Woke up to a beautiful sunrise morning, looking at the vast, luscious mountains. We traveled a short distance on the water taxi to IslaMagueyes to the University of Puerto Rico - Marine Science Laboratories, which was crawling with iguanas. I loved setting up the lab equipment, such as the BRUVS, gear bags for snorkeling, and checking to ensure our microscopes work. The excitement was contagious, and it’s rewarding to work alongside my classmates who are equally invested in our journey here in Puerto Rico. We ate lunch overlooking at a tsunami watch point and after, headed to our first lunch and learn, which was presented by three talented grad students who each had diverse interests in marine biology, from deep sea corals, farming with macroalgae, and physical oceanography. I gained a new perspective on my interests and educational path regarding my career choice in the future. Next up was snorkeling and practicing field methods at Cayo Caracoles. It was teeming with marine life, and my favorite aspect of snorkeling was the photography. I love taking pictures and have rediscovered my passion while surveying through the mangroves. We practiced how to do transects, sediment core sampling, and watched Dr. Matich perform a “pinhole” experiment on a seagrass sample to measure productivity and we will return to collect at the end of our trip to measure the growth of the grass. Thrilled for what tomorrow awaits. Song of the day: Into the Mystic – Van Morrison
Favorite Pics of today:
It all sounds lovely and the pics 😍
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