The morning begins with the panging ring of my alarm clock. With only five hours of sleep three nights in a row, nothing, not even the promise of a familiar homemade Caribbean breakfast could get me out of bed. As the Jamaicans would say it, I was not “feeling ire.” I hit the snooze button and fell quickly back into my bed and felt an overwhelming feeling of bliss once my head touched the pillow. Five more minutes of rest sounded heavenly. Then there was a loud knock at the door. “You guys want to go for a dive? “ said Joe. “Oh no,” I thought. “Not now.” I wanted to say no, I really did, but the idea of possibly never being able to scuba dive in Jamaica again overcame me. So I got out of bed, sluggishly walked to the dock and assembled my gear. Not only could I not strap my B.C to my air tank, I also put the regulator on incorrectly. My exhaustion was showing. How embarrassing. Once we reached the dive site, I looked over the boat and saw the bottom of the ocean floor. A good dive was guaranteed with high visibility. But then, something happened that I hadn’t accounted for. I forgot about my motion sickness pills and seasickness was my worst enemy. I quickly suited up and prepared for my jump. As I entered the water, all exhaustion, seasickness, worry and negativity was carried away by the waves of the water. I was in a whole new world and I couldn’t wait to explore it. Once I reached the ocean floor, I saw things I had never imagined seeing. From bright Blue Chromis to spikey Lionfish, the creatures at the coral reef were absolutely stunning. When I emerged from the water, I couldn’t believe that I was about to miss out on this opportunity. Though I became sea sick nearly five minutes after stepping on the boat and threw up, in the end, it was all worth it.

So fluffy

It wasn’t a rock, it was a rock LOBSTAH

Hey divers!

-Richard

We have been here for four days now, and what an experience I will never forget. The first day began with a tour of where we will be staying for the next two weeks, and what a beauty it presented to me. On the second day we got to go snorkeling in this beautiful bay. It was my first time snorkeling, although it was very frightening even though the fish are maybe tops the size of my foot, it was still a one of a kind experience. Later on in the day, we had to catch collections for our tanks; it was a hard time to catch fish with just a small net, so I tried a cast net. A few of my classmates tried to teach me how to use it, my first try… lets say, it didn’t go as I planned as I saw it hit the boat, they do say “first is the worst”. I try it a second time, remember the phrase “second is the best”, well I did catch about 2 fish that time, but unfortunately they all jumped out of the net. Now, my third time, I threw it perfectly out, and I ended up catching roughly around 15 Redear Herring. I jumped for joy as it was very exciting to me. I guess I can now say “Third is the lucky charm”. We then added it our collection tank, it was pretty cool because as we put them in, they all joined together and became a school of fish. As the third and fourth day came, I started to learn more about the marine life of Jamaica and the history. It was sad and shocking finding out about the invasive species of the “Lionfish” as well as the anthropogenic natural causes. The Lionfish has become such a threat to marine life out in the Caribbean, and since it has no native predators it just keeps producing and keeps killing juvenile fish, without any predators. Also its sad to hear about all the overfishing done by locals, we now only see juvenile and small fish instead of larger ones as previous years had. I have to say, not having any marine science background, I have learned so much these past four days, and I cannot wait and see what else I will learn.

Swarm of Redear Herring, even though there are so many, trust me when I say this; these fish make it hard for you to catch them.

-Kat

Our third day in Jamaica began with a sunrise snorkel around the bay. The water was calm and clear and it was easier to spot the fish that were also just waking up. I was lucky enough to see a peacock flounder buried partially in the white sand, as well as a lizard fish. After breakfast we talked about the different types of sea grasses found in the lagoon, and how they play a vital role in the ecosystem of the reef. Specifically for example, as a nursery for the adolescent reef fish that will eventually reside in the coral structures of the reef surrounding the lagoon. Later in the day I went snorkeling again to begin gathering flora and fauna for our wet lab collections as well as more pictures. My favorite moment was swimming along with a balloon fish in some turtle grass. It had a beautiful iridescent eye color that shone in the afternoon sun. The rest of the day was spent identifying all that we discovered and talking about what everyone else had seen on their adventures. I’m looking forward to experiencing my first time scuba diving in the ocean and the mysteries of night snorkeling here in this tropical paradise.

The sun rising over the island of Jamaica around 6:30 AM.

Can you spot the fish?

Checkout that sea grass and my little friend.

– Danica

The last few days have been a bit stressful because of the amount of activity we’ve been doing. We go from lecture, to snorkel, to lecture, to the wet lab. But I wouldn’t like it any other way because I would feel as if I was missing out. Discovery Bay Marine Lab is a beautiful place and I can’t get over the fact that we have to go collecting different species of fish, inverts, and plants right at our door step. I’ve never been so excited to pick up algae try to identify fish in my life. The most memorable times so far were when I was snorkeling near a dusky damselfish and it got all up in the camera and really close to my face. Another memorable experience was when we were by the red mangroves and there was a school of reading herring. They looked like a wall and it was very awesome to watch. Finally, the most memorable experience so far was the night snorkel we did yesterday. At night, we got to see all different types of fish and inverts that aren’t out during the day. The only thing I wish is that I would have charged my camera because I didn’t get any pictures of the sting ray or the lobsters.

The Angry Dusky Damselfish. This was a screenshot I got from a video I was taking while the Dusky Damselfish (Stegastes adustus) got very territorial and tried to kick me out.  

-Lucia

I expected there to be many things that would potentially kill me in Jamaica since it was tropical, had reefs, and the last place I went like this was pretty deadly (Australia). After the first day, however, we learned that most things were harmless. There is one thing that is still quite terrifying to me: Diadema antillarum or the long spined sea urchin. This urchin stays in crevices during the day to avoid their fish predators. The menacing spikes stick out and move towards you at the slightest motion around them. Many urchins try and cover themselves with algae or other materials to camouflage against predators. The West Indian sea egg (Tripneustes ventricosus) is one that does that in this lagoon. Diadema has no need for that; it’s the rock and roll star of this urchin community sporting a red and black color scheme, finding prime real estate for protection. This urchin is a creature of the night. It slowly crawls out of its daytime hiding place to feed in the absence of predators (many fish sleep at night).

Last night we went on our first night snorkel. The forefront of my thoughts was “watch out for Diadema!” If anyone was going to get stabbed by one it would be me. When we got to the dock and shined the light down at the water the wall was covered in them, their red bodies shining. When I saw that and how massive they actually were when they weren’t hiding I almost decided not to go, but I’d already spent half an hour putting on my wetsuit and decided to suck it up because it would be worth it. The night dive was spectacular and I am Diadema spine free…for now.

The Beast: Diadema antillarum during the night snorkel.

Lights in the water: Night snorkeling in a group, lights shining at the bottom trying to find things like octopi and rays.  

– Megan

Today we woke up before the sunrise to go snorkeling and it was gorgeous. Sunrise (and sunset) are when many organisms are most active – nocturnal fish make their way back to their homes and nests to sleep and diurnal fish lazily begin. These animals exhibit crepuscular behavior, more specifically known as “matutinal.” We had gone snorkeling the day before and the change in diversity was astounding. We saw a sting ray (Joe and Brad would say it didn’t happen because it didn’t have a picture, but I would have if I had batteries!) [ed: correct, no photo, didn't happen], needlefish, upside down jelly fish, peacock flounders, many blue headed wrasses (below), damselfish, and even an octopus(can you find him?) [ed: there is no octopus in the below photo].

Blue-head.

Later that day, we certified SCUBA divers jumped in the water for the long-awaited (a tantalizing 2 days) checkout dive! Though we are certified, the University of the West Indies has to make sure we still know our stuff. I was grateful this since I haven’t donned a BCD for 4 years! I can’t wait to apply my diving skills to my lab project. I can’t believe I am learning so much and loving the hands-on experience. Yahman!

Underwater and everything is a-ok.

– Emily Markowitz –

Few days ago we arrived to Jamaica a paradise island on the Caribbean. Where the turquoise and gradient of blue colors greet you from the sea. I came a few hours earlier than everyone coming from New York. I was waiting for my luggage when I hear a group of guys singing such a good song "One Love" from Bob Marley. This song gave me a warm welcome and represents such a good theme from Jamaica to the world. Discover Marine Bay is part of West Indies University and it will be our home for few more weeks. Discovery marine bay has some many things such as good resources, beautiful view, and excellent people that make your every day awesome. Something that I despite my attention is the aquatic life that habit in this area, even though I have not seen everything yet. So much fun is snorkeling. If it is your first time you can be somewhat afraid, but there is nothing to worry about and completely worth it. Also, I can't wait to scuba dive. We have been collecting examples, taking pictures, and learning so much information that everything becomes enjoyable. Finally some key words are: keep eyes wide open, gain all information from the lectures, and take tons of pictures.

Picture #1 Emily and Kaitlyn taking some pictures, but the cameras were leaking ohh noo!

Picture #2 School of ocean surgeonfish (Acanthurus bahianus) swimming around someone's research

-José

Like watching the sun rise as you wake up for a voluntary 6:30 pre-breakfast dive, or getting your favorite cheap t-shirt back after being reunited with your luggage [ed: Roxane grabbed the wrong suitcase at the airport!  But has gotten her bag back!]. Fortunately these little things also come with the incredible opportunity of traveling to Jamaica during an extremely cold winter, being in the water almost every day, and studying Marine Biology in a very tangible setting. I’ve gone snorkeling twice so far and it’s been pretty cool. We have to find, identify, and collect our own specimens. So far, my group and I have found different kinds of algae, puffer fish, yellow rays, and other species of colorful fish that you might expect from the Tropics. They hang out around the sea grass beds and little patches of coral that go from the dock, past the lagoon, and up to the algal ridge where the waves break. There’s also some mangrove trees nearby -rooted in the water- that I haven’t explored yet. Yesterday, the instructors and students pooled together some clothes so I didn’t have to go the day without essentials. That’s definitely a testament to how nice everyone here is. As I was driving back to the airport to get my missing luggage, I learned some really cool things about Jamaican culture and attitude. There’s a very stark contrast between the “no problem” attitude here and our class work, which is rapidly paced, albeit very interesting. Nevertheless, I expect these varying attitudes to equalize with time, especially as I learn more and get into research.

Up close to a Puffer Fish  

– Roxane

It is now our third day on the beautiful Island of Jamaica! It is definitely surreal that I am here right now. I didn’t know what to expect upon arriving, but in one word it is just beautiful! The weather is heavenly, the skies are blue and so is the water! Not to mention the people are wonderful as well. In just two days, I have learned a great deal of knowledge of the marine world that I did not know before. Yesterday was the first time I have ever been snorkeling. Although, I was a tad wary at first, it was a great learning experience. With only 16 days total, it is no surprise that we are running on a tight schedule and of course I am exhausted, but the exhaustion has been well worth it so far! Snorkeling has a way of waking you up and refreshing you, well at least for me anyways.

This morning my snorkeling buddy and I were up at 6 A.M. for our first morning snorkel. Up until today, I was convinced that Starbucks is the only thing that has the ability to wake me up in the morning and boy was I wrong. Being in the water has a way of refreshing your body. The morning snorkel was quite a spellbinding experience, the water was calm and the fish were just swimming on by. Unlike yesterday, today I snorkeled in deeper water and it was just extraordinary to be able to witness the underwater world! It is safe to say that up until yesterday Finding Nemo is the closest thing that I thought I would ever come close to an underwater experience. However, now I can say that snorkeling has allowed me witness so many marine life in their natural habitats. I was absolutely mesmerized as I swam above schools of fish and coral, and it feels more and more exciting with each snorkeling adventure. And would you look at the time, off to another snorkeling adventure now, so until next time!

Sign of Jamaica taken upon arrival at Sangaster International Airport.

Me on my first morning snorkel. 

– Abby

 Having gotten a new underwater camera for Christmas I was super excited to try it out and get some awesome pictures to brag about to my friends and family. I guess I just didn’t realize how hard it would be to actually get good pictures and not just blurry shots of seagrass and rocks. Not only are the fish too fast for me, the constant jostling of the ocean doesn’t help. Of the 30 or so pictures I took during our second snorkeling trip, only three came out decent. And even then, they were all of the same Dusky damselfish who kindly stood still long enough while defending its territory from me.

The angry Damselfish trying to shoo me away.

A view of our playground showing it’s not the camera malfunctioning, but my skills underwater.

On the bright side, a lot of people seemed to have had the same problem, so I’m happy to know I’m not alone. With 14 more days here I hope our skills will improve. Our grades depend on it!

 - Julia