the necessary amount of data for a good analysis. Time we don't have and perhaps time we're not willing to spend as well. Excited for another outer reef trip in the morning. Insert witty closing statement here.
Got about 3 hours of snorkeling in today. So glad to have made to every morning snorkel so far and the had a mid-day snorkel as well as joining everyone for an end of day snorkel. So great yet so tiring. Jerron and I spent quite a bit of time analyzing our core samples and I found giant ball of annelid worms that I have now called a goober. Andrew and I accidentally sluffed the first part of Edd's lecture by snorkeling in Research Beach but it was great. We swam out a ways and then drifted back looking for wrasse cleaning stations. We saw quite a few wrasse, I was excited to see some moon wrasse. Found the epaulette shark again hiding out under some staghorn coral. Water was a lot cooler today than it has been so far this trip. Sure wakes you up in the morning and keeps you honest throughout the day. Looking forward to the outer reef trip tomorrow!
Seems like every morning snorkel gets better and better. Swimming behind a big spotted eagle ray was an awesome experience. So surreal. I would like to think that the whole ocean is just like it is here but alas that is not the case. It makes me sad to think there is a chance that this ecosystem may not exist in the near future and we need to do everything we can to change that. Kind of makes me think inwardly on the things I do that impact the environment here 7600 miles from home. Climate change and the rising temperatures are going to make this truly incredible ecosystem disappear. Problem is I love 4wheeling and taking road trips and having camp fires, but I suppose it is on me to make changes to help better protect the world we live in. As Jerron and I were out gathering core samples for our final project we had a long discussion about how all this could be gone in the next few years. On a happier note, we found an epaulette shark.
Today was a tough one waking up for the morning snorkel. But I know I'd hate myself if I didn't take every opportunity. I am becoming so much better at snorkeling than I was at the start, I feel like I can finally keep up with everyone. I love having the chance to take photos and videos with my GoPro and have become somewhat of the go to guy for pics of our ocean adventures. A badge I can wear proudly. There is so much to look at here on the reef, looking at one thing will mean you missed another. It is an awesome problem to have and I feel insanely lucky that this is my first experience with the ocean. Very chill day today, we didn't do much other than hanging out on the beach all day or taking naps. We are now working on coming up with our final projects for the course and I think I will be doing something with taking core samples and looking for annelid worms (it was pretty enjoyable for me looking for things in the microscope). A few of the crew bought Heron Island shirts today and now I've got to get one so I'm not left out. Sunsets are awesome standing out on the dock watching the tide come in. Get a nice bird's eye view of the eagle rays and reef sharks coming into the bay. And now it's time for bed. Oh how the ocean tires me out.
Best day so far in the water. A good morning swim followed by a trip to the outer reef is the perfect combination to a perfect day (89% on the ID test was a bonus)! So many turtles! They look as awkward as I feel. Boating out to the Blue Pools was amazing. Aside from my mask popping off right as I rolled off the boat and drowning for a minute. So many fish out there it's crazy. Caught a good video of a white tip reef shark eating above the coral. After cramming for the ID test all morning it was exciting to go out and see all the fish I had been learning names of. Never expected to flip out over seeing a Rainford's Butterflyfish, but it had just so happened I learned it's name an hour earlier. After getting back into the boat Edd got excited with a GoPro in my direction, turned out I had a big ass booger from all the snot in my mask. Today was a good break from working on labs and such with some chilling and hanging out on the island. After the test we all just hung out chatting and waiting for our test results, too anxious to run off and wander the island. All in all a great way to end the week and looking forward to starting one more week here on Heron Island.
Morning snorkel is always going to be the most efficient way to wake up I think. We got to get footage with GoPros underwater over a transect line. The transects can be kind of a pain in the water, we had our weight break off while trying to set it. Still not too comfortable with diving under but I was surprisingly able swim under and grab it no problem. Every day I feel more and more at home in the water and expect to continue improving. It surprises me the level of interest I have that increases as I start learning more about. Coming to the island I was most excited to see the usual charismatic megafauna you would expect to see such as sharks and sting rays. But as we collected footage and studied the different specie types I have found myself getting excited about tons of little fish you can see. Every one here has good synergy and it really makes the labs and work much more enjoyable. I think we all work together and get along great. Finished the day strong with another swim. I hope to make it to every swim I can so as to not miss out.
The longer I stay here the better it gets. As long as my snorkel doesn't try and suffocate me. Beautiful day here on the island, I think I'll just live here permanently. That was until the highschoolers arrived. Lab and lecture today for me started off slow as far as interest level but soon grew quite a bit as we started observing invertebrates in the microscopes. It was a very low tide so we were able to walk out pretty far on the reef and take core samples. Finally found some of those notorious cone shells on the beach. Gotta say it was a bit underwhelming after all the venomous hype talked up about them. Best part is I found quite a few tiny micro cone shells in the samples we took. Interest in invertebrates increased a lot when I could actually start picking them out and seeing them in between the grains of sand. The day was topped off with an awesome swim in the evening and getting to see a moray eel and a humungous turtle. I also saw a few glimpses of a giant eagle ray out in the murky distance but wasn't able to see it quite that clearly. 10 out of 10, Highly recommend.
Morning snorkeling just might be my favorite parts of the trip. The water is quite nice for being 6am and finally getting to swim amongst the sea life was quite exhilarating! For some reason the sting rays sketch me out more than the sharks. Today was really the start for me in learning about the names of what everything is and I've got a long ways to go before Sunday's test. On a little walk about I took a video of a crab during low tide and in doing so dipped my go-pro into a slimy film which spawned a great little educational conversation with Prof. Atwood about the reproduction and biology of sea cucumbers. The film is likely to be that of "spunk" from a cucumber. So much to learn! The first lab was a great intro to the work we will be doing here. Learning how to function with equipment while snorkeling is going to be very beneficial. It has been interesting for me in learning about tides and currents in the ocean, experienced first hand while trying to lay a transect line as well as trying to reel the bugger in. It didn't help that I got distracted by a school of snappers swimming under me which lead to me drifting down current only to have to swim back up while reeling. Working toward quantifying observations will be a great tool to use and learning to apply that here is an excellent way to do that. It will be interesting to see how our data gets analyzed by everyone.
|