Thanksgiving in the Bahamas

Happy Thanksgiving! How many people in the world can say that they spent this holiday snorkeling in the blue-green waters of the Bahamas? Although it was windy, we made it into the water first at Snapshot Reef in the morning and then at Rice Bay in the afternoon. Rice Bay actually has transect lines that John wanted to see and collect data. As we approached this area we could tell right away that it was going to be difficult to get much data as the wind and waves were strong. We made the decision to go out and do what we could. I took Jewels, another Earthwatch teacher, with me and a PI square and headed for the reef. Along the way we were able to spot several large lobster. These lobsters are much different looking than what you would see in a restaurant or even the ones I have seen at Catalina. The lobsters here are light in color and spotted somewhat with the colors of the reef wall. You had to look closely to even see them even though they were quite large. Jewels and I worked hard to collect data from the PI frames, but we found that the wave current was too strong to continue. We were being thrown against the reef and were afraid of damaging animals. The sad part for me is that we only observed algae, rocks, sand, and a few soft corals under our PI frames. I don’t have enough history to tell you whether this is normal or a change that has been occurring over time, but I am sure that our researchers would like to see more evidence of coral growth. I did, however, see a few very beautiful smooth brain corals that at least, at this point, look healthy. Unfortunately, I almost bumped into a Lion Fish, which is not a good sign for the environment as they are not native, and they are dangerous to humans. Everything considered, it was a fantastic day and it is always nice to crawl into bed each night knowing that you worked hard and tried to do some good in the world.

Rice Bay

Happy Thanksgiving! How many people in the world can say that they spent this holiday snorkeling in the blue-green waters of the Bahamas? Although it was windy, we made it into the water first at Snapshot Reef in the morning and then at Rice Bay in the afternoon. Rice Bay actually has transect lines that John wanted to see and collect data. As we approached this area we could tell right away that it was going to be difficult to get much data as the wind and waves were strong. We made the decision to go out and do what we could. I took Jewels, another Earthwatch teacher, with me and a PI square and headed for the reef. Along the way we were able to spot several large lobster. These lobsters are much different looking than what you would see in a restaurant or even the ones I have seen at Catalina. The lobsters here are light in color and spotted somewhat with the colors of the reef wall. You had to look closely to even see them even though they were quite large. Jewels and I worked hard to collect data from the PI frames, but we found that the wave current was too strong to continue. We were being thrown against the reef and were afraid of damaging animals. The sad part for me is that we only observed algae, rocks, sand, and a few soft corals under our PI frames. I don’t have enough history to tell you whether this is normal or a change that has been occurring over time, but I am sure that our researchers would like to see more evidence of coral growth. I did, however, see a few very beautiful smooth brain corals that at least, at this point, look healthy. Unfortunately, I almost bumped into a Lion Fish, which is not a good sign for the environment as they are not native, and they are dangerous to humans. Everything considered, it was a fantastic day and it is always nice to crawl into bed each night knowing that you worked hard and tried to do some good in the world.

Lindsay's Reef

The morning was spent at Lindsay’s reef. This time is was to collect data along the transect lines. These lines have been in place since the early 1990’s and given researchers valuable information about the health of the reels. They now know that there was a major coral die-off during the late 1980’s and that the recovery is still unsure. They have had a major die-off of urchins that eat algae and so as a result, they speculate that this has given rise to an increase in algae forms.

As we prepared to enter the water, John and his team swam out to the study area to locate the transect posts. Once that was done we worked in our respective groups of four and joined them. Our group worked on the A and C transect lines. We also collected temperature and water samples. We tested the turbidity of the water with a Secchi disk and then inspected the lines for signs of bleaching. We found only one knobby finger coral that had any signs of bleaching, about 20%. The hardest part of this job is keeping yourself from the reef. It is a chore to NOT touch the reef and at the same time to keep from injurying your neighbor. I was so concerned about not damaging the reef that it made it difficult to maneuver around. The water was still a bit chilly, so we were only able to stay out for a couple of hours at that. The surge was also hard to work with, but it was still a great time and the sun was shining!

Lindsay's Reef

Snapshot Reef

23 November 08

Winds are still a problem, so we took the morning to do a little beach survey around Rocky Point and Lindsey Reef. This involves taking measurements of the incline of the beach as it works its way toward the sea. This gives the ecologists an idea of the erosion levels along these shores. It was a good project to complete while we waited for the wind to die down.

As afternoon approached, we found the winds had subsided and it was HOT in the sun. Just what we wanted. So we packed up the snorkeling gear and drove to French Bay. The wind was horrible and there were tourists on watercraft, so we turned to plan B, which involved driving over to Telephone Pole Bay. It sounds like we travel for hours to get from one place to another, but when you consider that the island is only five miles by ten miles, it takes almost no time at all to get where we want to go.

One of our expedition leaders, Paola, suggested that we swim out to the reef drop off, about 1000 yards from shore in Telephone Pole Bay. About half way out to the drop off is a beautiful reef called Snapshot reef. A buoy to help us find our way out and back marks this reef. I have to admit that I was a little intimidated by the idea of going out so far and to swim in water that is over 6000 ft deep at the drop off, but what do you do? I must say that it was amazing! We identified several coral; brain coral, lettuce coral, fire coral and a variety of colorful fish. We did get to see a stingray and a Barracuda. The Barracuda actually shot up towards one of our team members to check out his fin. Luckily this five-foot animal with razor sharp teeth was not interested and turned around to head back to the ocean floor. It was also lucky that this team member did not know the Barracuda was investigating him or he would have freaked. He had just been talking to us earlier about a friend of his that was attacked by a Barracuda. I have to admit that I did not feel threatened, but I can now understand how quickly things can happen. I also found out that a five-foot shark was out at the drop off. I did not see this animal or I would have possibly lost it. All I can say is that I am grateful for experienced researchers that know what they are doing and are looking out for a novice person like myself.

22 November 08

You would not believe the wind! I affects everything that we would like to do today. We can’t get satellite connection nor can we get in the water. One member of the research team that visits San Salvador often, commented that she has never seen the waves this high nor has it ever been this cold. We traveled into town this afternoon and stopped by Memorial beach to snorkel and get used to things, but it was too rough to snorkel. We did dip our feet into the water and it was definitely warmer in the water than just standing on the beach watching. This beach, by the way, was named because of the large memorial placed here in honor of the 1968 Olympics held in Mexico City. But…despite the wind, the beaches and water are magnificent!




Where we are staying is called Gerace Research Center. It was a Naval base during the 1950’s and 60’s. Currently it is a research center for groups that come to San Salvador. The director of this facility actually answers to the Bahamian Department of Education.

Back to business…. I asked you last time if you could tell me the chemical composition of seawater. I do have an answer for you. Actually, the salinity of seawater can vary, but the proportion of its salt always stays the same. On average, 1 kilogram of seawater contains 35 grams of salt. The major components of seawater are chloride (55 % by weight), sodium (31 %), sulfate (8%), magnesium (4%), calcium (1%), potassium (1%), and bicarbonate, bromide, boric acid, strontium, and fluoride (all less than 1%). Why don’t you find out the main sources of the sea’s saltiness. There are three main sources…

23 November 08

This morning we met as a research team to go over the details of our data collection. John Rollino, the research director, talked with us about his work here in the Bahamas and what types of data he would like us to collect. We will be working in small groups and snorkeling out to four separate patch reefs that are located around the island. Years ago, John and his team placed dock spikes in the reef to indicate the area of study. These spikes help us create a transect line. The transect is a linear line through an area that ultimately gives us a larger picture of what specimens exist in the bigger environment. In other words, it is a way to collect a sample.

In the Caribbean, there are about 53 species of coral and we will see about a dozen or so of those. Part of our work is to use the transect to identify healthy coral from those that are suffering from bleaching. Bleaching is when a coral polyp has literally thrown up it’s symbiotic algae. It is the algae that gives the coral it’s color and also helps to feed the coral through photosynthesis. Bleaching could be an indication of a bigger problem and if the coral does not recover, it dies. The research team will also be taking water samples at each dock spike as well as testing the turbidity of the water with a Secchi disk. This device helps us test the clarity of the water. This would be a good question for you to ask those amazing science teachers at North Sanpete. I am sure they have all used a Secchi disk at some point in their careers. We will also be using a point intercept grid made out of PVC pipe, tape and string to identify the animal species within this grid. This grid looks like a very large picture frame. You snorkel out to the coral, throw the grid and let it sink. Then, you identify all the animal and plant life within the frame. I have a picture of it that I will show you later. Pictures are difficult to download here because of the technology, so they will have to wait. As I go through the week, I will be sure to add more details about what we find and how this all works. Today, we just learned our jobs. This would be a great time for you to find out more about coral bleaching if you haven’t already.


We took the afternoon to test out our equipment. The wind is still rough and the sea is not very inviting, but we decided it was worth a trip to the southern shore to jump in. When we arrived, the sea was a bit more calm, but the water a bit cooler than yesterday. We stuffed our bodies into those wetsuits and off we snorkeled into the blue ocean. It was great! There were patch coral reefs filled with various species of coral. One of the research team members, Elizabeth, was a fantastic tour guide. She helped to identify the coral, both hard and soft, and the algae. She was also very good at describing all the possible bad things that could happen to us out there. Like…not to be too afraid of the tiger sharks or the hammerheads! WHAT???!!! We were also told to not touch the coral as some of the species could be very harmful for us and we are definitely harmful to the coral.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

I forget how strange it is, in many ways, to get on a plane and travel to another country. I have traveled to a few other countries over the years, and each time I wonder if I will recover from the exhaustion of just sitting in the airline seat for hours at a time. I also have a bit of apprehension about going to a new place and not knowing where I am. For instance, I flew to Atlanta to connect to my flight to the Bahamas. This airport is the size of our county! After finding which gate I needed, I then had NO CLUE where to go. Thankfully, there are people to ask, but even their directions are intimidating. I had to walk a mile (it seemed) and then descend to another level of the airport and then get on a train and then travel to the far reaches of the airport and then try to get a new boarding pass. All this for the sake of having fun! Wish you all were here!

I had the chance to study up on our ocean study during my airport adventures. I think that we should talk for a minute about what the ocean really is. During the formation of the earth, it rained on our planet for millions of years according to scientists. This water filled the basins of the earth and became the oceans we have today. But our oceans are more than just the water that covers almost 3/4's of the earth's surface. This water is truly the foundation of life. We will talk about the connection between humans and the oceans another day. My question today is for all the chemistry students out there. What is the chemical composition of ocean water?

I have included a map of the island so that you can see where I will be during the coral reef study. Earthwatch volunteers having been coming to this island to study coral reefs since 1992.  They have been collecting information about coral populations, erosion and water quality.  I asked you a question in the previous post about why this island is so important to our history.  In 1492, Christopher Columbus made his first landfall in the New World at San Salvador.  At the time, the island was inhabited by Lucayans, a native population which lived by fishing and agriculture.  You can see his exploration of the island from the map.