Data collection went well … our last morning of observing the dolphins and they did not disappoint. There was social activity at the surface and lots of splashing in front of the Palapa and near Platform 1. Kathleen said the underwater visibility was not great, but she was still able to get some neat behaviors recorded. Gracie made an appearance several times (feature) and Gizmo and Kami played the mouth game in front of the MVA.
We also had our last boat snorkel this morning and traveled to West Bay where we watched a spotted eagle ray foraging. We now know what causes those circular depressions in the sand! Very cool. This location also had lots of fish over a shallow reef.
After returning from the snorkel and cleaning up, we met to finish discussing the last few questions for our Q&A session. Lunch followed after which we watched the morning video and then listened to Teri about Operant Conditioning. After Teri, Don shared a cliff notes version of his varied life experiences. His advice about following one’s own path resonated.
We had a small break to begin packing (or do last minute souvenir shopping) before dinner. After dinner, we headed to the classroom to compete in a dolphin ID contest – Congrats to Avery! She correctly ID’d 21 of 25 dolphins … the most ever by a field course participant. Then we all played DCP’s version of Jeopardy with Sarah the big winner.
Dominick – Best Week Ever! I’m so grateful for the opportunity, all the friends I made, and the people I learned from.
Anna – This was an amazing opportunity that I will never forget, and the highlight of my day was karaoke on top of the snorkel boat.
Avery – This week was an absolute blast, and I have no more words left.
Savanna – I really appreciated everything we learned this week and all the discussions we had and it was really cool seeing an eagle ray forage today.
Sarah – This week tested my physical and mental abilities that forever changed me as a person for the positive. I’m glad I got to experience this opportunity, and I will share it with others.
Olivia – I hope I get to come back to Roatan and see the dolphins again eventually one day.
Megan – This was an amazing week, and I was very happy to see an eagle ray today.
Katie – I’m grateful for this opportunity to meet so many amazing people and to learn from a variety of life experiences.
Evelyn – This week was full of learning and laughter, and the highlight today was DCP Jeopardy tonight.
Don – Best Group Ever!
Manon – It was a good week with interesting discussions and a good interactive group of students. Safe Travel Home.
Shane – Good group but catching the eagle ray on video … best day of the week!
This was a great week with lots of data and engaged students. Kathleen, Manon, Don, and the entire DCP team hopes everyone has a safe travel home.
Cheers
The CSU nonuplets