“Anudda day pon de bay”

Another beautiful morning in Discovery Bay started off with a few dedicated snorkelers going out at 7am. Collection of specimens and underwater photography helped to capture the transition of night species to the ones we usually see during th day. After a great breakfast of eggs and toast, we head off to Pear Tree, a dive/snorkel site along the way to where we went yesterday. The Panulirus and Seahorse took us there safely and quickly. The snorkel site started off by where we anchored near a great display of spurs and grooves that cause what basically looks like a wide strip of sand, and then a wide strip of coral cover, and then sand..and so on, carved out by the constant wave action close to shore. In the shallower water we encountered many colorful fish algae and many corals. In deeper waters the divers even reported a barracuda and sea turtle sighting. Our very own Dr.Gobler caught a fantastic video (with music he provided accapela upon viewing in class today) of a spotted eagle ray. After our boat trip we dried off and headed to lecture about algae (we all love algae), and enjoyed a spaghetti lunch. From about 1.30 to 5 we had free time to snorkel and prepare our ID lists for Sunday, including specimen photos, and if possible, a live sample to put in our wet lab. Lecture on predation and an introduction to reef invertebrates got us all worked up for our BBQ dinner. We combined with students from Wisconsinin this ‘farewell’ event (they leave tomorrow), with a mento band playing traditional island music. We sung along with Buffalo Soldier, and TallyMan. The dinner was two whole tables of BBQ meat, rice, veggies, and three types of cakes. SBU students joined in a game of limbo while the band was playing, and took some memorable group photos. The night’s activities left us all in an ‘irie’ mood. Peace mon, until next time!