Our second-to-last day at the reef! It’s crazy to think about how quickly time has passed since being at GRRS. I think being on the beach has genuinely made time pass differently, but still so worthwhile.

Today, our main project focused on understanding protected zones in the ocean. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are regions of the ocean designated for long-term conservation, maintaining reef flora and fauna in the area. To understand the impact of these zones, we performed some surveys of both MPA areas and non-MPA areas. Which ended up being a bit harder than it sounded. We started by using these quadrants, letting them settle to the ocean floor, and taking pictures of the area. Kinda like this!

Adam and I did really good with the first few quadrants. Unfortunately, as time passed it became harder for me to dive all the way down and retrieve the quadrants, so Adam carried that massively. We even ended up being a bit behind at the end, but we ended up pushing through, and some people saw a dolphin in the extra time we were underwater! (Who are we if not people who create opportunities?)

We ended up making the poster later in the day, which was super fun. Elise cooked with our title. And then it was dock time and watching the sea life. 

Taxon update! A bunch of striped parrotfish in the MPAs, which made me super happy.

#Our last day tomorrow!!