A Relaxing End to a Stressful Day

Today was spent studying and taking tests. We have finished all of our lecture material for the semester and all of it came due today. Needless to say it was a very long day. So after a very stressful day of testing a group of us decide to relieve our stress by going out for a night snorkel around the lagoon and reef crest.

Getting out in the water was definitely a nice change from sitting in the classroom with your noses stuck in an identification book. We found there is a whole new suite of fish that come out at night. By far the highlight of the snorkel was the Caribbean Reef Octopus. We also ran into several sea hare’s, some yellow stingrays, cuttlefish, a sharp tailed eel, and some of the largest balloon fish we have seen on the trip. We finished up the night with the whole class out relaxing under the stars enjoying some music. All in all it was a peaceful end to a hectic day.

The larger of the two Caribbean reef octopuses we have seen on the trip so far. 

Ben

[There'll be a short break in blogging as tomorrow we have an all-day field trip.]

From One Extreme to the Next

Today was the day of our three exams that everyone was dreading. We learned 6 weeks worth of material in only 4 days and boy, were we all stressing. The first two tests were species identification with Joe and John, looking at pictures of fish or coral and identifying them, then going into the wetlab to identify the organisms and plants in our tanks. After that was the lab practical with 50 questions and lots of paper used by everyone. Bonus question? How did this test make you feel if you were a Damsel Fish?

Look Ma, I am doing work!

After everyone ate dinner and distressed a few of us went night snorkeling and it was AWESOME. We saw so many different organisms that we can’t always see during the day. Plus we got attacked by the little bait fish that we woke up.

Yellow Stingray

All in all it was a roller coaster day. From people stressing over the exam, to screaming excitedly over the thing we saw on our snorkel. And I will add that time here is way different than home. Most of us forget what day it is and time passes at its own pace.

-Tara

Let the fun begin!

Enjoying the beautiful view of the bay and the warm breeze while we do some last minute studying.

Today was a very frantic and nerve racking day for all of us. Today all our hard work was put to the test. Everyday since our first day arriving at Discovery Bay we were immersed in knowledge of coral reef ecosystems. We learned about coral reefs and the fish and plants that thrive within them. After memorizing about a hundred species names and studying all our lecture notes we finally had our three tests today. Most of us got an early start to being reading over our notes. We all spent most of the day studying and quizzing each other, making funny jokes to remember the names.

For our first test, we had to identify the various species from pictures shown on powerpoint slides. We had to know the species common and scientific names. During our second test, we went into the wet lab one-by-one to identify the species in our collection tanks. Finally, our last test was a series of 25 stations, and a total of 50 questions, set up in the wet lab. At dinner all of us were finally able to relax and then went out on a night snorkel. There is a lot to look forward too in the next couple of days. We will now begin our research projects. And we also have a trip to Ocho Rios coming up! Also the DITS will be going on our last check out dive tomorrow! One thing I am sure we would all agree upon is being relieved to be done with our tests!

Sitting outside the wet lab waiting nervously while the wet lab is being set up.

Lauren xoxo

Today has been a little bit of a stressful day here in the beautiful Jamaica. Most of us made the best of it by studying outside in the sunshine with our toes in the water. Tomorrow the class has a Photo ID exam that has two parts- pictures and physical identification from the species we collected for our wet lab teams (GO TEAM YA’ MON!). We also have a Lab Practical Exam that will cover material we have learned in lecture. Most of us are feeling a little overwhelmed because it is a lot of material to cover and memorize but we have been assured by teachers and supervisors that it will be worth it when we can go out in the field and really understand what we are looking at. I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say that we are all very excited and will be very proud of ourselves when we can identify a majority of the species we will be seeing here for the next 10 days! But as we all copied down around 85 species common names and their corresponding scientific names for tomorrow’s tests, we decided to relax with a nice cold beverage and some laughs. 

Studying? for an exam ?

– Clara

It
took several days and a copious amount of material as well as the
impeding threat of encroaching deadlines, but we have all finally
determined that it is indeed possible to experience stress in sunny
Jamaica. The majority of the day was given to us to spend as we
needed to prepare for our various projects and exams. Students spent
their time studying lecture notes and taking last minute snorkel
trips to collect invertebrates and plants for their wet lab tanks as
well as photograph and identify coral reef species for their species
identification presentations, track down their scientific names, and
post them to the master list for everyone else to learn. After
another amazing dinner and a much anticipated dessert of ice cream,
we tested our knowledge against each other in a friendly game of
Jeopardy. Suffice to say, the best team won (I may be a little biased
for various reasons). We all pulled another late night frantically
learning more species names. We are also exceedingly grateful that we
had Mike to decipher the handwriting on the board and Tracy to email
us lists of the species names!

Balloon Fish (Diodon holocanthus) Hiding In The Rocks

– Emily

With all of our tests for the class just lurking around the corner, everyone is trying to rush in doing all of our assignments and studying. We have three tests tomorrow where we will be asked to identify common marine species found here in Discovery Bay Marine Lab, but the catch is that we have to know both their common name and their scientific Latin name. We’ve created a huge list of names put into three categories on a chalkboard. Luckily the professors have shortened this list for us so we know what to focus on, but there is still much work to be done.

The chalkboard full of species names that we all worked to fill in. 

We also have to focus on material that we learned in the lectures given to us over the past few days, but a review session was held for us tonight in a pseudo-Jeopardy style to help us. Team Ya’Mon came out as the winners but we have yet to hear about what we actually won. Maybe the main point was to win knowledge? On top of all this, we have to think about our future research projects and go out snorkeling and diving to work on our collections and Species Identification presentations. We are all looking forward to having a bit less work on our shoulders once our tests are done with.

Playing Marine Bio Jeopardy

– Susan

A Disappointing Start, A Stressful End

This morning the certified divers were hoping to get a chance to dive after making it through our checkout dives yesterday but unfortunately, we awoke to some gusty winds. After seeing the waves crashing over the reef crest, it was decided to call it quits and forget the dive. Instead, we snorkeled and started our data collections with our groups. After spending the past couple days being afraid to touch anything on the reef, it was a strange experience to begin collecting the organisms. Lectures began not long afterwards and were completed this evening. It’s amazing to think that we’ve already finished and made our way through the material in this short amount of time. Cramming begins now as we prepare for exams on this coming Monday. So far, I would easily say this is the best experience I’ve ever been given the opportunity to explore.

After not being able to dive, I snorkeled in the morning and saw this Elliptical Star Coral (Dichococenia stokes) for the first time.

Kayleigh  

A Rough Day at Sea

This morning a few
of us woke up bright and early and were down at the dock by 7:30 AM
in hopes of going SCUBA diving, but unfortunately it was so windy and
the waves were so big that we couldn’t go. Not wanting to waste our
morning, the group went out snorkeling near the mangroves for an hour
before breakfast.

If we can’t
go out diving, at least we can snorkel!

Swimming
out to the patch of mangroves – the water’s not as clear today

After breakfast,
lunch, and a few long hours of lectures in between, we went out
snorkeling again. The waves were still super rough but we were
determined to go all the way out to the reef crest to work on our
collections and take pictures for our photo IDs. We eventually made
it all the way over the reef crest to the dropoff, but not without
getting tossed around by some waves and acquiring a few bumps and
scrapes from the super-strong surf. It was definitely worth the trip
though as we saw a bunch of fish and algae, a juvenile cuttlefish, a
blenny and a bunch of really cool-looking coral.

Brain coral
on the reef crest

The surf
was so strong it ripped out a bunch of seagrass

Now we’re all up
late working on memorizing our species names lists for our exam on
Monday. It’s definitely been a rough day at sea, but also a fun
one!

Allie G.

Wet lab with our collection tanks.

As the semester kicks in, students break into their teams: Aqua-Cheetahs, BAMFEL fish, and Ya’mon, and then begin their species collections. The objective of this light competition is to collect and identify as many invertebrate and plant species as possible. Once collected, they are kept in tanks in the wetlabs with running ocean water. The team that collects the most uncommon species gets a couple extra points. Some students were so excited for this friendly competition that they jumped in the water as early as 6:00 AM to begin their collections. Various species, including as the Banded Brittle Seastar, Donkey Dung Sea Cucumber, and the Giant Anemone were collected.

Student holding a banded brittle star.

Tiffany

Eye Opener

Spotted Eagle Ray found in the bay.  [Amy's too humble to brag, but this is a fantastic photo and both course instructors are very jealous that she saw this and we didn't!]

It’s amazing how every single time, we go out into the bay, and we always see something new and interesting. Sometimes we see things time after time but others we run into something that we haven’t seen before. For today, not only was the weather above the water absolutely perfect with the sun shining and a light breeze making it very easy to snorkel, but also below the reef was filled with color and life. Today we got some of the best photos so far experiencing colors and activities that we have not experienced before. Everyone that I’ve talked to said that today’s snorkel was absolutely amazing. Even though we have several opportunities to go snorkeling throughout the day, this morning snorkel adventure was absolutely amazing. My partner and I went out to the reef crest to view an area we have not seen before and then moved back to our familiar areas along the shoreline. On our way out to the crest, this is where I saw the spotted eagle ray and was so beyond excited. Not only are rays my favorite animals, but they are also so beautiful and breathtaking to watch. Later on in the day, the divers all went out together past the reef crest. We ended up diving down 52 feet for about an hour and after going through/refreshing our skills, we broke up into groups and swam around a reef out there. We were all pretty excited to finally be in the water with tanks strapped to our back putting us in a new atmosphere which most people don’t get to experience. Hopefully with all of the other opportunities we get to dive and snorkel, we’ll experience more of these moments which not only take our breath away but also open our eyes into a whole new world.

– Amy