This blog is created to allow students who are on the coral reef expedition to Honduras an opportunity to post information and pictures. We will be heading south on 29 June this summer, so should start our blogging shortly thereafter.
Well today is our third day abroad but the first time I will be posting. I will detail what has happened so far. Sunday 29 June 2014: This was a very long day. I arrived at the airport at 7:30 for a flight that left at 9:30. This flight was on time and everything went well. We flew to Miami and had a 2 hour layover. Due to some crew problems we had a bit of a delay. We arrived in San Pedro Sula around 1:00. From the airport we took a 3 hour taxi ride to La Ceiba and stayed at the Gran Paris Hotel that night. We ate at the hotel and went to sleep pretty quickly. Monday 30 June 2014: We woke up around 6:00 the next morning to re-pack and eat breakfast. From here we took a taxi to the dock and had a 2 hour boat ride to Cayos Cochinos and then we arrived. When we got here we brought our bags up to our rooms (a very long, steep walk up to our rooms). We ate lunch and after that it was into the water. Darla and I swam out to a point roughly 0.5 miles out and then made our way back around the coast to the resort. After dinner we began to help Dr. Gilchrist with her shell labelling and went to bed soon after. Tuesday 01 July 2014: This morning I have found a tarantula in my shoe and locked myself out of my room. I will be reporting back in the morning as to what I have done for the day. I plan to swim the rest of the bay and then start trying to find some mantis shrimp
Hi Rob, glad to hear you are having (safe) encounters with wildlife! I just got back from the Origami Convention where I took a class in how to fold a shrimp. Rather more complicated than what I'd usually choose--the instructor/designer finished the last several steps for me, so now the challenge is to reverse-engineer it. Hope you and Darla and Dr. Gilchrist have an exciting (but safe) time! --Sonia
Well, off to a rough start with cameras and computers but finally obtained some decent photos of all sorts of underwater creatures. I am continuing research I started last year on the Common Purple Sea Fan, a gorgonian coral, and its relationship with the Flamingo Tongue snail. I am attempting to find out if the snail vectors the Apergillus sydowii fungus to these fans or if it aides the fan by removing the fungus. It ingests the fungus and uses it as a toxin to protect itself against predators. I am theorizing that the Flamingo Tongue is aiding the fan, gorgonians being its primary source of food, a feeds only a little on the fans, not decimating them, and then moves on to another fan. It may be very difficult to determine this, but I am going to give it a go. Although I am studying these soft corals (non-reef building) I have captured a lot of images of other sea life besides and share it with you now. Unfortunately I was not prepared with a camera and missed a fabulous shot of a Sea Robin. It was very disappointing. That will teach me to take a camera, every time I get in the water. I hope you enjoy these pics and more to come in the following days. Darla P.S. internet finicky today. No Pics :(. Maybe tomorros
So the first time I wrote this it all got deleted. Here goes round 2. For the next couple of days after the previous entry I've been putting out cameras at locations of suspected mantis shrimp burrows. I've swam the entire bay and have finally successfully seen one mantis shrimp! I put a camera at it's burrow and hope to see the shrimp today on the video. I will continue to monitor the burrow and search for more to put a camera on. Over the past few days I've seen a lot of interesting animals. Flying gunards, spotted eagle rays, scorpionfish, barracuda, jacks, and all sorts of other animals. I even swam with a turtle on independence day! It's been fantastic down here. Sadly I cannot upload photos to this site so I cannot show you the view from my room or a view of the bay, but I can definitely say that it is amazing. Update later, Rob
Well today is our third day abroad but the first time I will be posting. I will detail what has happened so far.
ReplyDeleteSunday 29 June 2014:
This was a very long day. I arrived at the airport at 7:30 for a flight that left at 9:30. This flight was on time and everything went well. We flew to Miami and had a 2 hour layover. Due to some crew problems we had a bit of a delay. We arrived in San Pedro Sula around 1:00. From the airport we took a 3 hour taxi ride to La Ceiba and stayed at the Gran Paris Hotel that night. We ate at the hotel and went to sleep pretty quickly.
Monday 30 June 2014:
We woke up around 6:00 the next morning to re-pack and eat breakfast. From here we took a taxi to the dock and had a 2 hour boat ride to Cayos Cochinos and then we arrived. When we got here we brought our bags up to our rooms (a very long, steep walk up to our rooms). We ate lunch and after that it was into the water. Darla and I swam out to a point roughly 0.5 miles out and then made our way back around the coast to the resort. After dinner we began to help Dr. Gilchrist with her shell labelling and went to bed soon after.
Tuesday 01 July 2014:
This morning I have found a tarantula in my shoe and locked myself out of my room. I will be reporting back in the morning as to what I have done for the day. I plan to swim the rest of the bay and then start trying to find some mantis shrimp
-Rob
Hi Rob, glad to hear you are having (safe) encounters with wildlife! I just got back from the Origami Convention where I took a class in how to fold a shrimp. Rather more complicated than what I'd usually choose--the instructor/designer finished the last several steps for me, so now the challenge is to reverse-engineer it. Hope you and Darla and Dr. Gilchrist have an exciting (but safe) time! --Sonia
DeleteJuly 1, 2014
ReplyDeleteWell, off to a rough start with cameras and computers but finally obtained some decent photos of all sorts of underwater creatures. I am continuing research I started last year on the Common Purple Sea Fan, a gorgonian coral, and its relationship with the Flamingo Tongue snail. I am attempting to find out if the snail vectors the Apergillus sydowii fungus to these fans or if it aides the fan by removing the fungus. It ingests the fungus and uses it as a toxin to protect itself against predators. I am theorizing that the Flamingo Tongue is aiding the fan, gorgonians being its primary source of food, a feeds only a little on the fans, not decimating them, and then moves on to another fan. It may be very difficult to determine this, but I am going to give it a go.
Although I am studying these soft corals (non-reef building) I have captured a lot of images of other sea life besides and share it with you now. Unfortunately I was not prepared with a camera and missed a fabulous shot of a Sea Robin. It was very disappointing. That will teach me to take a camera, every time I get in the water. I hope you enjoy these pics and more to come in the following days.
Darla
P.S. internet finicky today. No Pics :(. Maybe tomorros
So the first time I wrote this it all got deleted. Here goes round 2.
ReplyDeleteFor the next couple of days after the previous entry I've been putting out cameras at locations of suspected mantis shrimp burrows. I've swam the entire bay and have finally successfully seen one mantis shrimp! I put a camera at it's burrow and hope to see the shrimp today on the video. I will continue to monitor the burrow and search for more to put a camera on.
Over the past few days I've seen a lot of interesting animals. Flying gunards, spotted eagle rays, scorpionfish, barracuda, jacks, and all sorts of other animals. I even swam with a turtle on independence day! It's been fantastic down here. Sadly I cannot upload photos to this site so I cannot show you the view from my room or a view of the bay, but I can definitely say that it is amazing.
Update later,
Rob