Today we arrived in the Cayman Islands! After arriving at the Cobalt Coast Resort, we took some time to regroup, fill out some paperwork, and settle into our rooms. That last process didn’t take very long, as we were all anxious to get into the water! Today, we started with a small snorkeling expedition off the coast of the resort in pairs in order to get used to the island water. The water temperature was perfect- around 80 degrees at the surface. Immediately after entering the water, my partner Ricky and I were stunned at the amount of life just a few yards from the dock. Immediately in front of us were dozens of fan-shaped aquatic plants. They were quite large, and almost all were parallel to the shore so that the fan blade swayed back and forth with the tide. The constant, rhythmic motion was a bit hypnotizing. A bit further out, I noticed the first fish that I recognized from class: the foureye butterflyfish. I was able to identify it easily due its fairly large size (perhaps six inches long) as well as its very distinct black spot on its fin. As we traveled further, I also began to notice several clumps of brain coral, most of which were dead, but still provided areas for fish to hang around in. Around such coral, we noticed schools of blue-headed wrasse, mostly in their terminal phase, easily identified by their neon blue heads. Additionally, I saw a sea urchin, a queen angelfish, and what I thought was a blue tang, but it swam away quickly. I was stunned by all the biodiversity less than 100 yards from the shore, and I look forward to what I can see in the reefs!
