2013 Week 2

The day began with a hearty breakfast of cereal and granola bars, after which we loaded up the boat and headed out to Jesuit Reef for our day of coral planting. First we had to scout out some areas of coral to fragment and replant in our reef. We looked for bleached coral, preferably separated from the rest of...

Today I was rudely awakened by a rooster at 6:00 A.M.. After laying in bed awake listening to the same rooster crow for the next hour and a half, I got up and picked up my dive bag and walked down to the cattle guard to meet up with the group. After everyone was gathered we got on the...

Day 5 and 6 The rooster woke us up again at 7 to lead us to the same breakfast, then we boarded the boat to go to the Jesuit reef. Yes, we have our own reef, mom and dad. After a checkout dive where we saw a plethora of flora and fauna, we decided to replant healthy coral in numerous...

Yesterday morning we ate at the marina and then prepared our gear for the boat ride. We planned on a snorkel dive to identify potential coral for our Jesuit Coral Reef. After a ~30 minute snorkel, we put on our scuba gear and went out to gather the coral with our groups, however I was not feeling too well...

Today I slept in as long as I could because I was so exhausted. I hit my snooze button on my iPad at least 3 times. When I finally got up, I packed my bag and headed to the entrance where everyone else was waiting for the taxi. We got a ride and went to the marina for breakfast....

Day 5 I awoke to the crowing of roosters that seemed to be right outside my door. My roommates and I quickly gathered our fins and booties to scuttle out the door. We met at the marina for food by Casey. We gathered all of our things to get onto the boat. On the boat Sea Dragon, Casey briefed us...

So Saturday began like everyday, Chatty, the rooster that currently holds the title "Bane of My Existence," crowed at around 6:45, waking me up, and preventing me from getting those last 15 minutes of sleep, the only minutes that really count. To no avail, I lied down until the alarm rang at 7, trying my hardest to get those...

The Jesuit Coral Corral and Diving with Ghosts Day 4... This day began similarly to the last two, we had a tasty breakfast and got in the boats. Then we went to the "coral corral" where we continued the strategy of "over-planting" to build Jesuit's reef. Over-planting consists of collecting pieces of dying stag and elkhorn coral and then replanting them...

Day 4: Today, I got up with a good feeling that it was going to be a fantastic day on the ocean. I woke up, packed my diving gear, and got ready for the 7:45 meeting time at the cattle guard. We then went strait to the marina, where Casey had banana bread, bananas, bread with peanut butter and...