Data collection went well with better underwater visibility. And it was the first full day of both surface and space use data collection by our CSU students. Well done! The dolphins were more quiet overall with Gizmo showing lots of interest in the MVA (see below) and Stan and Tank less curious about Kathleen’s fins (hurray).
After breakfast, we reviewed the morning’s video and practiced some dolphin IDs. Then, we hopped onto the shuttle bus and road across the island to our boat to head to Maya Key. We traveled a new path and went west then south and then east to take the scenic route to our boat. Snorkeling was fun (feature photo) with good visibility and views of two octopuses, a diamondback squid egg case, and a big Crevalle jack as well as another remora (Ramona #2) as we prepared to exit the water.
After a buffet lunch, we toured the island and visited the Mayan Ruin Replica and some of the animals. The spider monkeys won the day. Our return trek went around the east side of Roatan and gave us more glimpses of other sections of the island. After cleaning up, we met in the classroom where Shane led a conversation about endotherms/ectotherms or more a review of differences between sharks and dolphins. After this, Kathleen gave us an introduction to DCP’s research at RIMS and at other locations – wild and managed care with small and large dolphins. This talk was attended by Roatan Marine Park members, the RIMS training team, and one of Jennifer’s student groups. The questions after the talk were engaging and fun.
Tomorrow has us helping with data collection and jumping into the physiology topic. Below are our impressions from today.
Dominick – Today is the best day of my life because I saw an octopus.
Katie – A remora befriended me while snorkeling and I began developing my skills for dolphin recognition and identification.
Avery – The visit to Maya Key was amazing especially snorkeling and I’m thankful that Dr. Kanatous ordered chocolate cake for me.
Anna – I saw a lionfish tucked under a rock, but I was sad that I didn’t get to show it to anybody.
Olivia – I never thought I would ever play fetch with a dolphin, but I did today.
Savanna – It was great jumping into space use data collection and seeing some active octopus at Maya Key.
Megan – I saw a giant (to me) octopus and made it through the day without a sunburn.
Sarah – Maya Key was awesome because of the food, music, and all the animals there that we got to see … specifically the rescued spider monkeys.
Evelyn – I have never snorkeled in that deep of water before, but it was fun even if I was cold, and I’ve never discussed Jello as much as tonight at dinner.
Don – Kathleen’s lecture was awesome!
Manon – It was nice to be able to enjoy Maya Key without any cruise ship.
Shane – After 9 years of visiting Roatan, I finally got to see the rest of the island on the adjusted shuttle ride to and from Maya Key.
Cheers
The CSU nonuplets