The past few days have been extremely busy as our class is coming to an end. All of us are putting the finishing touches on posts, collecting the last of our data, and analyzing what we have found. However, we still had some time for fun, and unrelated to a project, experiences. So far, my favorite has been the diving trip we took a couple of days ago to a shipwreck. I’ve only been to a shipwreck on a dive once before, and this ship was easily twice the size. Descending to the sand and seeing the ship coming into view felt like a scene from Pirates of the Caribbean!

Here you can see the hull of the ship encrusted with algae and coral as it has become a home for many organisms in the deep.

Not only was the ship itself amazing, but the life that called it home was also stunning. The entire ship was swarming with fish when we first descended (though they dispersed a little when we came), along with great clumps of algae and layers of coral. Some of the most amazing things I saw were the gigantic sponges we found attached to the sides.

This giant yellow tube sponge, Aplysina fistularis, was attached closer to the prow of the ship, standing out among the green algae.

However, I did not find out till after the dive that we were allowed to go inside the ship, since there were some fairly large openings. Thought that was a miniscule disappointment to an amazing dive!

Through the hole in the ship’s deck, you can see the cavernous opening to the ship’s interior.

-Avocado Ariana