6 Foot Surges

Our second day of diving was very different from our first day. On the way out to Looe Key, everyone was fine and excited about the big waves. During the third dive we had to do an emergency ascent, compass navigation, remove and replace weights. During the dive, we saw a bunch of cool fish and reef and one boat saw a nurse shark today. It was so wavy during the dive that even at the bottom of the ocean the fish and reefs were swaying with the waves. During the surface interval people got really sick. But once everyone got back into the water, we were fine. During this dive, one group saw the yellow-headed jaw fish, which out instructor told us was really rare to sea. The time we got back to shore, most people had gotten over their seasickness. When we got back, everyone became a certified scuba diver! We did some paperwork and got our temporary cards. Then we had sandwiches by the boats because we had to get to Sea Camp. Once we got to Sea Camp, our leaders told us that they wanted to go snorkeling and not many people were excited about going but our leaders talked us into it. Before we got on the boats we talked about near-shore ecology and what are the benefits and negatives about it. We also talked about mangroves and how they benefit the ocean. After talking we got into the boats but we stayed in the bay so the waves wouldn’t be so bad. We got really close to a group of mangroves so that we would be able to see what lives around mangroves. We parked the boat in about three feet of water. Most of the group inflated their life jackets so that they wouldn’t touch the bottom of the ocean. One of the groups found a conch and the other group found a few starfish. It was hard to see a lot because the ground was murky, especially compared to the water at Looe Key. After everyone finished exploring the mangroves, the boats went out a little farther to an island called Bird Island. The island is made up of mangroves where a bunch of different birds lived. We saw some pelicans, osprey, and some other birds. The mangroves make a good home for birds because it provides a lot of protection and is right by the water so it would be easy for birds to catch fish. Then we went back to Sea Camp and returned all of masks, snorkels and fins. We made tacos for dinner and our Sea Camp leaders, Anna and Angelie came over for dinner. Later that night we went back to Sea Camp for our last lab of the week. In this lab we talked about the different types of algae. Then we played a game where we divided the group into two teams. A member from each team would go up to the board and would have to feel a type of algae without looking at it. Then they would draw what they thought the coral looked like and made up a name for it. The teachers were the judges of whose pictures and names were better. Then got into groups of three and each group got a tray of green algae. We dug through the algae and tried to find as many animals as we could and identify what phylum each animal was in. Most groups found starfish, crabs, shrimp, and worms. Then we went through another type of algae where we found a lot of similar animals but we also found a lot of sponges in these algae.
Christina Laan