The morning was BUSY! Data collection was eventful with several somewhat odd interactions. Bailey and Tilly swam together pec fin slapping at the surface. Kathleen watched Trixie kick at Mr. French and then apologize a minute later with a belly rub! And, both from underwater and above the water we all watched Sandy and Kami play a bit of chase while Poli kept tabs on them both. After AM data collection and a hearty breakfast, we boarded the Dona Yita for a double snorkel trip toward West End. The sea was almost glassy calm, and we could actually see Utila from Roatan and the mountains of the mainland! And, the underwater visibility was spectacular. On the first snorkel, some of us saw a lizard fish, some of us saw a filefish, most of us saw the trumpet fish, and we were swarmed by a school of sergeant majors. The second location was just as good for visibility and yielded two hawksbill turtles! One (pictured here) was very calm around us and let everyone get photos and a good look! Everyone enjoyed this spot, except Manon said it was too warm.
We delayed lunch a bit to all have a thorough desalination. Lunch was topped off by a delicious passionfruit ice cream that gave us energy for the afternoon discussions/debates. We listened to Marriah, Liz, and Katariina outline their beginning PhD paper topics. Kristin chatted with Daniel, Anna, and Amalia about their course projects. And all of us wrapped up the evening by bopping to the beat of the lively musicians who launched this evening’s fiesta celebration. Tomorrow promises more underwater fun!
Until then,
Cheers
The York U team