Epilogue

     Well, the trip to Florida has come to an end and it was a great experience, and a lot was learned from visiting all the places that we did. From the beach cleaning to shark tagging and more it was something I will remember and will be sure to come back down to southern Florida and revisit many of the places we went to. This was my first time visiting the Florida Keys and the atmosphere down there was a very relaxed feeling and all the people I met were very chill and loved what they do. This was the first marine biology class I have taken, and it has definitely gotten me more interested in this particular field of science. I want to give my top 3 experiences that were my favorite ones throughout the trip. 

#1: Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park. 

One of my favorite places we visited was Windley Key State Park. I learned a lot about how the Florida Keys were formed and learned about Henry Flagler and how he built his railroad down to Key West back in the 1900’s. It was also a shocker to learn that the Florida Keys had their own quarry for limestone which was not something I would have expected to find in such a location. It was interesting to see all the fossils that were embedded into all the rock formations and how the huge rocks were blasted, moved, and cut into slabs to be used for building and decoration and the machinery used for that work. I also learned all about the local flora and fauna thanks to the one and only Ranger Chris. His tour of the park was unforgettable with his enthusiasm and love for his job. He was very informative and was great at explaining all the things during the tour and he definitely made me chuckle when he got attacked by a cactus trying to get to a tree to teach us about it. I’m glad we were able to have him as a tour guide and I would recommend him to anyone wanting to visit the park.  

#2 Shark Tagging 

I have been on boats and have caught sharks before but going on the trip at the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation was new and was a lot of fun. We all went out and learned the rigs used to catch the sharks, got to deploy them, retrieve them, and with some luck and patience we ended up with a few nurse sharks caught. I learned all about how they keep the sharks in place on the boat, how they tag them, and how they get all their information and measurements. We also got to team up with Minorities In Shark Science on the trip and got to work alongside them when we teamed up to deploy and retrieve the rigs. The waves were gnarly and if you weren’t holding on to something you were stumbling to the other side of the boat or falling. We also got to take photos with the sharks that were caught and I hope I can go experience something like that again someday. 

#3: Bahia Honda State Park 

Our first stop of the trip was a beach cleanup on the south end of Bahia Honda State Park. We cleaned trash off of about a half to one mile stretch of natural beach that has been accumulating debris from littering. It was not as easy as first thought since one second you were on solid ground and the next step you were knee deep in sargassum and mud. I learned that there's a time and a place for flip flops since I almost got mine stuck a half dozen times sinking into the mud. Even though the air was funky and the mini quicksand pits were trying to steal my footwear, it felt good getting all that trash off of the beach. It was surprising at how much trash accumulates onto the beaches in just such a short stretch of beach. Afterwards, we got to get some food at their gift shop/ concession stand and the tuna wrap did not disappoint.

 

All in all this was a great experience coming down to the Florida Keys and the Everglades and I will be sure to be back to the places I’ve visited. It was also nice being able to meet a bunch of new people and get to know my fellow classmates a little better. The heat was unrelenting, but it did not take away from the fun. If anyone reading this may be thinking of taking this course and going on this trip at one point I would recommend it as it was very informative and I had a great time during the Florida trip.