Today was sadly our last day of dives. But I think we saved some of the best for last. The first dive of the day was at Sand Hole reef, a dive site with both coral and sand located about 80ft down. One of the most notable animal at this dive was the Hawksbill Turtle. This turtle is currently listed as critically endangered and we were lucky enough to see one. It’s easily distinguished from others turtles by its sharp, curving beak which is also serrated for cutting its food. They typically grow about 3ft and 180lbs and spend the majority of their lives in lagoons and reefs. This one was solitary and a few other divers saw it chewing on sea sponge. Another fish prevalent in this site was the yellow fin damselfish. This fish, reaching about 3in, is blue with a distinctive yellow tail; they also have a spiked dorsal fin. Each male has his own territory of coral in which females swim between until finding a suitable mate. The next site was known as Sea Pointe Reef, named after the Sea Pointe Resort located on the coast right next to it. This site was teeming with fish, you couldn’t look in any direction without spotting some wildlife. One of the most notable being a yellow stingray. Much smaller than the Southern Atlantic Ray, these fish are camouflaged to blend into sandy areas with coral. To hunt, it lifts the front of its body to form a cave for organisms seeking shelter. When fish or crustaceans enter the trap, the stingray closes down and sucks in its prey. Another amazing fish we saw was the pufferfish, known locally as the balloon fish. This particular fish found a perfect spot to camouflage its cream and brown body. One pufferfish has enough toxin to kill 33 adult humans. Yet the pufferfish made no moves against us, it didn’t even puff up. Throughout the week we got to observe how docile these creatures actually are. We even saw a barracuda make no attempts against a school of fish passing by. I believe that these fish have created the perfect ecosystem of giving and taking just enough for all to succeed.
This week has been an eye-opener, full of experiences that I’ll never be able to forget. From diving to the Turtle Rehabilitation Center to Stingray City, I was left speechless seeing such beautiful nature and animals. Stingrays, one of the least popular animals in the world, came up to me to be pet and look at me. I’m leaving this place with new friends, new experiences, and new perspectives. Thank you to the dive masters Bernie, Curtis, Lucy, and Chris for making this week awesome and smooth. Thank you to Dr. Gruninger, Ms. Matthews, Mr. Marr, and Dr. Kirby for making all this possible and taking the time to come out here for our education. And lastly, thank you to my family for funding this trip, checking in to see how things were going, and being so supportive. I crossed off items on my bucket list I didn’t know were on my bucket list in the first place.
