AM data collection always starts each day!! This morning was VERY windy but there was some sunshine trying to clear the rain clouds. That was helpful for Rhody who joined us this morning. The URI mascot (feature photo) met Tilly and Kami who were intrigued by him, though he was not that helpful with data collection. Before meeting the dolphins, Rhody sat with Susie and BigBoy waiting for their daily morning treat from Manon.
We had a slight snafu with the MVA – the screen door on the camera inside the housing closed just before Kathleen got in. So, Manon had to get a towel and silicone grease to reset the o-rings. The session was active underwater and with a strong current (Kathleen earned her breakfast!). Kami and Georgie played a little one-on-one coconut basketball. Buzz and Tank were very synchronous in their behavior around Kathleen and got yelled at by Gracie for their antics!
Two URI students LOVE chocolate cake – so much so that they shared a slice at breakfast (flour, milk, eggs … all in there!).
After breakfast, we went snorkeling! We stayed on the inside of the reef because the swells outside would have made for a slalom ride! The first snorkel brought into view numerous fish, including 2 big lionfish, a couple of sting rays, a trumpetfish, and a SharpTail Eel. Some of us got in for a second snorkel off Lawson Rock and enjoyed the swell, current, and fish.
Remember those two students who LOVE chocolate cake … well, they each had a slice as their lunch starter AND as dessert – with two shared pizzas in between! I bet they’d have had it rather than the brownie at Fiesta night, if available!
After lunch, we shifted to the classroom to practice dolphin IDs from the morning’s video. We are improving … slowly but surely! Jen came in after that and spoke to us about sea turtles. Amazing that their brain is the size of a grape! We shifted to the lounge area to be outside while we had a paper discussion about rake marks. We had about an hour plus to review our portfolios or relax a bit. Tonight was Fiesta Night …
Kathleen and Justin convinced us that the crab races were us crawling backwards on our hands and feet … but nope, it was hermit crab races. Even though Grace’s #10 grab did not win the second heat, Camdyn and Cody did bring home the gold for URI and DCP by being limbo Queen and King!! Well done! The food was yummy and camaraderie better! It was a great day, and Brandon and Perry shared a photo with us to show how much fun we had!
Cheers until tomorrow.
The URI RAMbling Pod