Today was full of snorkeling. In the morning, we went to two different patch reefs in a marine protected area and marine unprotected area again to finish collecting data. The first patch reef had so much fire coral that it was almost impossible to avoid. I brushed my leg against it at least once, but it hasn’t been so bad.

In the afternoon, we got to go to the fore reef. It was very deep and amazing to look down and see such large coral colonies. Because the water is deeper, there is the opportunity to see bigger animals which for us included a nurse shark, a Southern Sting Ray, and a Caribbean reef squid.

In the patch reef, I saw some more Giant Sea Anemones (Condylactic Gigantea). Most of them were behind a crevice between two corals or rocks. They had yellowish green tentacles and some had pink tips. The tentacles of all non-reef building Anthozoans contain nematocysts which contain capsules with a coiled-up barb inside them. When stimulated, the capsule is open and the barb releases to hit and inject the prey. I am hoping to find some Zoanthids or Corallimorphs tomorrow which I am a little less familiar with, so might be harder to spot.