I Can Hang Here 6/30/15

"I can hang here!" as Olivia says is becoming my outlook on life for the next 3 weeks or even longer. Today was the first time in a long time that I have willingly begun to wake up at 6:30am (granted I don't think I am quite used to the time change yet). We woke up and had a lesson right after a tasty breakfast of French toast and apples. We are beginning to familiarize ourselves with the species that we are observing on the reefs. The more we are out there the more we are seeing and noticing more detailed differences and the smaller species as opposed to just being overwhelmed with giant hunky bits of coral and fish in your face (literally sometimes). We had two snorkeling trips this time; the first was further, directly offshore to home reef which was at a much greater depth and which I think I saw a greater variety of species. We were out for over an hour and I'm told that next week we will be out for around two hours at a time. Some species of note were the barracuda, flamingo tongue (a beautiful time of worm), balloon fish (a pointier looking puffer fish, and two species of algae. The first algae kind of looked like a giant pearl or shiny bubble and the other looked like a beautiful green, fuzzy rose.

Christmas Tree worms

"Under water roses" also known as a form of algae.

Flamingo tongue. Interestingly they feed on theses fans.

Branching coral

Leukenoid sponge

After we came in we had lunch and rested. It always feels like you are just floating along out there but then you try and walk and realize just how tired you are from your body burning lots of calories to keep your body temperature up. Lunch was a tasty salad affair which also included us journal-ing down the various species that we had observed.

Then, all of a sudden, while I was reclining in a hammock there was this almighty bang/cracking noise!! What do you know a coconut had just fallen from one of the nearby trees. Natalie quickly went to grab it and shook it hopefully. Sure enough there was liquid inside. We hailed down Adam, one of the TBR guys and he got a hole opened up for us and in no time we were all drinking the coconut water straight out of little, blue plastic straws. I felt like I was in an advertisement! When the water was all gone, it had gotten mixed reviews with mine as a thumbs up, Adam whacked it open with a machete and I got to taste for the first time ever fresh coconut meat. Yet another billboard-esque moment for me. The meat was touch to scrape out with our teeth but after a while you got used to it. You just had to be sure you didn't bite right through the shell. After our little snack it was time to head out again.

The second dive seemed really smooth, partially because it was so shallow and warm and partially as we learned later, because of the longshore current that was pushing us in the right direction. Right off the bat, Austin and I found a  bizarre looking "walking".... We continued to kick along and  the habitats that we got to observe in the southern direction were rockier and the fish seemed to use the rocky overhangs for hiding. Everywhere you looked the water was clear and beautiful. As you swam along it seemed as though you moved from hot tub-like waters to cool and almost chilly waters. One really cool thing we got to see was what Professor Gilchrist liked to joke was "Fan City" because of all of the fan corals that were attached to the rocks. It was an interesting view that looked like purple cabbages waving to and fro in an underwater gust of wind.

This dude named a flying gnar (I am not really sure how to spell it) was "walking" along the bottom of the ocean floor with what I assumed are modified pelvic or pectoral fins. There were so many appendages that I don't know what exactly the "legs" were. 

This little gem was the shiny piece of algae. 

The purple in this picture doesn't do it justice!

The urchins were everywhere!

I think this was a piece of fire coral but the general rule has been don't touch anything, especially things that are red, orange, or yellow. 

Diseased :(

I couldn't get a good shot at this guy/lady, but once again pictures don't do the vibrancy of the fish justice.  

There was a very large and very long rick that was covered in this stuff!

Welcome to....

FAN CITY!

Once we got out back from this snorkel after swimming against the longshore current we were all beat. Everyone either got out to get dressed, flopped onto the sand, or floated aimlessly around in the shallow water right at the beach trying to get Kona to chase rocks. I'm sitting now in my hammock hung up on our porch listening to the water and wind and feeling the sun gently hit my face through the leaves of the trees. Its a satisfying day.

I think that later we are going to have class, eat dinner, get my dive license checked so I can go diving at some point, and then keep resting. Everyday its so very important to recharge so we don't get burnt out. Off to take pictures and see the sunset!