This morning, I finally woke up early enough to watch the sunrise on this beautiful island. We left at 6 am so I tried to spend my morning committing everything to memory, from the way the crabs scurry in the sand to salty sea breeze. I feel very lucky that I am not someone that gets seasick because the 3 hour boat ride was extremely choppy and made some of my classmates sick. For me the ride is so peaceful— I put my headphones in and sunglasses on, and I fell asleep. We got our first taste of AC on the bus ride and it was heavenly. After the flight and getting through customs, I said my goodbyes to the group and left for a plane back home. I was so excited to be home and see my family, I took the longest shower ever and fell into the deepest sleep of my life. This trip definitely felt like way more than two weeks long.
Tag Archives: boat
Blog Entry: May 30 Title: From Coral Reefs to Customs Lines
We started our final day at Glover’s Reef way before sunrise—5 a.m. wake-up call, followed by a quick breakfast of plain bread and a lot of yawning. The boat ride back to the mainland was… rough. The water was choppy, and for the first time this week, I felt truly seasick. I did everything to distract myself: deep breathing, staring at the horizon, mentally listing every species of soft coral I could remember. It sort of worked.
Once we got to the marina, stepping onto solid ground felt like a small miracle. From there, we took an air-conditioned bus (best part of the day) to the airport. That’s when the travel stress really kicked in—I only had a little over an hour to catch my connecting flight. Cue a full-on airport power walk through customs and security. Luckily, I made it.
Now that I’m home in NYC, it’s strange to think that just this morning I was surrounded by turquoise water and coral reefs. It’s hard leaving a place where soft corals gently sway under the waves and lionfish lurk in rocky crevices. I already miss the reef—but I’m bringing back a suitcase full of memories (and probably some sand in my shoes).
5/24 Paradise???
We have finally arrived at glover’s! Most of the day was spent traveling, which was a much needed rest after our week of activities. We took a 3 hour, windy, sunny, beautiful boat ride. It was so cool to pass by islands and see the start of the laguna and the atoll. The barrier reef made the waters really choppy at some times, which made the ride extra fun. I can’t wait to see those corals up close in person tomorrow!!! When we got here, we hung out on the dock for a long time because it was so gorgeous and peaceful. The weather is a hige upgrade from Chiquibul, because there is a lovely salty breeze, and even fans in the rooms! The main issue is the SAND FLIES EVERYWHERE. I already have so many bites. Now i know to avoid the sand as much as i can and where a jacket and bug spray. After just being here for a few hours, we have already seen so much life including pelicans, a nurse shark, bone fish, and more ginormous crabs than I have ever seen in my life. Tomorrow morning is our first snorkel! I’m really looking forward to getting the hang of snorkeling in the reef.
Day 9: Arriving at Glover’s Reef
Hi! Today was our travel day from the Tropical Education Center to Glover’s Reef. We started by busing over to Belize City. We then headed over to lunch in old Belize city. Along the way you could see the environment change from jungle to forest to safari to mangroves and finally to coast. From there we took a boat ride to Glovers! It was about a two hour boat ride and we got to see go along the reef and then cross it to open ocean. There was a point where you couldn’t see land in any direction! We then arrived at Glovers where we got a brief introduction and settled in. The island is beautiful. We then did presentations and went to bed!
Day 9: Beautiful boat ride to Glovers!
Today we made the journey from the Tropical Education Center to Glover’s Reef Research Station, and wow—it already feels like we’ve entered a whole new world. We hit the road around 9 AM, grabbed a quick lunch, and headed to the marina by 12:30. From there, the real adventure began.
The boat ride out to the station is absolutely stunning. The water changes color beneath us—from a soft, teal blue to a deep, almost navy shade, then back to that dreamy turquoise. As we crossed the barrier reef, the boat slowed way down—the water there is super shallow and crystal clear. It feels surreal to be moving over such vibrant, living water.
We’ve just settled in at Glover’s, and it’s beautiful. Palm trees sway in the wind, the ocean is all around us, and already I’ve seen hermit crabs wandering around during the day. Tonight, huge land crabs made an appearance under the moonlight—something tells me they own this place after dark.
Can’t wait to see what tomorrow holds. If today’s any sign, it’s going to be unforgettable.
Goodbye Atoll, Hello Savanna
Just before 9:00 am this morning, the TFBs departed Glovers Reef. I had such an amazing time as a marine field biologist in training, and I already miss GRMS! I got a picture with Ruth before I left. I am so thankful for everyone at Glovers and for our amazing water safety officers! I will miss Clivus too (the composter toilet system <3).
While on the boat, I sat on the stairs so that I had a perfect view of the ocean. The view was beautiful, and I felt so at peace. I sat there serenely for an hour, and the only reason I moved was to avoid getting sunburned.
We ate lunch at Calypso, and I got fresh watermelon juice and basically a mountain of pasta bolognese with garlic bread! So delicious 🙂
We all hopped into a van and went to a supermarket called Brodies. I bought bug spray (FINALLY!!!) and a few hiking-friendly snacks. Then, we drove to the Tropical Education Center (TEC)!
We got a quick tour and then went to a guest lecture given by Dr. Boris Arevalo. He lectured on nesting ecology and habitat selection of scarlet macaws in Belize and his research and work on the subject. I really enjoyed his lecture! He opened my eyes to the struggles of conservation work and how to weigh the importance of its impacts. This lecture also taught me a lot about research of my taxa and of scarlet macaws, as birds are my rainforest taxa.
After dinner, I rode in the bed of a truck to the Belize Zoo, where we had a night tour! Carlos the zookeeper led my group’s tour. We saw jaguars, pumas, and ocelots being fed, and we also saw a tapir (Belize’s national animal)! I also got to see some of my taxa, including the spectacled owl, barn owl, and mottled owl! I’m not sure how likely we are to see owls while we’re at LCRS, so I was excited to have the opportunity at the zoo! It was incredible to see the animals active at night.
It was a late night tonight, and it’s going to be an early morning tomorrow, so I’m excited to get some sleep in these cute and cozy cabana lodgings! I’m rooming with Maggy!
My Belize ecosystem count is now at 2, and tomorrow’s travels will take it to 3!
– McKenna
Dramamine For The Win
Reef day #5 was definitely the most packed (and exhausting) day yet! There was a storm last night, so there was leftover cloudiness and winds this morning. However, conditions still looked good enough to go out onto the fore reef! I took dramamine at breakfast, and thank goodness I did. We hopped on the boat, and as soon as we exited the lagoon through a channel, we could feel the intensity of the waves. Even in the water, we were being forcefully sloshed around. Looking up, people were at all different heights among the waves.
Even with the rough conditions, I had a great time on the reef slope! The depth was incredible, especially at the drop off. I saw so many schools of fish, and I could clearly see the spur and groove structure of the corals down below! We also took a video of all of us diving down and making owl hands. Hopefully we make Rice’s Instagram 🙂
I felt a little sick coming off the boat, but the dramamine helped to keep the nausea at bay.
Later in the day, we conducted a trash clean-up (as an experiment in true TFB fashion). We collected so much trash and sorted it into burnables and non-burnables. Our experiment hoped to characterize the trash at different sites along the shore of Middle Caye as well as the general efficiency of collection at each site. We spent the entire afternoon planning out our experiment, conducting our experiment, measuring and sorting to collect data, and then making a poster and presenting it. We are hopeful that this data will help to inform future trash clean-up efforts! I also managed to get a really cute, homecoming-style picture of TFBs lined up on the stairs to wash our hands.
I gave my first presentation today! I presented my reef taxa (anemones, corallimorphs, and zoanthids), and I feel like it went really well. Everyone asked really great questions too!
Before dinner, Nate (a fellow TFB) placed a shell in front of a hermit crab for giggles. Not only did we have some giggles, but we also witnessed something incredible: the hermit crab switch shells! I was able to get it on video and am thrilled to have seen something so rare to catch.
I didn’t have any taxa sightings today, but my other sightings and experiences were more than captivating! Ruth also taught us so much about Belize at dinner! Best off-the-cuff topic lecture ever!
The fact that my eye has been twitching since around 2:00 pm is a clear sign that I am more than ready to get some rest. I’m ready to sleep as soundly as I can to appreciate my last full day on the reef tomorrow!
– McKenna
Fire Coral – What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger (Reef Day 4)
Today is the day that my hand, neck, and snorkel mask tans are so defined that they are becoming obvious. We started the day fast and strong TFB-style by hopping into a boat to collect more data for our coral/urchin experiment in two different MPA patch reefs.
The first MPA reef we went to had the best conditions for data collection by far for me and Liliana. The depth (5-6 ft) was perfect, the current was light, and the non-outrageous amount of sea fans helped tremendously with the quadrats. However, I did encounter a challenge at this location. When I was floating and writing on my clipboard, I drifted into a !!*FIRE CORAL*!! It brushed against my elbows and forearms and caused a burning sting. It wasn’t unbearable and went away after 30 minutes, but I have learned to always be on the watch for these vengeful creatures.
^ This is the culprit coral 🙁
The second MPA location was a little more shallow, so this made data collection harder, but the urchin collection led to so many cool finds. One of which was a new taxa discovery! When turning river pieces of coral rubble in search of urchins, I found a red beaded anemone! I was so excited to find a new anemone, and I got a picture of it (the urchin next to it was shortly collected).
I also got to hold a West Indian sea egg! This hedgehog of the sea was named Sally, and she was very adorable and spiny.
Later in the day, we went on a swim just for fun on the lagoon side of the reef crest. This was anemone haven! I saw so many Giant Caribbean anemones; sadly, some of them were bleached. On a happier note, I also got a new taxa sighting here! Encrusted on the side of a mound coral, I found a mat zoanthid colony! The tiny polyps (<1cm) were blue/green and curled up into domes when disturbed. Yay zoanthids!
After dinner, we listened to two guest lectures from the Belize Fisheries Department and Belize Coast Guard. I have so much respect for all that is being done to protect and conserve the ocean and its resources.
Today was extremely productive to the point where I am struggling to finish writing this blog. I look forward to going to bed and having my recurring dream (only started a few days ago for some reason) of going snorkeling and turning into a mermaid. Maybe my dream behind-the-scenes is super inspired by mermaid Ruth!
– McKenna
Day 1: Longest Boat Ride Ever
Hey, guys! It’s Michiel again. Today was our first day in Belize, so I’ll try to quickly tell you guys all about it.
I woke up bright and early at 5:15, got an uber to campus, and was with the rest of my group around 6 am. Together, we took a bus to IAH, which was packed, and successfully made it to our gate. Before boarding, a few friends and I picked up Panda Express (a great way to start one’s day). The flight itself was actually very fast, I spent the majority of it sleeping and reading. Once we landed and were ready to leave the airport, we took a bus to a grocery store, where I bought a souvenir water bottle and pingüinos. After this, it was finally time to take the boat to our research station. The boat ride was four hours, and the weather was extremely hot and humid, but we were all entertained with the changing color of the ocean as we went from shallow to deep water and the increasing intensity of the waves – though that much movement did give me a killer headache.
By the way, I’ve included a picture of me as I was relaxing on the boat!
Anyway, someone told me that they saw a flying fish while we were on the boat. Though I didn’t get to see it, I wondered if it may have been herbivorous. I determined that it was unlikely they were herbivorous because none of my research on herbivorous fish had mentioned flying fish.
Finally, the boat landed, and we got to see the island for the first time (it’s beautiful). We all settled down, had dinner, and had a group meeting to discuss what we’re going to be doing tomorrow. We also saw lots of crabs as we walked between buildings. The hermit crabs didn’t mind us at all, but the larger crabs quickly scurried away whenever we approached.
Overall, today has been very tiring, but I’m glad we’ve finally made it. I’m excited to see what’s in store!
Day 1: Exciting Travels!
After a day of travels, I am filled with excitement, but I am also officially exhausted. Today was a long day of here-to-there (from car, to shuttle, to airplane, to van, to boat), but every leg of the journey was enjoyable!
Once in Belize, I noticed how humid it is, and that is because we are in the beginning of the wet season. There are palm trees galore, and the buildings are such vibrant colors! We stopped at a shop after leaving the airport, and I got some Belizean snacks that I can’t wait to try. The boat ride to Glover’s Reef was longer than expected but a beauty to behold. I saw so many different shades of blue! My favorite part of the ride was crossing the barrier reef. As we approached the barrier reef, we could see the whites of the waves crashing into the reef crest. Our boat was navigated through a channel in the reef. And on that channel was a small island packed with tourists. I attached a photo I took of the island, like a little paradise out at sea!
The Glover’s Research Station is amazing! The facilities are just what we need, and all of the people here are so friendly! Hermit crabs and other crabs walk around the island like squirrels on Rice campus, so I’ll have to remember to watch where I step.
Tomorrow, we start our morning at 6:30 and have our first day out on the reef! I am completely new to snorkeling, so I am excited to get my feet wet (pun intended). I will keep my eyes peeled for any corallimorphs, zoanthids, or anemones!
For now, I am going to get as much sleep as I can to prepare for the busy week ahead out on the reef!
– McKenna Castleberry