Hi everyone! We’ve officially traded our rubber boots for dive fins and headed to Glovers research station near a coral reef! Over the next few days, we will be exploring the surrounding waters and learning about the fish, coral, and algae (and other species) that inhabit them. I am looking forward to identifying angelfish on the reef, which is my next taxonomic focus.

Today began with a bus ride to Belize City. We stopped at a store along the way and ate lunch at a resort near the marina. Around 1 pm, we boarded the boat (I don’t remember its name, but its neighbor was called the Explorer 2). I was a bit nervous about the boat ride earlier today, as I thought that I might get sea sick on the open water. However, I was completely wrong. I loved the boat ride. It was a bit like a roller coaster actually, but with incredible views of as many shades of blue as you can imagine and some surfacing fish.

And the scenery just kept getting better. Arriving at Glovers, I thought that we were passing by a luxury resort. The island is bordered by tall palms with coconuts (we tried climbing one and failed tragically).The dock where we first arrived extends out to a sea grass bed and we saw a nurse shark within minutes of stepping off the boat. Hermit crabs scurry across the sand in every direction and sea birds call from overhead. I can’t wait for our first snorkel tomorrow and for my taxon briefing on angelfish! That’s all for now! – Elise