This morning we finally got in the water and out on the reef! We left the dock and swam out to some nearby patch reefs around 8 AM. Jumping off the dock we were immediately surrounded by a large school of tiny fish! The patch reefs were covered in soft corals, most notably the common sea fan and corky sea finger. We also saw lots of other creatures, like lobsters and invasive lion fish.

Common sea fan (Gorgonia ventalina):

Corky sea finger (Briareum asbestinum):

After lunch, we went out for our second snorkel trip on the reef. This time we had to walk (run) through a mangrove forest that was very infested with mosquitos! Luckily I was able to avoid the worst of the bug bites, but no one got through unscathed. Once we got to the snorkel area, the bites were well worth it!

On these patch reefs, we found a sea cucumber, which I got to hold (see blurry picture not well transferred from my camera…)! It was very leathery and pretty hard, although it softened up where I was holding it.

 

My snorkel partner and I were also able to see a few instances of coral on coral warfare! We found a common sea fan that was being overtaken by an orange fire coral!

On the way back to the station, we opted to swim around the island instead of facing the corridor of mosquito massacre once again. We swam over a sea grass bed most of the way with tons of cool creatures hidden inside. I was able to spot a small sting ray, some sponges (maybe fire sponge?), very long-thin fish, and several anemones. Back at the station I am still salty and exhausted, but excited to see something new tomorrow!

• Ava