Location: Savanna Bay, Virgin Gorda
Blog day 3
Today was the start of the marine biology work for the dolphin group and the water sports for the Neptune group. The morning was pretty rough for me on top of the boat because of the wind. First thing in the morning, we ate breakfast, Perry and Kyler gave the dolphin group a talk about reefs and marine biology, and we all got our study materials. After that, we set sail to reach the next scuba spot. Everyone on the boat found a place to nap and slept through the trip. I woke up and couldn’t move my right leg because I slept with it at a weird angle, but that cleared up in time to scuba dive in a spot called “blue chromis”. Every group was given a slate to write on underwater, an identification sheet, and tasked with finding five vertebrates, three invertebrates, and two plants. The first thing I noticed once I was in the water was how many little colorful fish and soft corals there were. Different buddy groups, such as Zoe, Addy, and Kennedy, or Breckyn, Ellis, and Maddie, swam off to other parts of the reef. I saw some species such as ocean triggerfish, blue tang, and brain coral. There was apparently also a large barracuda, similar to the last dive site, according to Sloan, Ellory, and Maya. I was in a buddy group with Dillon and Arthur, and while we were taking our 3-minute safety stop, Arthur’s snorkel piece broke off without him noticing, but he caught it before it sank. During the safety stop, I saw all the many people floating around me and thought it looked really cool, and that made me appreciate how lucky I am to be here, and how this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Once we got out of the water, we ate a much-needed lunch of PB and jelly sandwiches, where we argued about if chunky or smooth peanut butter is better, and then the dolphin team had an in-depth Perry and Kyler talk about marine biology, talking about oxygen, co2, and light levels in the water and how they affect ecosystems, as well as how algal blooms happen and what ocean acidification is, and then we filled some workbooks out. I was given the rubber chicken of shame for leaving my PFD off the lifelines. After that, we had another slumber party, and then we all got to leap into the ocean to take a shower. The water was amazing, and I hope the weather stays this perfect. I even got to see some cool reef fish from up to the surface. We then had Alfredo pasta for dinner, which was delicious! Today was a great day, and I am excited to learn more about our planet in the future