We started off the day with a short ride to North Point of Graham’s Harbor. The professors wanted us to make observations about the patch reefs and introduce us to the typical algae we would see. Although we saw a variety of fish, we picked four or five organisms to observe their interactions with their environment. A couple of our organisms included the Fairy Basslet, a yellow and purple fish, a Giant Sea Anemone, a Fire worm, some Brain Coral, Chiton, Mustard Hill Coral as well as many other colorful fish, coral, and algae. As we were floating between corals, Moira pointed out a Peacock Flounder, known for their camouflaging ability, to Sarah. After several attempts at talking through the snorkel and pointing at the sea floor, Sarah stood to talk above water and stood, scaring the flounder. The flounder quickly swam away from the predator never to be found again.
After a delicious lunch, we headed out to Bonefish Bay, located on the west side of the island. The next two hours were spent exploring the intertidal zone. We turned over many rocks and looked inside all of the nooks and crannies of the sea floor. Throughout our exploration, we found organisms such as the Red Rock Sea Urchin, Fan worms, Brittle Stars, a Puffer fish, Colonial Sea Squirts and many Hermit Crabs. A couple of our most exciting finds were the Queen Helmet and the Spiny Lobster. The Queen Helmet was a large snail inside a huge shell that spiraled down into a flat surface. We ended the day with a quick trip into Cockburn Town. We talked to some of the locals and walked around to three different shops. With lots of aloe and water, we prepare for our next adventure.