To continue our research and further prove our hypothesis that parrot fish visit cleaning stations far less than other fish, my group conducted more observations at two different dive sights: George Dog Island and “The Chimney”. To cover different types of cleaner fish such as shrimp, we searched for about 15 minutes throughout the coral for a cleaning station run by shrimp. After some time, we found three different shrimp cleaning stations where different, larger fish would stop to get rid of unwanted or harmful organisms from their bodies. After observing each station for twenty minutes, we came to the same conclusion as yesterday: parrot fish visit cleaning stations far less than other fish such as blue headed wrasse lizard fish. We also came to another conclusion that shrimp cleaning stations are used less frequently than other cleaning stations run by cleaning gobies. After my cabin had eaten lunch and taken the beach during the Battle for the Beach, everyone went on a night snorkel. At night, underwater seems like a completely different world with different types of marine life such as octopi, squid, and turtles. When we first heard there was an octopus in the water, our lights were immediately locked on it. As we followed it through the water, we watched as it changed its color to blend in with the ocean floor so that it would be able to hunt more stealthily. Before the night dive, our instructors told us that before sea turtles sleep, they search for a safe place such as under a rock, and they fall into a state that doesn’t even require them to breath. This allows them to remain in one place as they sleep and not have to resurface for air every time they sleep. As our research trip continues, my excitement for sea turtle hunting increases. I think that to help tag and track turtles to see their migrations would be really interesting and might even help to preserve certain species of sea turtles.
