Day 2 began at 6 AM, an early yet restful morning. After a quick, filling breakfast, we were briefed on our dive site, and how to handle ourselves on the boat. Loading all our gear on the boats, we prepared to leave and went to our first dive site.
Upon arriving at the schoolhouse dive site, we were told the lay of the land and where we would be headed on our dive. We methodically put on our gear and waited in the water for our divemaster. After a few minutes we all descended, checked with our buddies if everything was good and followed our divemaster on the planned route. Me and Carlo swam near the back of the group and explored the coral at around 60 feet below the surface. The first fish I saw an abundance of were blue-headed Wrasse. The blue-headed Wrasse swam quickly around and stayed near the coral, it seemed they were very scared of us. I knew they were Wrasse due to their quick movements and bright yellow hue. I was also able to see the terminal wrasse, the bigger blue, white and green leader. The Wrasse were almost always in groups and made sure to stay close to the coral. Moving further along in my dive, I encountered a Lionfish. The Lionfish was hidden under a nook, and I was hardly able to see it. I noticed it through its very beautiful fins and brown and white coloring. The Lionfish not natural to this habitat, and is an invasive species across the world. The Lionfish reached the Caribbean Sea due to people dumping the fish out of their aquariums. The fish then spread to the Caymans due to the warm climate. They are enjoyable to look at, however they interfere with the ecosystem. Although I saw many other fish, these are the most noteworthy fish that I saw. I saw even more on our second diver later that morning.
Our second dive began after a 20 minute boat ride to the other side of the island near the 7 mile beach. After arriving we were briefed on our next location Rainbow Reef, known for the abundance of Rainbow Parrotfish found in that coral. Me, Carlo, and Aidan descended and followed the guide on our tour. On the tour we saw hundreds of fish and types of marine life. The most amazing however was the abundance of the Parrotfish, what the reef is known for, the brightly colored fish were very exciting to look at. I saw many different versions and colors due to the Parrotfish’s ability to change colors, similar to how a parrot can imitate our talking. Another fish I saw was the Angelfish, both the french and queen varieties. I believe these were Angelfish due to them traveling in both small groups and alone. I also recognized the unique coloring and back spine. The fish didn’t swim away from us which aligns with their curious nature. These two fish were my main focus during the second dive, however I saw many more fish. We ascended and returned to the resort, and after a filling lunch recovered from our long morning.
After the break we reconvened and after reading two articles on Stingray City we divided into teams to discuss whether the ecotourism is overall good and bad. I chose that the Stingray City is overall better, and so did 8 others. We met with our team and discussed our debate plans, outlining certain points to cover in the debate. We then went to dinner and afterwards had our debate. Our debate reviewed the points of both sides and we settled on a compromise. The Stingray City is crucial to the economy of the Caymans, however there should be more regulation over humans and more monitoring of the Stingray populations. In order to maintain the population and natural balance, we must remain proactive in ensuring the stability of the ecosystem. Day 2 was great day and the dives were eye opening; hopefully actually visiting Stingray City tomorrow will help provide evidence for our claims.
