2014 Week 1

I am taking Marine Biology 2 because I like diving, and the ocean is an awesome place. I mean, I think so. I also really enjoyed the course last year, so moving to the second level just makes sense. I can't wait to go visit the BVI again, and hopefully see tons of interesting and new...

Today made yesterday look like a dip I the kiddy pool. We dove 40 feet yesterday, child's play, today we rocked the chimney and dove to 60 feet at Paul's grotto. The chimney was awe-inspiring, literally, the fact the Jacque Cousteau, my idol, dove there and it was his second favorite site in the region was so cool and...

Today was about the preparation and actual action of transplanting coral in a new reef. We began by eating breakfast in our usual location in the marina. We then left to travel to Long Bay, where the old artificial reef was destroyed. We traveled about the area to find partially diseased pieces of staghorn coral. ...

I took this course because I took Marine Biology 1 last year and I wanted to continue to study the course materials and see the improvement of the coral that our group transplanted last year. I also am fascinated by the ocean and love to study the fish and microscopic organisms that make it up.

Today we went on our last dives of the trip at Baraka Point to plant coral by the underwater camera that marine II set up. We used staghorn coral for the transplant because of its natural fragmenting capability and sturdiness. While marine I gathered good staghorn candidates, II prepared the spot for planting. Afterwards, we worked together to place...

Today was the second day of the trip to the British Virgin Islands. It centered around diving and snorkeling. We began by driving the marina at Dive BVI, where we ate breakfast. We then loaded the boat with two tanks of air and left to dive. The first site we visited was the Chimney, a...

I woke up at the routine 6:30, prepared for the day, and met everyone at the cattle guard at 7:50. We were taken to the restaurant inside the marina for breakfast. Here, I enjoyed some over-medium eggs, bacon, and toast. Following breakfast, Marine 1 & 2 went into the Dive BVI shop to learn about sea turtles from Dr....

Alarm goes off at 7:00am this morning. Not a cell phone alarm or a call from a chaperone, but nature's alarm– a crowing rooster. Still recovering from jet lag from the previous day's travels, my two roommates and I stumbled around the house to, somehow, eventually find ourselves outside and ready for a day of diving. But before getting...

Well, it's finally here. This was the last day of our BVI trip and we finished strong. The reason being that we all went to a small beach and helped clean it up. Once we got up and had donuts about the size of my head, we made our way to the beach. The types of trash we found...