Today started early with a two-tank dive at Mountain Point after we had breakfast. The first dive was our final fun dive of our trip to the BVI. We familiarized ourselves with our surroundings because, after a short surface interval, we would be following up with our fish identification dive. This dive consisted of many steps that we were to accomplish in groups of two. I laid out the transect line (essentially a measuring tape) with Mr. Kirby as part of the first step. It had markers letting the divers that came after us to pause and record the number of fish, invertebrates, and the algae percentage within two points on the line.
I spotted many animals during our dive. They included a couple of squid, a blenny (a fish that crawls due to an absence of a swim bladder to keep it afloat), a few sea walnuts (jellyfish that possess lights and no stinging tentacles), a king mackerel, some barracuda, an ocean flatworm, and several species of fish. There were several moon jellyfish that day and we even found one housing three juvenile filefish. They rely on the jellyfish for shelter from predators, a source of transportation, and possibly a source of food (feeding off the jelly’s scraps). When one of our staff members attempted to lift the jellyfish towards the surface for us to see the filefish, one of them was accidently pushed out of its source of protection. It took awhile, but we were eventually able to successfully return the seperated juvenile back to the same jellyfish it was in prior to the accident. I also got a little sting from a moon jelly but it took me more by surprise than by pain. Despite this, our final dives were quite enjoyable especially because our surveys would contribute to the conservation of the reefs in the BVI.
We then were given our final: questions regarding our overall understanding of the course. My partner and I answered questions about algae and its effects on the reef. After everyone presented their answers to the questions they were given, we all took a break at the Wi-Fi lounge until din er at Mad Dog’s (lasagna night). Tomorrow will be our community service project and a little bit of snorkeling!
Thanks to eveyone who made this trip possible! It has been a wonderful experience!
