2022

Day 2: Mosquito Magnet

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Today started off early with a yummy banana pancake breakfast and then our first snorkel excursion at 8am. We finally got to break out all of our fancy TFB gear (snorkels, masks, fins, diving skins) and use them! To get off of the dock and into the water, I just sat down and shimmied off, directly into a school of small fish. We then swam over some sea grass to a path reef and I was able to see sooo many organisms. There was Brain Coral, Common Sea Fans, Corky Sea Fingers, also lobsters, French Angel Fish, Lion Fish (!!), and an anemone! Apparently we might go out and hunt for Lion Fish since they are invasive and have them for a meal. I also was able to spot a piece of Laurencia spp. floating in the water and a lot of Spryidia filaments on the rocks. I’ll spare you from my extremely blurry photos but I’ll get the hang of this camera soon.

After we got back on land we made one of our field tools called a Quadrate which we will use as a measuring device to collect data. Then after lunch, we headed back into the water but this time through the Mangroves of Death (cue dramatic music). Where does this name come from you ask? The mosquitos. We literally had to run for a few minutes to try to dodge as many mosquitos as we can in order to go through the mangroves. It was totally worth it though. We made it to the shoreline and had to “stingray shuffle” through the seagrass because it’s their favorite habitat and you want to avoid surprising them. At these patch reefs I saw Yellow Snapper, baby Blue Tang (which look just like yellow surgeon fish), Royal Gramma (shout out to my dad’s fish tank), damselfish, a sea urchin (super cool), and similar coral as the patch reef from earlier in the day.

We chose to swim back in order to avoid the MOD once again, and saw even more cool things – sharks, sponges, and stingrays (oh my!). It was actually very nice to have more time in the water and watching the sea grass was quite meditative.

For the rest of the day we had taxon briefing and a topic lecture which will all help with more identification tomorrow!

-Sophia

Belize Babe’s (incomplete) selfie! I am determined to get a full one tomorrow.
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First Day of Snorkeling: The Mangroves of Madness

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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.

2022

Mosquitoes: ♾, TFBs: k/o

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Today we went into the water! Swimming felt so nice, especially with the humidity down here.

For breakfast, the pancakes had banana in them!! 😋

First, we went to the patch reefs near the dock, where I found 4 queen conch shells. It seems to me like these are the most obvious molluscs present at the reef, especially since they tend to be large, had a very definite crown, and a pink lip! (I learned today that they’re called queen conchs due to their spiral looking like a crown!) We were in the water for about an hour, just getting a feel for what it’s like to snorkel in the ocean. I got So. Much. Water. In. My. Mouth.

So after we got back, we had some time to rest, then we put some equipment together that we’ll need in the coming days. Lunch consisted of some chicken wings with BBQ sauce, fries, and coleslaw. The food here is so good.

We then “voted” (really well we’re coerced by amazing speeches of Caio and Nyala) to take a trek through the mangroves of death. NEVER AGAIN. Imagine you are wearing a long sleeve shirt with a yellow sleeve. Your sleeve is now black. It is covered with mosquitos. It may as well be made of mosquitos. You try to run. They smell your fear. They know they have won. They take no mercy. They swarm. You try to jump into the water to escape them. It’s too shallow to dive under, your effort is futile. You accept your death and continue on, knowing that they are the rulers of this island.

 

Ok, but once we were in the water for the second time, with clipboards and cameras, we tried to do a scavenger hunt with varying levels of success (I kind of forgot to write things down, the waves kept pushing me over).  We saw a sea cucumber! It was quite large! (See picture)

 

once we got back to land, 2 people (Ava and Rusty) presented their taxon lectures. We broke for about an hour, and then had dinner. The cheesecake was so good! Then we finished the day with 3 more lectures (1 topic, 2 taxa) (Maegan, Phoenix, and Michael).

 

good day over all. The aliens in Lilo & Stitch were wrong. The mosquito population is thriving. They are the apex predator.

 

2022

Day 2: First Day in the Water

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Today was a day of adventure, discovery, and a consistent struggle to not touch anything. Today we went snorkeling, which for me, was my first experience snorkeling a reef that was teeming with life. We started by searching around some of the patch reefs, which are just off the dock of the island. The variety and density of life on small rock structures was stunning to see. The reefs are teeming with a variety of Porites and various brain corals. I must say, despite reviewing a multitude of textbook photos, the confidence I had regarding identification may have been a bit too high haha, but I hope to improve that in the next few days. It was also interesting to see real examples of the diseases I studied that impact corals. Thankfully I didn’t see many active lesions, yet there was significant evidence of coral deterioration from past insults of infection. We did encounter a very large Orbicella, which has a massive new lesion, maybe due to white plague.

After an hour in the ocean, we returned to land for a tasty lunch, and a group session of scientific arts and crafts, which was weaving string to form a device to help us measure “things” in the water. I’m still not quite sure what its application will be, the water is an unfamiliar environment for my desert residing self. I must say I don’t miss much about home as of yet, the island is simply too exciting for homesickness, yet I do miss the lack of humidity. But I must say, a damp towel and a wet swimsuit are well worth the experience. Especially the honor to hold a donkey dung sea cucumber.

We later explored a second patch of reefs, closer to the barrier of the atoll. Between the current and my clumsiness, trying to avoid bumping into the reef structures was surprisingly difficult. Many of the same corals were present from what I saw this morning, but exploring the new area was fun. We swam a longish distance back to shore, in order to avoid the ravenous swarm of mosquitoes that lurk in the mangroves. A scenic swim back through the seagrass beds was a nice way to conclude snorkeling for the day. Comfortable may not be the way I describe myself snorkeling as of yet, but excited definitely is. I look forward to seeing what else the Glover’s Reefs hold and am very glad to have this opportunity.

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First Reef Day!

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Hey y’all, It’s Michiel again : )

Today was so much fun! This morning was absolutely beautiful and I loved looking out over the island during breakfast. Just after breakfast, we saw an iguana. It was very pretty and we kept seeing iguanas (or perhaps the same iguana) throughout the day.

After breakfast, we put on our snorkel gear and dove off the dock. The tropical waters were very inviting with how warm they were. We saw huge schools of tiny fish which we could not identify. Once my partner (Ava) and I made it to the patch reefs, we could not get enough of our taxonomic groups. They were telling me all about soft corals and I returned the favor by offering them  facts about herbivorous fish. In this reef, I saw a lot of herbivorous fish, but I didn’t have my taxon ID sheet so I was only able to identify a few. We definitely saw a lot of Threespot Damselfish (Stegastes planifrons) and Cocoa Damselfish (Stegastes variabilis), and I believe we may have seen an Ocean Surgeonfish (Acanthurus bahianus). I noticed that it’s really hard to get good pictures of a lot of these fish because they hide as you approach, so I stayed a good distance from them and zoomed my camera in as much as I could.

Once we got into the water, we went to the wet lab to make quadrats and set up a scavenger hunt. Soon after this, we decided to explore the reef near a different part of the island, but to access that area we had to go through the Mangroves of Death (MOD), which were filled with mosquitos that chased us and bit through our lycra dive skins as we ran through the forest. Finally finding safe haven within the water, Ava and I went off again to look at more soft corals and herbivorous fish. While there, I saw many Sergeant Majors (Abudefduf saxatilis) and Beaugregories (Stegastes leucostictus). We also saw a lot of competition between corals, and we saw two stingrays! Ava and I were very grateful that we had decided to swim over the seagrass instead of walk through it when we saw those.

Sergeant Majors (Abudefduf saxatilis)
Stingray hidden in seagrass

After this second reef excursion, we had wonderful presentations given by Rusty, Ava, Maegan, Phoenix, and Michael who presented on hard corals, soft corals, coral reef framework, ctenophores and jellyfish, and sponges respectively. Now, the day is over and I am posting this blog before getting some rest.

Also, I’ve included a group photo of some of other TFBs and I hanging out in the wet lab! See you guys soon!

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

Rice University