The rooster. The day started with the natural morning alarm and all the exhaustion from diving and activities hit me. I was tired and drowsy, but I still threw a pillow at my heavy sleeper roommate and got some breakfast. Today’s agenda had two more dives for us.
The first dive was on the wall. This time, after a stern talk to the group from Mr. Von and Captain Lee, everyone stayed within their depths and in range of their buddy. Doing another wall dive was not as awe inspiring as the first, but this time I was able to notice smaller details that I did not see at first. More specifically, the color of some of the different corals. During the first and second dive, I became fascinated with some of the coral and its “neon” glow. After taking a closer look, I examined the intricate design of the coral structure. This got me thinking about the coral on a molecular scale and what gave it this glow. After some research, the answer to why they have this cool color was interesting. The body of each individual coral is clear, but there are pigment cells made from zooxanthellae algae stored in the coral’s tissue. This innate mixture of cells is what provides certain corals with a spectacular light show. During my research, I came across an article that discusses certain behavior of coral before it dies. This behavior was uncovered as scientist were researching minimally invasive techniques to monitor coral health. They found that the condition of the coral can be based on its glow. Most corals have a type of algae that helps obtain nutrients, also giving the coral its brownish color. This phenomena that occurs under environmental stress, such as rising temperatures, is a loss of fluorescent color as the algae that gives it the brown color detaches from the coral, leaving only the clear body, then, an intense glow, followed by its death. After death, the glow completely stops. In short, seeing a bright piece of coral could mean that certain environmental factors are putting tension on the coral and it is about to see its end. My underwater light show may have been signs of distress by a dying marine organism.
Following the dives was tacos for lunch and a game of volleyball in the resort pool. After a relaxing afternoon with no scheduled activities and about and hour of playing “guess the song”, we sat down for a nice tortellini shrimp dinner. The horizon also did not fail to impress the gang as it painted a fabulous canvas in the sky. Super excited for tomorrow and the beach cleanup we plan to partake in!
