2018

After breakfast, we went back to the NELHA visitor center. The guide allowed us to go underground to the “cooling chamber.” The building is cooled by a complex system involving low pressure hot air and low pressure cold air. Next, we went to an aquaculture farm, where we were told about fish breeding and raising. Aquaculture is the raising...

Tuesday 24, 2018 Our group visited the NELHA ocean conservation center to begin our first day of exploration in Kona, Hawaii. Candee, our guide and educator in ocean technology and conservation efforts, presented a type of marine based energy called OTEC, or Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion. OTEC at its base uses the difference in temperatures in the water to heat...

Today, after flying for about 9 hours we finally arrived in Kona. We hopped into the two vans and I was eccentric to see our homes for the week. Upon arriving to our homes I found it even more beautiful than I expected. After eating a hearty dinner and some cake to top it off, we were informed of...

We started off today with a two tank dive. I saw many of the reef fish we talked about in class: raccoon fish, saddle wrasse, moorish idols, and parrot fish. I also saw three octopi and a green sea turtle. I identified the green turtle from the shell. We also a saw a frog fish on a rock and...

I eagerly awoke at 8am to be the first one in the shower and luckily I was successful. After the battle for the shower and grab and go style breakfast, we once again loaded up into the vans as we had so many times before and headed to the Sandcastle Service Project. Once we arrived at the beach with...

In the morning we were given the chance to visit the Ocean Conservation Center in order to learn more about ocean based power. We learned about Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) and saw what one of the power conversion plants looks like. Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion is a renewable energy conversion source which uses both warm and cold saltwater...

Three points for today: Where to begin? I guess I should start by releasing my inner 5 year old and saw "WE SAW A SHARK!!". That was absolutely amazing, while diving our first dive, we went into a small little cubbyhole in the rocks and sitting there was a white tip reef shark, a member of the cartilaginous species. Secondly,...

Today we woke up at 6:30 am to dive in Hawaii! Both dives lasted for around 40 minutes each. My first dive was super cool. I saw a lot of the fish we studied in class. I saw plenty on yellow tangs and I even saw a convict tang. On my second dive we saw two eels and an...

I am very excited for the manta ray dive and harp seal rescue efforts. I love interacting with and observing animals, especially sea life.