We started the morning working on our research poster, which focuses on parrotfish. As part of our project, we did a fish follow survey and found that parrotfish spend most of their time eating algae. They’re basically the reef’s cleanup crew.

After that, we went out to the seagrass beds to see what we could catch using nets and buckets. We found a bunch of cool stuff—hermit crabs, other small crabs, and even a box jellyfish! That one definitely got our attention. We were careful, of course, but it was wild to see one up close.

In the afternoon, we visited what’s called the coral graveyard, and honestly, it was kind of amazing. There were old dead brain corals, finger corals, sea rods, sea fans, and more. It really gave a sense of how much life used to be there. In the shallow water near the rocks, we also saw snails with these round, hard carbonate shells that seal shut like little trapdoors—so cool to watch.

We finished the day with presentations, which was a great way to tie it all together. A long day, but packed with discoveries!