Today was the day of our two species identification exams (a photo ID exam and a practical ID exam in the wet lab), so I spent the majority of my day studying and getting prepared. Unfortunately, my studying was made impossible by this weird furry fish that sat on my notebook? Very strange.

The weird furry fish that stopped me from studying.

After a long day of work, and after the two exams were completed, I had my first night snorkel with a few friends. During this snorkeling trip, I was able to see many creatures I would not otherwise see during the day. We were able to see a massive spiny lobster, two yellow stingrays, a spotted eagle ray, and several nudibranchs. However, my favorite sighting of the day was a stunning red and blue octopus we spotted on our way back to the dock. It was understandably very afraid of us, so the only pictures we captured of it were unfortunately very blurry.

The octopus trying to evade us.

After finally conquering our first two exams, seeing these creatures felt very rewarding. I’m incredibly excited for more to come.

-Extra-Cheese Emilie