As we descended to our second dive today off of Captain Slate's dive charter, Dr. Z pointed out a algal encrusted Buddha statue sunk in memory of someone! Of course we rubbed it for good luck!
Today I experienced what it was like to be a fish. Dr. Z, Erika, and I completed two dives off of Key Largo. Living like a fish on a reef was everything it could have been. I followed a school of grunts for a long distance as they weren't concerned while I was right over top of them following along. It's truly amazing how close they swim to and mimic each other. This technique provides them with protection from predators. Following the tail in front of you could get tiring after awhile, as you would imagine. So, we also saw contrasting schools of fish hiding under the ledges of the reef. Still in the same formation, but hanging out conserving energy for more important things throughout their day.
Among the larger animals, that everyone gets excited about, we saw a nurse shark, two stingrays, dinner plate sized parrot fish, moray eels, and lobster. It was amazing to see the behaviors in the wild that aquariums miss. For example, the sound of the parrot fish gnawing on the corals sounded like a constant crackling coming from the reef! As we learned in lecture, these parrot fish Are responsible for the beautiful white sandy beaches we enjoy so much! They eat the calcium carbonate corals and after digestion comes out the sand you sit on in southern Caribbean regions! Yes it's coral and poop from parrot fish! Turns out the Buddha was good luck because we saw every fish and then some!
As we were completely immersed in the reef, we did see implanted staghorn corals from MOTE's effort of coral reef restoration. This was amazing to see on top of the mostly algal coverage of the reef a beautiful endangered staghorn coral colony doing well. Everyone should have a chance to explore the waters below to help preserve this beautiful and extremely important ecosystem!
More on the coral restoration projects in the keys to keep the reefs alive! https://mote.org/research/program/coral-reef-restoration
That's really cool that you got to see the coral implants that we heard so much about before hand
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing that you got to dive down and see so much. I couldn't even find the buddha from snorkeling on the surface...
ReplyDeleteIt was definitely a proud feeling when I was actually able to identify the different forms of marine life. Sometime it was hard to distinguish between certain fishes being that some fish have similar body plans and similar coloring. As a snorkeler, I thought I did a pretty good job with identifications. I really wish I could've had my scuba certification before the trip, but once I do get it I would redo this whole trip in a heartbeat!
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