Today began with a gift of an extra hour of sleep. We were allowed to sleep into 7 oclock, before waking up for a quick breakfast. After breakfast, we were back on the boat for two more morning dives, the deepest dives up to date. Our first dive took place at a reef site surrounded by large walls of coral. We descended about 100 ft, calmly drifting and exploring the reef. At the very bottom, our divemaster, Bernie, pointed out a variety of creatures including groupers, tarpon, and different types of parrotfish. An interesting fact we were told is that the deeper we travel down into the water, the less vibrant the coral appears to our human eyes. That is why as we traveled deeper, the normally red and yellow coral appeared more green and brown. Our second dive, took place at a slightly shallower depth of 65 ft. There, we journeyed through large arches and valleys of rocks and coral. Along the way, we discovered many unique creatures including a large spiny lobster hidden in a deep cavern. My buddy and I spent a little extra time exploring the depths near the boat. After our second dive, we headed back into shore to eat lunch. Our plan of visiting stingray city was sadly postponed due to unexpected winds, so we had a free afternoon to rest and just hangout. During this time, me and a few friends decided to explore the reefs around the hotel and snorkel farther out. Clark, Alex, Ben, and I travelled far out into the reef and explored the different crevices and rocks beneath the surface. On my way out into the deeper sections, Alex tapped my shoulder and pointed out something sparkling in the water. After taking a closer look, I discovered that this sparkling blob was in fact a Carribean Reef Squid gliding gracefully through the water. This startling discovery captivated me and I still can’t get the glimmering colors of the squid out of my mind. Eventually, we grew tired after about an hour and a half of snorkeling and headed back in to the hotel. To end the night, we ate dinner and watched a documentary on one of the most inspiring oceanographers in history, Dr. Sylvia Earl. In her documentary, “Mission Blue”, she explores how over fishing and oil rigging has negatively impacted the ocean environments. I truly have never understood how serious of a problem overfishing is in the environment until I watched this film. Just like our previous studies in class, the film emphasized how overfishing and oil rigging can singlehandedly destroy entire ecosystems by affecting individual creatures. I have been inspired by Dr. Sylvia Earl to truly make an effort in changing our environment for the better. Tomorrow, we are set to attend a sea turtle conservation center which I am very excited to visit.
Sam Levis
