Today was our first day snorkeling out on the reef! We started the day by getting our fins wet in the patch reefs right near the dock  in front of the station. This was so exciting, we got to see the reef in person, and start to identify some of its organisms.

After this initial excursion, we decided to see more patch reefs through a different access point on the island which led us through a mangrove landscape. Mangroves are very cool, the trees have such strong and graceful looking root structures, but getting through this area was miserable because they are host to hordes of mosquitos! We quite literally ran to get in the water to keep them from swarming us, and none of us left unscathed.

But once we were out in the water, we saw so many cool things! It was really interesting to see the diversity of 3D coral structures that can be visible from even a small little patch. Some organisms of note include  a sea cucumber, conch shells, and I even spotted a small shark in the seagrass! Unfortunately, I still have yet to see any jellyfish or ctenophores, but I am still hopeful that we will see some when when we get into deeper waters.