Oh my. I am in heaven.
Little Cayman is approximately BEAUTIFUL EVERY DAY. We have class from 7 am to 9 pm every day besides meal times, which can sometimes be overwhelming. However, half of our class time is underwater! We have scuba dove at four different locations around the island (Ann's Attic, ICON Reef, Cumbers Caves, and Paul's Anchor) and snorkeled at Point of Sand and Grape Tree Bay. Every time I'm underwater I am in awe of the unbelievably diverse ecosystem I am currently a part of and the fact that I have been given the gift of seeing it with my own two eyes. Not only that, but the intensive lectures that have been conducted on a daily basis on coral reef identification, ecology, and conservation have given me an entirely new perspective while underwater. When I snorkeled on the first day, I was basically just looking around, blindly enjoying the view. Now, all of a sudden, I know the names of all of the corals, macroalgae, fish, and invertebrates, and understand why they're doing what they're doing. A whole new world has been opened up for me; a world that is so extraordinarily diverse and complex that sometimes I don't even know what to do with myself. There's so much to see and interpret, but no physical way to do it all. Diving is an incredible adventure that I wish everybody was able to experience.
I've seen Caribbean Reef sharks fifty feet away, Hawksbill turtles an arm's reach away, and barracudas a little too close for comfort. Nassau Groupers have became our friends and followed us around, curiously watching what we're doing. Tiny gobies have come out of barrel sponges and given me a manicure. The things I've seen and done here in Little Cayman in just one week are absolutely amazing.
For example, today marks day one of our personal research projects. I am going to be doing a project testing the abundance of new coral growth on dead Elkhorn Coral. A scientist here at CCMI (Central Caribbean Marine Institute - where we're studying and living) has the hypothesis that Elkhorn have some sort of characteristic that makes them unsuccessful recruiters of new coral growth. So, myself and two other interns (Stan Piotrowski being one of them - another scholarship recipient) will be compiling and analyzing data to test that scientist's hypothesis. Basically, we're going to be doing an entire scientific research project in a week and a half. Holy crap. As terrifying as that is, I am so pumped.
- Elissa
"When I snorkeled on the first day, I was basically just looking around, blindly enjoying the view. Now, all of a sudden, I know the names of all of the corals, macroalgae, fish, and invertebrates, and understand why they're doing what they're doing."
ReplyDeleteSuch an awesome way to put it! I know exactly what you mean, that feeling is what makes me love learning so much.