1st Day in PR!

 What an incredible way to start these MARB 489 courses!! we began this morning by preparing gear for our afternoon samplings with both the mangroves and seagrass beds in Cayo Carocoles. For lunch, we took a look around the University's marine laboratory by going up to Tsunamis point. From there, we could see almost every Cayo in the surrounding area, and where seagrass beds had been affected by human impact. Afterwards, we heard from graduate students at the University of Puerto Rico at Magueyes marine laboratory. Ignacio, Carolina, and Janluis presented about their research projects around noon today! (all were so fascinating to see) Even with such vast knowledge of marine sciences with 3D mapping of deep sea corals, aquaculture on Aluva, or how coral reefs help reduce wave energy in order to protect shorelines, each project was unique and intriguing to the continuation of studying the importance of both deep sea and benthic marine life! Speaking of marine life, Plenty of diversity to see in our afternoon snorkeling, my personal favorite had to be the school of tarpon or juvenile stingray. Overall, this was a great way to start this journey and I'm looking forward to tomorrow's adventures as well!