It’s always fun to compare the “after” group picture to the one at the start of this year’s class.  Some sunburns, some odd tan lines, and a lot of great smiles and friendships.

By the time this entry goes live on the blog, we will have (barring any travel hiccups) left the Caribbean and returned to the (much) less warm Northeast US.  If the 60F temperature drop isn’t enough to remind us that Tropical Marine Ecology has ended, we will definitely mess the energy and enthusiasm that this year’s class brought to Discovery Bay.  Having taught this class for more than 15 years, some of the things that happen here in Jamaica have become a bit routine for the instructors.  So it’s incredibly rewarding to see how excited these students are about being exposed to in situ marine science first hand.  Both of us spend a lot of time “in the field” for our research programs, but we too were once in awe by how amazing the undersea life in the ocean can be.  We’d like to thank this year’s class for a lot of great memories, some [ahem] interesting stories overheard on the bus, and for making our jobs here relatively easy.  Until next year…

• Profs Warren and Peterson

The perfect start to a perfect dive

On this beautiful sunny day, you could feel the rays both on and in the water. Going for a dive in Rio Bueno was an experience that left me feeling more grounded and connected to the earth than I ever thought possible. Feeling the sun on your skin is something most of us take for granted. It is such a normal part of life on the surface that we rarely stop to truly appreciate it. Being more than 60 feet underwater and seeing the sun shine just as brightly as it did on the boat was an experience like no other. That moment made me pause, float, and take it all in with complete awe.

School is in session

Unless you have experienced the underwater world firsthand, it is easy to overlook what happens beneath the surface. Seeing giant schools of fish gliding effortlessly through beams of sunlight made me realize how much life thrives in its own rhythm, completely unaffected by everything above. It is humbling to watch their world carry on undisturbed, while ours can often feel so hectic. There is also something magical about seeing these creatures in their natural habitat. Instead of being confined by the glass walls of an aquarium, they move freely, going about their daily lives. It feels like stepping into an alternate universe. One that reminds you just how vast and interconnected the planet truly is. It is a powerful reminder to slow down, appreciate the world around you, and realize there is so much more to life than what we see on the surface.

– Strawberry Sammi <3

Our second to last full day in Jamaica, started out with a bang. The divers (minus Dante) and two brave snorkelers (Hannah and Jordyn) were RTG at 7 am, excited for our second trip to Rio Bueno, the giant wall of coral reef. Sammi, Dr. Warren, and I giant strode into the clear water, descending to a sand channeling to make any final adjustments to our gear. After a minute we swam to the edge of the wall and began to descend. All of the corals, algae, and sponges were amazing to see, but they had nothing on what was about to come into view. As we were swimming along, we spotted a large sea turtle swimming below us. We chased the turtle down to around 80 feet before giving up, and watching it swim into the blue abyss. The excitement failed to fade as we also saw a giant crab, a Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus), and massive schools of fish. Watching the schools wind their way down the wall from above was incredibly cool. We also got to watch Dr. Warren spear some invasive lionfish, helping to clean up the reef. Overall it was an amazing dive I will never forget (and have to remember to log).

An unidentified sea turtle (it’s probably a green sea turtle) swimming below me

School of fish swimming above near the top of the wall

-Candy Heart Caitlin

Day 12 was spent mostly on finishing up our transect project! My partner, Kiwi Kiyanni, and I started our morning by collecting one last transect in the back reef. It was such a beautiful day, and we saw some really cool stuff, including a spotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari) and a giant anemone (condylactis gigantea) that was upside down! After finishing up our last transect, I spent the rest of the day with the class working on the transect statistics on excel as well as the fish count video project Dr. Peterson gave us. It was really cool to see all the fish and other creatures that came to check out the camera Dr. Peterson set up (including a sea slug!).

(Blurry) photo of the spotted eagle ray!

Upside down anemone! The red part is what is usually attached to the ocean floor

-Lime Liana

Yesterday morning we got out for an early morning dive/snorkel and saw all kinds of cool things! We saw this Caribbean King Crab to start it off, then we saw some needlefish, a giant stingray, a sea turtle, and a spotted eel! I really thought I didn’t want to get up and out for that dive, but I’m so glad I did! After the dive, we had some well-needed breakfast and headed to the classroom to lock in on our final few assignments that are due tomorrow! It is crazy to think how time has flown by while at Discovery Bay Marine Lab, and these are memories I will cherish forever. I am so appreciative of everyone who helped me believe in myself enough to do this, all my classmates for lifting me up when I was down, the staff who got us back to the dock safely, made us breakfast, cleaned the beautiful campus and so much more, and last but certainly not least Prof. Brad and Prof. Joe for everything you have done for all of us on this trip and making this all happen!

-Kit Kat Kylie Signing Off!

Everyone has been sitting in the classroom all day, trying to finish up the last parts of Photo IDs, Fish Count, 10 best photos, and transect analysis before our last full day in Jamaica tomorrow. Looking back through my camera for photos from this trip we have to turn in, I’m really glad to have gotten to do everything that’s happened in what felt like a lot longer than 2 weeks. I’ll miss being able to just walk out to the bay after a meal, go snorkeling whenever we feel like we need a break, pet Ginger, and casually go out into the ocean at night even after a long day. Although right now I’m looking forward to finishing the transect analysis, I feel like after it’s done and I’m home I’ll miss eating dinner in the group we’ve spent our time together with while we were here and planning all the things we’ll do tomorrow. Last night I went out on our last night snorkel under the first full moon of the year with Tomato Tegan, Hamburger Hannah, Jello Jordyn, Lime Liana, and Kiwi Kiyani. One of the three flashlights we had died while we were out and we went back in before all of us got lost but I saw a white tripneustes while we were there. Also, we saw a really cool blood moon tonight.

One of my favorite underwater photos I took on this trip.

A cool albino tripneustes I found while out night snorkeling

Tonight’s moon

Coca Cola Crystal

On today’s agenda, we had planned a 7 am dive back to Rio Bueno, but unfortunately, the wind was blowing too hard for us to set sail. So we changed courses, had a late breakfast, and finished collecting data for the line transactions survey assignment. However, there was again a change to the schedule with a surprise trip to the Green Grotto Caves and dinner at the Ultimate Jerk Chicken! We explored the complex cave structure and learned about the history of the caves. From Pirates to disco dance parties, we learned about the complex system of caves and how they were used throughout history.

Underground in the Green Grotto Caves.

Underground adventure.

After safely making our way out of the cave, we asked ourselves why the chicken crossed the road. And the answer was to get the ultimate Jerk Chick of courses! We enjoyed two hours of excellent food and relaxation before all assignments are do in two days. Overall, it was a great day with good food and a good time.

-Tegan

Hi friends and family! I’m happy to report that I am finally finished with one of the most challenging parts of MAR 537, collecting transect data in Discovery Bay. This process involves laying out 15 meters of transect tape, and swimming the length of it while counting the number of parrotfish, surgeonfish, and damselfish within an arm’s length distance. Then, we have to swim back the same distance, counting various species of urchins in the same range. Finally, we need to record the ground composition of the length of the transect.

Here’s what the transect tape looks like laid out on the reef floor.

Needless to say, this can be pretty physically exhausting. Although I was lucky to have calm conditions when I did my first set of transects earlier in the week, I was less lucky with my second set. Since there is a data analysis aspect of the assignment, it was vital that I complete the last of my transects by the end of the day on Monday 1/13. However, the weather had other plans. The winds, which were strong enough to thwart a planned dive earlier in the day, impacted visibility and current when my partner and I got in the water. We knew immediately that it would be a struggle, but that if we worked hard together we could get it done.

Fighting the wind and the waves, we swam against the current to collect our data. We ran into multiple obstacles, including sediment being stirred up and my mask refusing to seal properly towards the end of our data collection, leading to salt water getting in my eyes (ouch!) but we persevered and collected our data, allowing us to remain on track to finish our analysis on time. It just goes to show that not even natural forces can stop the power of science!

See you guys soon, Lemonade Lauren 🙂

Caribbean Reef Octopus squeezing itself into a hole

The past few days we have been working on completing line transect surveys in pairs. We’ve faced several challenges, lots of wind, moving tape measures, deep water, salt water in our snorkels and more. But somehow the line transect survey days have proved some of the most fruitful wildlife sighting days. I spotted an octopus, two barracudas, a spotted eagle ray and a large mutton snapper to name a few through the course of completing our transect surveys. Unfortunately, the day I saw the spotted eagle ray I was without my camera (Dr. Warren – Jordyn can corroborate my spotted eagle ray sighting, I’m not making it up). [Ed note: class policy is pics or it didn’t happen !  But I believe you.]  I cannot say there has been a ton of excitement about completing our line transect surveys, but I certainly have excitement about what new wildlife I will see while I complete my surveys.

Barracuda seen while swimming back to the dock

Hamburger Hannah

It’s dark, the moon is full, and the water is clear. It is a perfect night for night snorkeling. Since we only have two days left Nutter Butter Neil, Linguini Lillian, Egg Bagel Emma, Lemonade Lauren, Avocado Ariana and I all head out to explore what mysteries Discovery Bay has to offer. Thank goodness we did, despite feeling exhausted, because among seeing various wonders such as the Caribbean lobsters (Panulirus argus) and the beaded sea cucumber (Euapta Lappa) we came across a spotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari) making its way gracefully through the water.

The ever so graceful eagle ray swimming through the water.

After leaving us behind in awe we continued on our swim right up to the reef crest. Once the water was much too shallow for our taste, and a way too close encounter with a long spined sea urchin (Diadema antillarum), we made our way back to the docks. It was then that Egg Bagel Emma alerted us to the presence of the Lesser Electric Ray (Narcine brasiliensis) resting in a sand patch nearby.

Lesser Electric Ray resting in the sand as we came in disturbing his peace.

Finally, I had seen the long awaited lesser electric ray which had been at the top of my list since the day that I got here of sea creatures I wanted to see due to its ability to generate electricity. Like its name suggests the lesser electric ray can deliver a shock of electricity often used to stun prey. It was truly an incredible moment. As we made our way back to the docks, we spotted a few more yellow stingrays (Urolophus jamaicensis) and a baby octopus (Octupus vulgaris) who was utterly adorable. All in all, a very important lesson was learned by all of us that night, don’t turn down an opportunity for a night snorkel.

Signing off,

-Guava Gaby