I spent most of today identifying reef fish, coral, and creatures that my group collected or took pictures of in the water for the past few days. Merely looking through the identifying books amazed me because I never really gave the tropical marine atmosphere much thought until now. There are so many hundreds of inhabitants of the ocean that I have yet to encounter and was not aware existed. I was fascinated at the sight of fish such as the Princess Parrotfish, the Foureye Butterfly, and the Blue Tang. Their beautiful colors stood out even in the midst of the bold colored corals that I came across. I have undeniably gained an appreciation for these animals and the other contributors of a healthy marine atmosphere. I am also quite shocked that I learned so much in such a short period of time. Although I am definitely not close to being a professional, I made myself proud when I was able to point out specific things when I was swimming around. It’s an indescribable feeling to be able to swim through a school of Silverside or to touch a Sun Anemone and watch it react. I am looking forward to passing on the knowledge I have gained to someone who wants to share the excitement with me!

The Foureye Butterfly was found swimming around among its other colorful friends by the mangroves.

This Sun Anemone looks fun to play with although anemones are known to have stinging cells. However, upon touching this one, it sucks in and feels sticky.

– Farnaz