5/27/19: Today was our final day on the island. Above all, I think I am going to miss waking up to the beautiful views every day. With waking up early, I tend to be a little more grumpy, but I found it hard to be upset sitting at the breakfast table with such an incredible view. However, let it be noted, I am definitely not going to miss the bug bites.

Today, we looked at marine debris on Glover’s reef Middle Caye. As a UNESCO world heritage site, Glover’s reef Middle Caye is absolutely beautiful. The island is essentially paradise with a purpose, but it is not immune to damaging effects of pollution. Around the reef, I was shocked that we found over 3659 pieces of trash while collecting for merely 30 minutes. I am going to be honest with you it makes me so sad that even an island as remote as this still struggles to combat pollution. We even saw a hermit crab with a plastic cap as its shell.

On a less sad note, we also dissected a lionfish today. Lionfish are an invasive species in the Caribbean, so by catching these fish, we learned something new and help preserve the natural ecosystem. We decided to name our fish Hungry because it had an empty stomach. We made lionfish ceviche after the dissection and it was delicious.

Today, there were no water activities, so I was not able to see my taxon. Honestly, I was kind of sad not to see my taxon today. I think I am going to miss seeing my little algae buddies around every corner. Tomorrow, we have a long day of travel ahead of us.

Wish me luck!

-Bella