We packed up bright and early today and I had my final plantains of Belize. We got onto the boat at 6 am to begin our 3 hour boat ride back to mainland.

It was very weird getting back to mainland and seeing populated areas again. It was also very sad leaving Glover’s Research Station, I will miss that dock very much.

We headed straight to the airport from there. A lot of us were very excited to do some shopping at the very touristy shops, I definitely did some damage myself. Then we all hopped on the plane and took some much needed naps.

Goodbyes felt unreal and very sad after having a spent the last two weeks together 24/7. But getting back to a warm shower and AC was very nice!

We started the morning by making a research project that we could complete while we picked up trash on the island. We decided to compare the trash density in 3 different areas with different currents and protection due to the atoll.

In the afternoon we dissected 6 lionfish, all of whom were caught by our very own professors. After a little exploration we used the remaining parts to make a ceviche. Although slightly disturbing after having dissected him, still tasted delicious.

We then started packing up and had free time to swim and snorkel. I went for a final snorkel around the patch reefs just off our dock. Thankfully I saw one final trumpetfish during my outting. Again among the branching soft corals camouflaged with his face in the root.

We met this morning to come up with a new project relating to the impact of Marine Protected Areas. We decided to compare the biodiversity and overall health of the coral reefs in a Marine Protected Area and an unprotected area.

We went and snorkeled 4 separate reefs (2 of each) and placed 2×2 quadrants onto the coral and took photos. After each group surveyed 3 quadrants at all 4 locations we headed back.

In the afternoon we compiled all our data and made a poster to present to our professors. We concluded that the MPAs were more biodiverse, but were inconclusive on the health of the reefs based on algae growth.

Unfortunately no trumpetfish or seahorse sightings today – hopefully more to come tomorrow!!

We started the day by meeting as a group to make conclusions about Parrotfish feeding behaviors and presented a poster to our professor. We decided they are primarily algaevores.

In the afternoon we visited a coral graveyard on the island where we could see the 3 stages of the coral: living, dead, long dead. The newer dead coral was bleach white with some crustose coralline algae growing on it. The coral that had been dead much longer was a charcoal black/grey color and lost some of its definition.

At night it was too windy to do our night snorkel so we instead hung dive lights off the dock and attracted some of the marine life. We were able to catch some sardines, shrimp, and glass eels. There was finally one predator attracted: a squid. I was actually able to grab her with the tiny fish nets.

We put Angie, as I have named my squid, in a bucket and observed her camouflage color changes, and she even inked in the bucket. The coolest part was when she came in contact with the green net that was spotted with ink, she would change from translucent to a darker color with black speckles to match her own ink on the net.

Since no snorkeling today – no trumpetfish or seahorses! 🥲

We met as a class this morning to come up with a research question surrounding the vertebrates we had seen around the reefs the day before. We decided we wanted to look into the parrotfish species and what their behaviors and eating habits are.

We went out in the reef just off our dock  and searched for our assigned species of parrotfish – mine being red band parrotfish. In the afternoon we went to two more reefs to continue our searches!

During my search for red bands I also came across two more trumpetfish. One was a smaller one around 15 cm again found in yellow sea rods, and the other was closer to 50 cm and also found within tall vertical soft corals with finger like extremities. They like to hide their face down at the root and camouflage to make them look like just another one of the coral extensions.

Immediately after breakfast we got all our snorkel gear on and started testing it out on the reef just off our dock. We did a quick swim test and then just explored the reef.

In the afternoon we got our gear back on and hopped on the boat to explore what the call the “aquarium” because it’s such a beautiful reef. Almost all of us were able to find our taxons just within this outing.

After much help from my classmates I found a singular trumpet fish. It was a juvenile, so very short in length, and taking advantage of his camouflage skills. He was among a yellow sea rod, and he perfectly matched its coloring.

No seahorses found yet, but it’s just the beginning!

Today we woke up the latest we have so far. We had a nice slow start at the Tropical education center before hitting the road towards Belize city. We stopped along the way for lunch and found lots of good souvenirs.

After lunch we got back in the bus to head to the clock where our boat was waiting.

After around a 3 hour boat ride towards glovers reef where we got to go right over the reef and experience how much protection the reef offers from the big waves.

Once arrived at glovers we got a quick tour and immediately found some hammocks. We settled into our rooms and had some down time to hang out on the dock and enjoy the first breeze we had felt in a while. We’re now all having a quiet restful night before a very fun morning of snorkeling and exploring the reef surrounding us!