A Summary of Mike's 3-day Yap

 Monday

Day one!! We gathered for the first time as a class in Rieke where we looked at photos from past trips (stirring up excitement and some nerves), talked about logistics, and went over some basic information regarding marine environments and the basics of ecology. We answered questions like how the ocean is different from terrestrial environments (plot twist: it’s more than just one has water!), what are coral reefs (different than coral reef communities!), and how abiotic factors affect marine communities. The class was also convinced to take the exam before leaving so study plans were made and procrastinators began to panic. After the lecture, we got a few hours of break, then headed to the pool for snorkeling practice. We all tried on our gear, practiced swimming with our snorkels and fins, and diving down to the bottom of the pool.



Class snorkeling practice in the pool!

Tuesday

Mike began the day by spending nearly a full hour showing us pictures from previous years and telling us all the things we should not touch while snorkeling. This unlocked new fears in almost all listeners. He then went on to discuss coral reef ecology, including organism interactions, followed by coral reef fish diversity and trophic strategies. After class, people dispersed to study, pack, and unfortunate individuals whose gear did not make the cut at the swim test yesterday (like Abby) went to find replacements at nearby dive shops.


Though fire coral looks fuzzy, it actually has tiny glass spines that will break off in your skin if touched. 

Wednesday 

We were all very excited to start our 3rd and final day of long lectures. Thankfully, Mike promised to move through the material quickly and hopefully finish by lunch time (though he did take a few breaks to show more pictures and a video). We discussed two different types of habitats that we will see in the Bahamas: seagrass communities and mangrove tree communities. We learned how seagrass is present in nearly every climate around the world, and it has many benefits to the environment and the wildlife that live in it. We then discussed the 3 types of mangroves trees, though we will only see 2 types while in the Bahamas. Similar to seagrass, these are important habitats to a variety of species, however, mangroves can provide habitats to both terrestrial and marine organisms.



Mike taking a class selfie (after ~10 attempts) with his "telescopic arm" after finishing our final day of lecture

Tomorrow is our last day off before we leave, so lots of packing, studying, and last minute shopping will occur. Everyone is super excited to begin the trip on Friday! – But nervous for the exam Friday morning :( More updates to follow soon!


Over and Out,

Cooper and Abby

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Here we go again! San Salvador on my mind and in my heart.

Image
As I look outside at another rainy day in the PNW, my heart is warmed by memories of warm sun and winds on my face in the Caribbean. As the calendar gets closer to the new year, it means we are headed back to San Salvador. For me it is filled with past memories of the place and the students I get to share it with. This year will be a whole new batch who will learn about tropical marine habitats and themselves. Sunburns will be soothed, laughs will be uncontrolled and new friendships will be made. I can't wait to introduce Abby, Angie, Cooper, Francine, Kailee, Kennedy, Logan, Madi, Morgan, Paola, Shannon, Sophia, Toby, and Zoe to the place and the people that feel like a home away from home. Please follow us along our adventures  
Read more

Into the Deep End

Image
Today started out earlier than most because we were going on the Club Med snorkeling boat again!! This was our last day of structured snorkeling so we were going to make the most of it. Waking up bright and early so we could get to the truck at 7:15am, groggy eyes soon were filled with excitement as we drove to the Club Med boat. As we stepped on the boat we were greeted by our friend David which you may remember from our first Club Med boat excursion. A quick boat ride brought us out to our first destination, A SHIPWRECK! This old ship wrecked in the early 1900s and still has some large parts that make good structure for fish and corals. After about 20 minutes we got back in the boat and headed to our second snorkeling spot called “the wall”. This spot was at the edge of the reef when the water depth dropped from 40 feet to 200+ feet. There was also an opportunity for a group photo opp, As well as, a monument dedicated to the landing of Columbus in the new world (San Salvador was his ...
Read more