2011

We had a great week with all of the guys from Jesuit.  I think this trip has served everyone involved, myself included, as a wonderful learning opportunity.  It has instilled in the students an appreciation, if not love, for the aquatic environments of our reefs and oceans.  I feel confident that this next generation of responsible, conservation-minded divers will...

Today marked the beginning of the long awaited marine biology summer course! I have been looking forward to this class because of the trip to the British Virgin Islands ( which I will refer to as BVI) and to use this sweet ipad.. I hope to gain a deeper understanding of the internal body systems different organisms hold. I also...

Today we began by talking about our reading about virus's role in the ocean. We then discussed the biological zonation of the ocean and learned about the different zones and layers, most of which are labled according the amount of light present. We also talked about the role of plankton in the ocean. Plankton can be harmful, for example,...

Today was the first day of marine biology actually at BVI and I've got only 3 words to say. PAR-A-DISE. Since we arrived so late last night, we could not see the island view, but when i crawled out of bed this morning, I saw a view that I've only seen in National Geographic and hollywood films. Before I...

Rise and shine, I was up and about at 6:30, or 5:30 Dallas time and met over at my good buddy Harrison's hut at around 6:50. We quietly made tea, and headed down the wifi lounge. After a chat and some light conversation with our teachers, we headed to meet the taxi so we could eat breakfast at the...

I want to learn about the coral reefs and how humans interact with them. I also want to learn about the organisms besides Humans that have an impact on the reefs. My favorite marine organism is the whale shark. I am excited to go diving in the British Virgin Islands because I have heard how beautiful it is. Alec Sims

Today in class we began by finishing up our dogfish shark lab. All that me and Kells had to do was remove the skin on the head of the shark and look at the brain. The cerebellum was about the size of a cashew. Following the clean-up of this lab we began the daily discussion over the two articles....

Our first two days on the island have been incredible. Although I would love to give the credit and thanks for this amazing time we are having to myself, the real credit goes to the Dive BVI staff, Casey, Sam, Andrew, and Jeff. They have done an incredible job in planning our activities and meals. The guys are really...

Today is our last class day and we spent most of it discussing our two articles. The first of which we discussed the importance of the fish that can walk on land, specifically its importance in the evolutionary chain. Which we decided it was not relevant or important because it is similar to saying humans evolved from monkeys. It...