[Ed: For the record, we take zero responsibility for the use of puns in blog posts…]

I know. It’s a pretty lame pun. Regardless, I feel like I can afford at least some silly humor since I’m so excited to be a certified diver. I thought nothing would beat my first open water dive, which exposed me to a vibrant coral reef with odd looking corals, sponges, fish, and more alien sea life that would have made my jaw drop if it hadn’t been for the regulator in my mouth. The next day we explored the rim of a coral reef drop-off and as I looked over the edge, which plunged 100 feet into blueness, I realized this could never get old.

We’ve finally finished studying our lectures and have now begun the research portion of this class. My two research partners and I will be exploring the effects of urchin predation on algae. We’re expecting to find more coral where there are fewer algae since there would be less competition between these species for the same resources. We’re hoping the project will ultimately tie in to the positive effects of predation on biodiversity within the coral reef. However -as is very typical of research- we still have to hone in on our methodology, make our data quantifiable while limiting outside factors, and shed any extraneous details from our research question. We’ll see how it goes as we keep working… all I know is that I’m really excited!

Feeding fish during my first open water scuba dive

– Roxane