Jamaica is incredible, teeming with a vast diversity of wildlife. The location of the Marine Center is one in which you have 24 hour access to a coral reef in your backyard. We are able to head down to the docks to enter the water to snorkel. The minute you enter the water, fish begin to surround you. As I entered the water I managed to take a picture of a damselfish sizing me up considering whether or not to attack by camera.

Getting sized up by a Threespot Damselfish (Stegastes planifrons).

They are truly the chihuahuas of the fish world. Small and tiny but ready to attack anything no matter how big. They are extremely territorial and help with maintaining turf algae. In the back you can see an orange fish known as a Squirrel fish (Holocentrus rufus) and zooming past in the back with black stripes and a yellow top are two Sergeant Majors (Abudefduf saxatilis), my personal favorite due to their adorable derpy faces. Then as I continued to swim and explore I spot a gorgeous black sea rod coral flowing in the waves.

A gorgeous Black Sea Rod (Plexaura homomalia) flowing to the waves with Kit-Kat in the background taking a picture.

Continuing on we swam over a ton of coral reef patches each teeming with life! The different species of fish, algae and coral coming to life in front of me making all of the information we are getting from the lectures finally beginning to click. With lunch time nearing it is time to head back and as I do I spot an alien like creature in the water and decide to take a closer look.

A donkey dung sea cucumber (Holothuria mexicana) in distress.

Soon I realized it was a Holothuria mexicana more commonly known as donkey dung sea cucumber in distress as it had undergone egestation due to some kind of an attack. When this occurs the sea cucumber ejects its respiratory tree, digestive tract and gonads. This poor sea cucumber will hopefully be able to recover as they are able to regenerate the organs they lost in this insane last resort form of defense. All in all another incredible and event filled day in Jamaica.

* Guava Gaby