Monthly Archives: June 2022

2022, Uncategorized

Day 2 – Finally on the Reef!

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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
2022

Crab: 1 Liliana: 0

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It’s day 2 on Glover’s and our first day in the water! We had a super early (in my opinion) start, everyone woke up around 6:30 and we all geared up and headed to breakfast at 7. After some delicious banana pancakes we got into the water for the first time and went to a patch reef a little ways off. It was a pretty calm swim through a lot of sea grass and then before we knew it we were at the reef! It was incredible and I wish I had photos to add here but I didn’t bring my camera on the first swim, hopefully someone else here will have photos for you to see! We saw so many corals and fish, and such a wide variety of organisms all over the place. Everywhere you looked there was something new to see. We even saw a small lionfish sitting on the reef, which is not ideal for invasive reef species control, but still interesting to see one out in the wild in real life! The first swim was a good one for my taxon group, crustaceans; we saw a Caribbean spiny lobster hiding in a hole underneath some coral, another organism I have been hoping to see in real life. After about an hour in the water we went out for a break and some land prep for tomorrow before lunch. Around this time I was outside with the two kids who had collected a bunch of crabs in coconut shells. They showed me one smaller crab and despite their warnings that he was (understandably) angry, I tried to pick it up to get a better look. Alas, the crab outsmarted me and got a good chunk of my finger in his claw, luckily it didn’t draw blood, just a long scrape and my hurt pride. Clearly my crab catching skills are a little rusty, but there are plenty of other crabs around that are hopefully a little friendlier.

We went back in the water after lunch, but not before a quick jog through the mangroves of death. While dramatic sounding, it’s pretty much a trail through the island that goes along the mangroves, and is absolutely filled with mosquitos, it felt like they were completely covering us until we all sprinted into the water and hid under the surface for them to go away. Once we got through that we shuffled our way through a bunch of sea grass until we got to a sandy area with lots of patch reefs, and we went swimming through looking for behaviors and organisms as part of a scavenger hunt. This area was less protected by the island from waves so we were pushed from side to side and through the reef and pulled around. My handwriting is already terrible, but with the waves pushing my arms and clipboard around I don’t think any of my notes are legible. Unfortunately these waves also pushed me up against the coral, and soon after I swam further away I realized that the part of my hand that had gotten smacked into the coral was turning red, and felt a little like it was burning. I discovered that I had the misfortune of bumping into a fire coral, named that probably because it hurts when you touch it. Coral: 1 Liliana: 0

However at the end of the day we went through our first round of taxon presentations and lectures, and by then my finger didn’t hurt from the crab and my hand wasn’t burning from the coral, and despite all the bug bites, I can’t wait to do it again tomorrow!

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Day 2: Growing Confidence

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Today we did our first two snorkeling expeditions. Before lunch, we snorkeled a patch of reef near the dock for about an hour, and after lunch we snorkeled a patch of reef on another side of the island. To get to the second location, we had to run through a mangrove forest infested with mosquitoes (not my favorite part of today!)

The first snorkel session was pretty uncomfortable for me. I have never been snorkeling before today, and the water was surprisingly cold! I struggled to catch my breath after the initial shock, and I found myself shivering by the end of the hour. Shivering! In the tropics! Who would have thought?

The second snorkel session was actually better for me, despite the mosquito-laden start. I felt a lot more in control of my breath, and I actually felt confident enough to dive down beneath the surface to get a closer look at the beautiful corals, sponges, and sea fans.

Sponge Species sighted today:

  • Yellow Tube Sponge (Aplysina fistularis)
  • Orange Icing Sponge (Mycale laevis)
  • Branching Vase Sponge (Callyspongia vaginalis)
  • Fire Sponge (Tedania ignis)
2022

D-2 The mangroves of death

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Hey everyone!

Today the day began fairly early for all of us, with breakfast at 7. The breakfast was so great, I specifically loved the banana pancakes! Then we suited up and got ready for our first dive. It was great to finally get into the water, specially because it was so refreshing and because we got to see so many amazing species. I got specially excited when I saw a Highhat (a piscivorous fish, my taxa) eat another smaller fish! Sadly I didn’t have the camera with me on the first swim so I didn’t get to take a photo (yet, even if I had the camera I am not sure I would have been fast enough!)

After swimming for a while we came back onto land and got lunch. As always the food was great, I got some french fries, cole slaw, and two raisin cookies. After lunch we went for another swim, yet this time it was a completely different experience: we went through the mangroves of death. There, we all got aggressively bitten by the blood thirsty mosquitoes. We all ran into the water hoping it would stop, yet they followed us in. Thankfully, as we moved further in they left us alone and we were at peace to take photos (and attempt to complete the scavenger hunt!) I personally did not finish the scavenger hunt yet I got to see so many cool fish, sponges, and many hard and soft corals. After a while we got asked if we wanted to run back through the mangroves of death or swim a much longer route. Without a second thought we all chose to swim back. After we got back many of us took the chance to shower. Then we watched two presentations about hard corals and soft corals. Afterwards we got a much needed break before dinner. Later at dinner we got really tasty rice and cheesecake! To conclude our day, after dinner we all listened to a few more presentations, this time about coral reef framework and growth, sponges, ctenophores, and jellyfish. Today was very fun and also a little tiring, yet I’m more than sure that we will all be ready tomorrow morning after a well deserved 10 hour nap.

2022, Uncategorized

Getting to Glovers!

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Mask in car e made it! It was quite a long day, but also a really incredible one. We started bright and early at 6:15 meeting at rice before heading to the airport. We had not TOoo much trouble getting on our flight, save for the fact that Dr. Solomon and Dr. Correa found out they need notarized forms to bring their children to Belize, and free to the Belize city international airport. On the flight, I was struck by just how much wilderness I was seeing out the window as we approached the Belize City airport. There were lots of forested areas and small bodies of brown marshy looking water right up until we hit the runway. It didn’t much look like a city! 

After a brief stop at a convenience store (where I got Belizean change for buying a vitamin water) We headed off on what was supposed to be a 2-3 hour boat ride to glovers reef. However, 4.5 hours hater we would realize that the length of that trip was exceeding our expectations. When I first got on the boat I was quite worried as I already felt slightly seasick, but as the journey began I found I could manage (or so I thought) by fixing my gaze on the horizon and leaning back and forth as the boat moved around me to keep myself level. However, the journey got much worse as we left the emerald green waters protected by the Belize Barrier Reef that runs parallel to the shore and into the open ocean. At this point water was spraying onto and over the boat, and it took all my focus to keep from getting completely sea sick as the boat pitched and heaved around me. Finally we reached glovers reef, a ring shaped atoll of coral reefs, and its protected inner waters. We finally made it to the glovers reef research station, a rather magical (and a bit patchy) set of buildings on part of the atoll that has grown into an island. The group was pretty tired after the journey however, so after a delicious dinner made for us by the staff and a group meeting we decided to call it a day. 

With all the traveling I did not have much time to look for green algae. I did see a bunch of what appeared to be brown algae floating during our boat ride, and I did see one patch of green algae near the mainland dock. It was filamentous or hairy in nature making me guess possibly Chaetomopha linum (sea hair) or Ulva Prolifera, and getting pushed around by the waves and occasionally exposed above the surface. Finally, I am very impressed by the crabs and hermit crabs on the research station. They are huge! Often with one giant claw. The crabs can be larger than my expanded hand and look the size of a good meal!

A quick algae photo as we walked to the boat
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A long day of travels

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The intrepid tropical field bio students started their adventures today at 6:15 am meeting at Rice University and ended the day at Glover’s Reef Research Station. Most excitingly, once we landed in Belize City, we got our first taste of what these ecosystems will be like! 

From the view outside the shuttles and buses we were on, we were able to see a fascinating array of different trees and other vegetation I had never seen before. While on tbe boat we saw the barrier reef off the coast of Belize, and experienced the very bumpy ride passing through its channel. Speaking of rough waters, it was my first time on a boat for any extended period of time and I got pretty seasick! But I’m fine now and I know that I can take motion sickness medicine for the ride back in a few days.

There was an insane amount of travel and tribulations today, but somehow we made it through. Although I’m exhausted, I”m still excited to start snorkeling tomorrow!

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Day One: Adventure’s Just Begun!

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Today was about as good of a first day as I could have hoped! Of course it wasn’t perfect- we had a few hiccups checking into the airport and an exceptionally long, but eventually we all made it to our first study site, Glover’s Reef Research Station.

After a full day of travelling (2 hours), a bus (half an hour), a plane (2.5 hours), a van (about an hour), and a boat (4 hours!), finally arriving at our home for the next week was a relief, to say the least! We gathered our luggage and settled into our rooms for a bit before being treated to a delicious dinner of chicken, salad, and rice. It’s taking all of my remaining willpower to type this blog post before I pass out from exhaustion.

At first impression, Glover’s is truly tropical paradise. Lapping waves, lush greenery, colorful bungalows, and scuttling crabs greet you as you walk from the docks. But the smiling faces and friendly attitudes of the resident researchers and crew is was really makes this oasis feel like a home-away-from-home.

My favorite part of today was during the boat ride, seeing colors that I never thought could come from water. The deepest, most intense blues of open ocean and the green and turquoise of seafood breaking on shallow offshore reefs; it was like something out of a dream. The murky browns of Galveston Bay will officially never satisfy me again!

2022

DAY 1- ARRIVING AT GLOVER’S REEF

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After a restless night of anticipation and excitement, I woke up 5 am to have plenty of time to meet up with the rest of our tropical field biology class to make it to our flight at 6:15 am. It was a good thing that we arrived early because their was an unforeseen mix up with the requirement of notarized permission slips for our youngest travelers, and someone forgot to print out their boarding pass (you guessed it…it was yours truly).  I am incredibly glad to have such supportive and kind classmates that waited for me. Thankfully, we all arrived in Belize in one piece and took a trip to the local grocery store for some snacks. While noticing the dense, green vegetation and beautiful pastel house colors of Belize City, I had a fascinating conversation with Dr. Correa’s mature and kind 10 year old son. He told me that while snorkeling it is extremely important not to touch marine life. I said that one time while snorkeling he touched a fireworm. He described the fireworm perfectly. It was small and wiggly with a light orange/pink coloring with small white bristles on the sides. After touching the fireworm he said he had burning feeling that felt like glass in his hand. This is probably this annelid’s self defense mechanism so moral of the story- don’t touch marine life but admire their beauty from a distance. I was presently surprised tolearn more about the taxa I researched on the first day!

While buying some plantain chips recommended by Dr. Solomon, I received my first Belizean dollars. One of our leaders, Claudius told me that the woman on the dollar was Queen Elizabeth as the Belize used to be called “British Honduras.” This dollar also pictured the mahogany tree (state tree), tapir (state animal), toucan (state bird), and the black orchid (state flower). Learning the history of Belize was very fulfilling!

 The boat ride to Glover’s Reef was longer, hotter, and more bumpy than expected but there was a part of me that wished that it wouldn’t end because it filled me with a deep sense of nostalgia. There were so many aspects about the boat ride that reminded me about the Marshall Islands, and I really miss it. The salty sea spray, waves crashing upon the boat, and even the appearance of the atolls were similar. The Caribbean atolls are typically much more ancient that Pacific atolls because there is not current major tectonic plate movement. I learned from Dr. Correa and Claudius that Glover’s Reef is the second longest reef in the entire world which spans from Mexico, to Honduras, and to Belize (where most of it is located). I feel so incredibly amazed that we have the chance to snorkel this reef tomorrow!

P.S. HAPPY WORLD OCEANS DAY! 🙂

~ Maegan Aljure

2022

Getting to Glovers!!! (Day 1)

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Hi all, it’s Faith here with Day 1 updates from our Belize trip!!!

Today, we spent such long time just trying to get here, so I’m a little worried about the intensity for the next few days, but I didn’t  sign up for this thinking it would be easy! Here is what happened:

The whole group made it on time and to the airport by 8:00, but not even 10 minutes in, we ran into our first problem– the professors hadn’t filled out the paperwork to bring their kids!

So, while we were reorganizing the class gear to be under 50lbs, the professors were rushing to get their kids on board. Don’t worry though, we all made it on the plane, and had time to grab panda express for breakfast.

After some seat and boarding pass complications, we made it to the Belize city airport, and went through an hours worth of customs! Then we temporarily lost Professor Solomon (which was kind of my fault because I didn’t follow him outside, but no one has to know).

After a brief stop at the supermarket to grab snacks,  we headed to the boat for a 4 hour boat ride. On the way there, Dr. Correa’s son was telling Maegan and I that he wanted to see rollercoaster-like waves once we passed the barrier reef. We got kinda confused, but he was right, and we saw huge waves!

Not much happened after the boat trip. We just got our rooms, ate some yummy dinner, went over the station’s basics, and admired lots and lots and lots of hermit crabs. Fun fact: on the way back from the shower a giant ghost crab ran into me.

Sadly there were no echinoderms today because we were on land, but I’ll let you know what we find tomorrow.

I saw one reptile, a common house gecko Hemidactylus frenatus on the shower wall. He was cute and although patternless.

Quote of the day: “Don’t just write ‘Oh, I saw that dang tree again!’ I can confirm *laughs*  there are gonna be trees in the rainforest, thank goodness” -Dr. Solomon

The Common house Gecko on the shower wall (Hemidactylus frenatus)
One of many, many, many giant hermit crabs
2022

Day 1: An Ocean Rollercoaster

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First official day of the trip completed! After a slightly hectic beginning at the airport, including me losing my credit card (… sorry Dad…), we were all able to make it onto our three hour flight into Belize. Riding in two vans to get to the dock for our boat to Glover’s Reef Research Station, we stopped by a small supermarket to grab some snacks to bring onto the island. My haul included Doritos, plantain chips (even after a whole semester’s worth, I will never be sick of them), and some yummy Melacotón juice.

Afterwards, we made it to the dock where we had lunch and loaded up the boat. The boat ride was about 4 hours and a literal roller coaster. Once we broke the reef barrier and made it into the open ocean after an hour or so, the “small” swells (according to one of the crew) were big enough to make us catch some air – and it was SO. FUN.  Apparently the swells can get up to 20 feet and I am okay with not experiencing them. During this long boat ride, I was able to take a nap, see some beautiful ocean (sadly no sightings of Red Algae or tunicates but I am determined I will find them), learn about Belizean culture, and even learn some Kriol/English Creole (I’m totally going to be fluent at the end of the week just wait)!

When we made it to the Caye, we brought our stuff up into our bunks and had some free time before dinner. All of the commodities here are sustainable: composting toilets, rainwater showers, and open windows for natural air-conditioning. There are also SO many crabs. Hermit crabs and what I believe to be the Common Land Crab are literally everywhere. Someone mentioned that they are like the squirrels at Rice and I couldn’t describe it better. So many crab jumpscares. For dinner we ate delicious coconut rice and chicken, with the best mango I have ever had for dessert.

I am about to have the best sleep of my life – goodnight!!

-Sophia