After a fun day at the waterfall and Ocho Rios it was time to start our group projects. For the project we are doing bottom transect surveys to assess the health of coral reefs and to monitor changes in the relative abundance of different organisms. We are measuring the number of urchins and fish in two sites over the distance of 15 meters. This morning my group and I tried to complete our first transect measurement, but the visibility made it very difficult. Hopefully tomorrow the visibility will be better.

At night some of us decided to go night snorkeling. Within 10 minutes we saw an octopus. We all surrounded it with our flashlights watching it move across the sand. We followed it for five minutes and then moved on to see over 20 beaded sea cucumbers creepily moving along. There were so many different organisms out and about at night. Hopefully we get another to go another night.

The octopus we saw that was slightly annoyed with us.

One of the weird beaded sea cucumbers we saw. (Shoutout to Monkey bread Maddie for both of the pics)

– Raspberry Rose

Today started off with pancakes and then we went into the water for a dive at Dancing Lady. While we were still at the surface, I finally saw a spotted eagle ray, which I have been keeping an eye out for since the beginning of the trip. During the 40 minutes underwater, we were all keeping an eye out for lionfish- an invasive species that has lots of negative impacts on the reef- and Dr. Warren brought his spear so we could collect them and hand them off to the kitchen to be cooked later

Dr. Warren has been spearing as many lionfish as we can find.

I also saw a black spotted nudibranch, which I had never seen before! Visibility was great, and it was nice to be able to relax under the waves, especially since our next dive will likely be focused on laying transects and gathering data for our research project.

Seeing this guy was a great way to start the dive.

We had planned for our lab practical to be after dinner, so I spent the late morning and early afternoon going over the lecture material, but after hearing it was postponed we were able to slow down and hang out in the sun looking out over the water. Then after an incredible dinner of jerk chicken, a small group of us ended our day with a night snorkel and we got to see a Caribbean reef octopus! Today was another amazing day at Discovery Bay Marine Lab and I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Definitely my favorite part of today’s night snorkel.

– Maddie

After a long week of learning scientific names and exploring the water around Discovery Bay, we were able to have the morning/afternoon for another adventure—going to Dunn Falls and the nearby cruise ship town Ocho Rios!

At Dunn Falls, as its name-sake implies, we climbed up the falls and experienced slipping and sliding around on the rocks and falling into the water. We also had a fun time climbing an area that Professor Joe Warren, Dr., calls the Fire Hydrant Spot. It’s a steep incline with rushing water that envelopes you where you can barely lift up your legs to get to higher ground. Once you get to the top you see the great view of the falls below. We all sat in victory at the top for enjoying such a climb.

Image of the view of the ocean at the end of the falls with boats bringing more guests to experience the falls.

After we changed, we drove to the nearby town called Ocho Rios, where a lot of cruise ships dock and tourists flood the town. We only had about two and a half hours there, so we decided to walk the main road and head to Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville! The food was not great, but the company was fantastic. It’s been a pleasure getting to know my fellow students, and learning about their passions and what brought them to studying marine studies. Here’s to the last four days together!

May, Michelle, Natalia, and Ana enjoying the lovely view and lunch at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville.

Ana

For those who don’t know, to say we’ve been busy studying is an understatement, but with the first week of our trip coming to an end, we were able to spend part of our day visiting Dunn’s river and hiking up the waterfall which was the best way to relax. A group of us climbed up the whole way in under 30 minutes (definitely falling more times than I can count on one hand). Later, all our small groups merged and we hiked up the waterfall again, this time with both Joe and Brad. Some decided to climb up a particularly challenging section but Rose and I were granted the jobs of camera guards as everyone else made their attempt at the climb. As the two of us sat on the edge and watched from above, we were able to get one of the best pictures of Joe climbing up the waterfall (sorry for the picture Joe but it has to be seen by the world). Even if our day out may not have lasted too long, it was definitely worth the scrapes and bruises that now (sadly) cover my legs.

The look of relief and success on Joe’s face as he finishes his climb.

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Our view of part of the waterfall as a few got ready to climb.

– clementine camille

After a week of work and cramming for the Photo ID exams (I managed to learn 80 scientific names in 4 hours and I still don’t know how), we finally got a break. If you would call climbing a waterfall a “break”. It was a really fun climb, but we did all leave with some bumps and bruises.

Base of the waterfall

This picture is deceiving because it looks like a short climb. It is not. That is not the top, it continues way past that. Once we dried off, we got to hang out around Ocho Rios for the afternoon and grab lunch. After a well deserved nap and dinner a bunch of us decided it would be fun to go night snorkeling. There wasn’t a whole lot out there tonight but we did get to see this sting ray!

Cute little ray

• Mango Mae

A few nights ago we did our first night snorkel and saw a plethora of new life. Ariana, Kristina, Jaden, and I started the night snorkel around 8 PM and didn’t end up getting out until after 10 PM. None of us had realized how long we were actually in the water and were surprised to find out we had been in the water for over two hours. When we first started the snorkel, we headed straight for the mangroves to try to get a view of the beach accessible from the boardwalk path. On the way to this point, we saw most of the usual stuff we see during the day including a couple of different types if urchins and sea cucumbers. One thing that we saw a lot of that we didn’t see during the day were these worms on the bottom. The worms were very active and even moved back if you got close. As we continued through the mangroves, we saw a Sea Hare which was a nice surprise, being that Brad had told us they hadn’t seen one all trip and they used to be everywhere.

Picture of a Sea Hare sitting on a rock in the mangroves.

During the day I haven’t seen many Caribbean Spiny Lobsters, except the ones caged in on one of my dives, but on this night snorkel there were lobsters in almost every nook and cranny we looked in. We even ended up seeing a giant one that had to be at least a foot long right as we ended the snorkel. There were also a lot of Yellow Stingrays swimming and sitting on the bottom allowing me to get really good close up shots.

Picture of the eye of a Yellow Stingray.

The highlight of the snorkel was catching a glimpse of a Spotted Eagle Ray that swam past. I was able to get on the side of the ray and get some of my best Eagle Ray shots. The night snorkel showed us new and old reef life in a unique way that was much quieter than the reef during the day.

Picture of a Spotted Eagle Ray.

-Julia

After almost a week here in Jamaica, we were finally able to escape the Discovery Bay Marine Lab compound and head into Ocho Rios. After about an hour bus ride and a trip up a waterfall, we made it into town. We had a lot of fun exploring the city, stopping for lunch, ice cream, and special souvenirs to bring home. Before we left, we made sure to stop at the local supermarket to pick up some snacks to bring back to the lab.

One of our classmates Camille (clementine) had the additional goal of securing a new suitcase for the journey home (there was a little incident with her initial luggage and the airline). Fortunately, as we were wrapping up our Ocho Rios visit, we discovered the beauty that is Piraña Joe. For those that don’t know, Piraña Joe is a Caribbean delicacy (it’s a Caribbean tourist shop chain). As if the store knew our exact needs, there happened to be one suitcase for sale at the back of the store. After some hefty negotiations, Camille had fulfilled her goal. The suitcase was secured.

Camille showing off her new suitcase to the streets of Ocho Rios.

Before we left, we all decided we HAD to get matching hats to remember our time with Piraña Joe.

The squad showing off our spiffy new hats.

It was an eventful day, but now it’s back to the lab to finish out the class, and our time in Jamaica.

Tim

Yesterday was a rather momentous moment for us – we completed our ID exams, and although we have some other tests and projects left, I did feel relieved to get the exam done, and felt quite better than I expected to be after the test. With some time off, I was able to join Emilie and Serena for a night-time snorkeling session. We got to see some freaky worm-like creatures that had claws fitted on their heads, a lesser electric eel, and even an octopus, one of which I saw when trying to fish out a camera case screw out of the sand.

The water was too turbid, but the octopus was definitely there!

Today, the professors took us to the Dunn’s River Falls and Park and to the city of Ocho Rios. I made the mistake of not bringing my dive boots to the Dunn’s River but did achieve climbing through a section of the falls referred to as the “firehose”. At Ocho Rios, I grouped up with Claire, Serena, and Emilie for some lunch and walking around the city before we returned to the lab.

Our group from left to right: Serena, Royce (me), Emilie, Claire

It was nice to take a trip outside the lab for some free time, and with halfway through the course, I’m nervous but still excited for the rest of it – hopefully, we’ll do as well as we have in the first half!

Heading back to DBML

-Royce

Today, my day began with the sun gently painting the sky at 7 am. A delicious breakfast fueled my excitement for the underwater adventure awaiting me. Joined by my scuba diving buddy, Ana, we submerged ourselves into the ocean’s embrace, reaching a depth of approximately 20 meters. The underwater realm unfolded before us, revealing a mesmerizing tapestry of life – vibrant corals, intricate sponges, and fish gracefully moving in their watery abode.

For 35 around minutes, we marveled at the ocean’s wonders before resurfacing at the Discovery Bay Marine Lab. The day’s exploration continued with lunch, followed by a deep dive into scientific names, expanding my understanding of the marine ecosystem.

I love this picture because I look very intimidating

Eager to experience more, I embarked on a snorkeling escapade to my beloved mangroves. There, I surrendered to the tranquility, watching anemones “dance” in the water and colorful fish play hide-and-seek amidst the roots. A sense of serenity enveloped me.

Sun anemones dancing in the water

I ventured closer to the reef. To my delight, I stumbled upon a majestic being – a Caribbean reef octopus. In a moment of pure connection, the intelligent creature lingered beside me. Swiftly, I captured a snapshot, preserving the memory before it gracefully vanished into the rocky sanctuary.

The most beautiful creature  [Editor note: I think this is one of the best pictures (octopus or otherwise) we’ve ever had in this class !]

What a splendid day of underwater exploration, filled with vibrant life, breathtaking scenery, and the joy of encountering nature’s intelligent marvels!

Natalia.

The stress is high here at the Discovery Bay Marine Lab, as our species identification exam is quickly approaching. Everyone has been studying very hard to get a good grade, but all of us are still scared. As ordered by the professors, though, we have all been trying to relax as much as possible to not let anxieties get too high. As I have been studying outside everyday with some classmates and the cats, the snorkel adventures have also continued. Yesterday, Dr. Peterson took the snorkelers over the reef crest before breakfast and it was literally like entering another universe. We got to see things we’ve never seen before and watching both the sunrise above water and the sights under water were unreal!

Colby Jack the cat, as named by some of us, supporting me in my species identification studies.

Snorkeling at sunrise past the reef crest and finding a West Indian Sea Egg

Ready for another great snorkel!

Later in the day, some of us took a walk on the boardwalk that went right along the water. This morning, Rose and I went on a morning snorkel, the last one before the exam, and we had the most amazing meal for lunch… spaghetti and meatballs of course! After taking the last lecture quiz, the class has been fitting in some last minute naps and studies before the test, in addition to laying out in the sun. We are all excited to finish up this exam and get ready to go to the waterfall and into town tomorrow!

Pierogi Paxton