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 🙂