Today (Saturday) is the 10^th day we have been at Discovery Bay! Pretty hard to believe, time has gone by so quick. Today was relaxed, the goal was mostly to do as many transects as possible for Dr. Warren’s assignment. The assignment essentially involves creating a 15m by 2m rectangle and counting up all the sea urchins and fish, along with the ground cover in the middle of that rectangle. Once we have a variety of these 15x2m transects done in various sites around Discovery Bay, we will perform a statistical analysis to look at what our results mean. These transects can end up being tiring, since as snorkelers, my partner, Kiwi Kiyanni, and I have to swim up and down recording what ground cover is present under our ruler. Today, Kiyanni and I managed to get three transects done in the nearshore grass beds! Each one takes us around 45 min, so this was a big accomplishment by our standards. We also saw a bunch of cool creatures, including a spotted eagle ray (one of my bucket list items!).

Kiwi Kiyanni and I’s data sheet for transects written on waterproof paper!

-Lime Liana

Me (Strawberry Sammi) in my natural habitat with my bestie, Strombus gigas (Queen Conch)

Today, I want to share something close to my heart: diving. Over the past two years, it has become more than just a hobby. It is a true passion. I have earned several SCUBA certifications, including Open Water, Nitrox, Adventure Diver, Advanced Open Water, Emergency Oxygen Provider/First Responder, Rescue Diver, Scientific Diver, and DAN’s First Aid for Professional Divers. My journey began with an Intro to SCUBA Diving course at Stony Brook University, and I haven’t looked back since.

Initially, I dreamed of becoming an aquatic vet, but experiencing the magic of the underwater world completely changed my perspective. It inspired me to switch my major to Coastal Environmental Studies, aligning my academic path with my newfound love for the ocean. Fast forward to today, and here I am… IN JAMAICA!!! This opportunity is something I will cherish forever. It is a reminder of how life’s unexpected turns can lead to incredible places.

Candy Heart Caitlin spreading the love

Candy Heart Caitlin has been my dive buddy for this entire trip, and what an amazing buddy she is. We first met during Brad’s Scientific Diving course last fall, and we have only grown closer since then. As divers, we always dive in pairs for safety, which means you and your buddy need to trust each other with your lives.

Being a good buddy involves good communication, staying close, offering physical and mental support, and planning and following through on dives together. These practices, along with others, make diving safe and enjoyable rather than stressful or dangerous. So, thank you, Candy Heart, for holding my life in your hands with such care, just as I do yours.

Brad doing science with a smile

This is one of our professors, Brad (scientific name: Professorius bradstachius). In this photo, he and his mustache are working hard [Ed note:  From the photo it appears that Brad is posing for photos and Joe (in background) is the one actually working hard….] and serving a purpose. Specifically, he’s collecting tiles for a research project that he and Joe collaborate on [with Dr. Amber Stubler, a professor at Occidental College who got her Ph.D. at SoMAS as a graduate student in Brad’s lab].

The process involves placing tiles in an environment where they want to collect data. After a year, once the tiles have had time to accumulate algae [and other organisms that recruit onto the tiles], they return to collect them and study the organic growth. By observing the tiles, they can analyze the area’s environmental conditions and growth patterns. It’s incredibly important work, and they are both exceptionally skilled at it 🙂

Joe the Exterminator

This is a photo of our other professor, Joe (scientific name: Professorius joekillahfishius). Here, he’s hunting lionfish (Pterois volitans), an invasive species that continues to spread at an alarming rate. Lionfish pose a serious threat to native coral reef ecosystems in the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean, so efforts like this are essential for conservation.

On this particular day, Joe successfully caught four lionfish [Ed note: I also missed a 5th one…]. Back on shore, he taught us how to carefully remove their venomous spines, descale them, and examine their stomach contents to see what they had eaten. To top it off, we had the chance to try the lionfish for lunch (and yes, it was delish). This hands-on lesson was incredibly engaging, and it was fascinating to witness the full journey of the fish—from the sea to my stomach.

– Strawberry Sammi <3

Today, we adventured away from Discovery Bay and made our way to Ocho Rios! We first made a stop at the famous Dunn’s River Falls! To my surprise and others, it was not what we expected and exceeded our expectations! We went down windy stairs and a path to the start of the falls at the ocean. We climbed several mini waterfalls, wad through lagoons, and crawled through a tunnel to emerge to the tremendous main waterfall. It was so much fun and a rush to strategically plan your next move and step while also trying not to wipe out or slip from the algae and the fire hydrant water hitting you. Jordyn, Kiyanni, and I had so much fun that we decided to try to climb the waterfall again after we had done it all together as a class. We even tried to time ourselves while being cautious to see how fast we could do it! We were very proud of ourselves for doing it in 20 minutes while having time to stop and take photos.

Room 6 roommates in the waterfall.

Splashing a smile.

After our adventure at the falls, we made our way to Ocho Rios, where we had time to venture into the town and get lunch. We put our ‘fins to the left and fins to the right’ at Margaritaville for a bit to eat. Then, we explored the supper market and got some local snacks and food. After that, we quickly ventured to the straw market and got some souvenirs.

Fins up in Margaritaville

Overall successful day in Ocho Rios!
-Tegan

Welcome back to adventures with Gaby. Since my last post so much has happened as life in Jamaica is never boring and always full of something to do. Yesterday we had our first field trip which took us to a marvelous place known as Dunn’s River Falls. As the professors led us down the wooden staircase to the bottom of the falls, we all took a moment to admire the long-standing palm trees and interweaving bright green vines that surrounded us. As we reached the bottom a gorgeous white sandy beach with turquoise water awaited us. However, we didn’t have long to admire the view before we were sent on our way to make the trek up to the top.

A view from the bottom of one of the several waterfalls we climbed in order to make our way up to the top.

The climb ended up being well worth it as we made our way through several gorgeous waterfalls. It was so fun that when given the chance many decided to go back down to redo the climb in an attempt to beat their original time for this trek. Once we were back at the marine lab center several of us still had some left-over adrenaline from the excitement of the day and so we decided to go on another night snorkel. This was our first group snorkel without the professors, and we saw so many incredible creatures of the night.

The yellow stingray(Urolophus jamaicensis) gracefully swimming through the night.

My favorite being the yellow stingray of which we saw several. They are incredibly fun to watch as they elegantly cut through the water with their pectoral fins rippling along with their motions. All in all another incredible day in Jamaica.

• Guava Gaby

As we conclude our first week in Jamaica, it feels both way too fast as the individual days go by, but also feels like we’ve been here for forever thinking back to the very first day. We have done so much so far, daily snorkeling or scuba diving, climbing a waterfall, exploring Ocho Rios, finishing our exam and so much more. The marine life we have observed so far is an extensive list full of extraordinary fish, critters, plants, algae and everything else. However, it is also important to note the captivating life on the land of Jamaica. With near access to a boardwalk, we have the ability to view a ton of terrestrial animals and plants. Some of the ones I’d like to specifically mention are the:

Female golden orb-weaver (Trichonephila clavipes), a fairly large spider with striped legs.

Tetrio sphinx (Pseudosphinx tetrio), a caterpillar with a black body with yellow rings, and a reddish head.

A stick insect (Phasmatodea), looking just like a stick.

Jamaican turquoise anole (Anolis grahami), a small lizard with the ability to camouflage. Bright blue on the upper half of its tail and yellowish on the second half.

Life in Jamaica is truly special, with over 3000 plant species, of which ¼ are found nowhere else on Earth. Jamaica is also known to have a very high number of endemic species. Unfortunately with our limited time here in Jamaica and its enormous biodiversity, it’s hard to explore in depth both the marine and terrestrial habitats, but we definitely have gotten good exposure to life on land in Jamaica so far.

Dante

Hi friends and family! I’m writing to you today as a changed woman. I have officially eaten a venomous animal, something I never thought I would say. While a bunch of us were on an early morning snorkel, the epic spear fisherman Professor Warren went diving and killed four invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans). After dissecting them to see their stomach contents (two fish and a shrimp!) and washing off the scales, someone brought the fish to the kitchen to be prepared for lunch.

Here’s me holding one of the lionfish before we cut off its venomous spines.

When we came in for lunch, I had almost forgot about the four little fish, but their fillets got passed around the lunch tables so everyone could have a little piece. When the fish finally got to me, I managed to pull a couple bites of meat off the many tiny bones. It was white and tender, with crispy grilled skin, but from the smell I thought the taste would be very fishy. However, I was pleasantly surprised by its mild but delicious taste, which blew my expectations out of the water. Suffice to say, I will be eating lionfish if it is ever offered to me again, which will hopefully be before the end of this trip, since who knows when I will have an opportunity to eat such an exotic fish again. This is Lemonade Lauren signing off!

Thursday, January 9^th started off with a much-anticipated snorkel and diving adventure to an underwater spot known for its sea turtles and spotted eagle rays. Although my first experience with snorkeling outside of Discovery Bay ended in an unfortunate bout of nausea, I was hopeful that my second experience would be better. After a beautiful sunrise boat ride skipping along the coast, we reached our destination. Fast forward 10-15 minutes and I was… back in the boat… seasick…

The sunrise over the island of Jamaica, as seen from the boat bright and early at 7:15am!

As it turns out, snorkeling oceanside is not for me. After some time on dry land, some lunch (yum, lionfish!) and a little prep time, I was back out in Discovery Bay to work on my transect assignment with Gaby. After nauseously bobbing around in deeper water, snorkeling through the warm, shallow bay felt like home. There’s also no more comforting sight than coming across the most beautiful invertebrate the Caribbean has to offer: the West Indian Sea Egg. The perfect balance between a hedgehog and a pet rock (or a tribble, for all 3 Star Trek fans reading this), Tripneustes ventricosus has captured my heart and has topped the list for my all-time favorite reef creature. The way they cover themselves in bits of seagrass and other materials to conceal themselves is not only smart, but adorable. I never thought that I could get so attached to a sea urchin, but Tripneustes has defied all my expectations. I can’t help but pick them up in the bay when I see them, if only to hold them for a little while…

A big, beautiful Tripneustes that I found while snorkeling in the bay. He held onto my hand so tightly with his little tube feet! So heartwarming. Other marine animals are cool and all, but Tripneustes will forever hold a special place in my heart.

• Egg Bagel Emma

Since my last post, we have experienced so many new and wonderful things that it was hard to choose just one to write about. So, I decided to write a follow-up to the first post since we were finally able to go night snorkeling! As soon as you look into the water at night, you see so many creatures that never come out in the day, but snorkeling in it is like stepping into a whole other world. So many types of sea cucumbers were scattered across the ocean floor, such as the beaded sea cucumber (Evapta lappa), each more unique than the last. That was only the tip of the iceberg, as Guava Gaby and I soon discovered when we ventured over to the rocks lining the bottom of the jetty. We shone our light into the crevasses to uncover what was hidden there, not expecting to see dozens of crustaceans tucked in the cracks!

In this photo, you can see one of many of the Caribbean Spiny Lobsters, Panulirus argus, staring at us from its hiding spot.

But the night swim was not over yet, as we decided to head over to the reef crest, an area that neither of us had explored very much prior. On the way, we saw multiple creatures, including porcupine fish (Diodon holocanthus) and berried anemones (Alicia mirabilis). Suddenly, as I pointed the dive light toward the sand, we saw a vividly blue Caribbean Reef Octopus (Octopus vulgaris)! It was barely three feet below us and began to change colors (process–crypsis) as it snaked through the grass and coral. We spent several minutes following it while recording its fluid motions, but eventually thought we should head back to shore.

As the octopus moved across the sand, it stretched its tentacles over a rock and began to change to a similar color.

As we laboriously swam back to the dock, exhausted from the long day, I decided to sweep the perimeter with my light to see if anything was approaching. That’s when I saw the shadow of a turtle not very far to our left. I yelled (or more likely screamed) into my snorkel to get Gaby’s attention, and we swam as fast as we could to catch up to it. As it came into view of the cameras we had at the ready, we recognized it as a large Green Sea turtle! We were able to catch a few wonderful seconds of video before the turtle made a sharp turn and sped away into the darkness.

On the turtle’s shell, you can observe that it has three scutes along the back and lacks a dorsal ridge, which helped us identify it as Chelonia mydas.

All in all, this night snorkel checked off quite a few animals that are on my marine bucket list!

–Avocado Ariana

Tomato Tegan captured us snorkeling from below at Rio Bueno today

Today the snorkelers had our second experience on the boats going out to a dive site. I have come to the conclusion the best type of boat ride are the fast ones with water spraying occasionally in your face and the little jumps like you’re on a roller coaster. Today was not that kind of boat ride, the snorkelers were on Captain Snow’s boat and we had a larger vessel today that was slightly slower than the smaller boats. We visited Rio Bueno today with a large wall of coral. Swimming out and seeing the wall of coral, with the schools of fish swimming up from the depths and the near abyss of the rest of the ocean was incredibly surreal. I love spending time in the water and being aware of just how vast the ocean is. On our snorkel this morning I saw a large puffer fish and a couple of lionfish.

Cutting off the spines of the lionfish during the dissection

After we returned from the dive and snorkel trip we had breakfast and got to work filleting four lionfish that Dr. Warren speared on his dive [Ed note: lionfish are an invasive species in the Caribbean so the government encourages tourists and locals to harvest these fish.]. I have never participated in the filleting of a fish before and enjoyed the experience. One of the lionfish had two intact fish in its stomach and another lionfish had an intact shrimp in its stomach. Here’s to another day of snorkeling and opening a fish’s stomach.

Lionfish with its last meal  [Ed note: these may be the two most pristine extracted-from-the-lionfish-stomach fish we’ve ever seen in this class.]

Hamburger Hannah

After waking up early and snorkeling at Dairy Bull it was still a beautiful day out with the sun still shining bright. I had decided to get some more studying in with my friends Tomato Tegan and Kiwi Kiyanni for the upcoming photo identification exam and lab practical exam. We studied outside on the grass, while also working on our tans. As the day went on it was time for dinner, and we had been overhearing some rumors about a potential night snorkel after. Once everyone was finished with their meal our professors Baklava Brad and Java Joe told us that we would be embarking on our first night snorkel. I was very excited and got dressed and ready to go! The water was very calm, and the visibility was very clear. After submerging into the water with my roommates Hamburger Hannah, Lime Liana, Tomato Tegan, and Kiwi Keyanni we embarked on our journey.

Swimming towards the reef crest the water was calm with all the marine life still awake below us. As we swam further out, we stopped and looked up at the sky to see how bright the moon was shining with all the stars above us. Coming closer to the reef crest we saw a lot of Balloon Fish (Diodon holocanthus) and even a Caribbean Spiny Lobster (Panulirus argus). After swimming around for a while we headed back to the dock and headed back to the dorms to get a good night’s rest.

Group Snorkel at Dairy Bull, Pictured: Guava Gabby, Jello Jordyn, Kiwi Keyanni, Lime Liana, Coca-Cola Crystal, Hamburger Hannah, and Kit-Kat Kylie

Balloon fish near the seafloor

Spiny Lobster embedded in turtle grass

All photos taken by Tomato Tegan

Jello Jordyn