Home Sweet Home

After about 24 hours, I am back home in Colorado. All the unpacking can wait until later because I am beat after traveling all day. It's time for bed and sleeping in...hopefully!

Colorado Bound

I have been up since 6:00am travelling back to Colorado. The day started off with a nice rain on the drive to the airport where I got to enjoy the scenery of the island. Dominica is very beautiful and I wish I had more time to explore the island. This just gives me a reason to go back sometime in the future.

I island hopped from Dominica to Antigua to Puerto Rico and finally to the US. I am in New York City waiting for my flight back to Denver. My flight is suppose to land in Denver around 11:00pm where I will have one of my friends picking me up to then drive an hour to Fort Collins. I am almost home! Sad yet happy.

Last Day in Tropical Paradise

For our last day in Dominica, we spent the day walking around town, swimming, and packing. We started our morning in the water followed by a nice stroll into town for lunch. After lunch, we came back to our room to enjoy the beautiful view of the ocean for shore and in the water. At sunset, we got some dinner to then begin packing. I was able to get my all my belongings plus some of my brother's things all into one checked bag, a carry-on, and a backpack.

I am truly going to miss living on an island and being able to go SCUBA diving or swimming every single day. Tomorrow I will be saying goodbye to warm weather and saying hello to winter. I am excited to see friends and family after being away for over 3 months to share my education abroad experience and celebrate graduation. Then it is on to new adventures!

Boat & Night Diving

Today, my brother and I did another set of boat diving. Our first dive was at a site called Scott's Head Drop Off. Here we explored another cliff reef. However, the depth was not as deep as the dive from yesterday because we were able to see the bottom when diving. During this dive, we saw a frogfish, Queen conch, scorpionfish, jellyfish, and many more. This dive was very enjoyable and beautiful.

Can you spot the scorpionfish?

During our surface interval, we drove to the next dive site stopping at Bubbles Beach to learn a little bit about the island. There are nine volcanoes with seven of them being active. Out of all Caribbean islands Dominica has the most per square kilometer. These volcanoes produce geothermal energy, which you can feel in the water such as at Champagne Reef. One fun fact that we learned was that parts of the Pirates of the Caribbean were filmed here. We also learned about the Roman Catholic Church of St. Mark, which was on the waterfront by Bubbles Beach. It is located in the quiet fishing village of Soufriere.

Our second dive was at Champagne Reef. This was a very pleasant dive where I saw a lot of things I was familiar with. I was able to show my brother garden eels in the sand flats. After diving along the reef, we came to an area were there were bubbles coming up from the seabed that is compared to bubbles in champagne. There are seven active volcanoes on the island so the hot, fresh water that is coming from the seabed are generated from the volcanic activity under the earth.

After our diving this morning, we went into town to get some lunch. We had a wonderful meal and when we were walking back home we stopped and talked to a local for a while. During our conversation with the local it started to rain, which allowed us to extend the conversation. We learned more about the culture especially the dancing, bele. When the raining let up a bit, we finished our way back to our hotel room to relax for a bit before a shore night dive.

Beginning the evening right with a beautiful sunset

We went on an hour night dive exploring the house reef. We spent a majority of the time in the small seagrass bed. Before going over the seagrass beds, I spotted a lesser electric eel swimming in the sand flats. I saw a number of different crabs and shrimp within the grass. I also come upon a spotted snake eel poking out of a little sandy patch in the middle of the seagrass bed. There was also a scorpionfish that was snoozing in the turtle grass. Shortly, after the sighting of the scorpionfish, we saw a batfish chilling in the sand next to the seagrass bed. This was a fun sighting because the fish is so unique looking. I personally did not get a photo but the guy we were diving with got some photos, which he offered to share with us. After our dive, we relaxed on the dock talking about the dive and many more things. Today has been a tremendous day and I can not believe my vacation is almost over.

Boat Diving

Today was our first set of boat dives. We started off with a deep dive of about 75 feet at Dangleben's Pinnacles. It was a very pleasant dive where we saw yellownose jawfish, balloonfish, banded shrimp, longsnout butterflyfish, and many more. Our second dive was at L'Abym, which was a wall dive. We descended to about 35 feet where the wall began. We swam along the wall staying around 40 feet enjoying the reef system thriving with marine life. I spotted some lobsters under an overhang. 

In comparison to Bonaire, the reef system here in Dominica is quite different. There are a lot more sponges and barrel sponges. Marine life so far has been fairly similar though. 

Banded shrimp

Longsnout butterflyfish

Taking the Lead

Two more dives are in the books, but his time I got to share the experience with my brother. Though my brother was SCUBA certified before me, I have more training, so I was able to take the lead to teach him a few things about diving and the marine environment. Studying all those fish for the past few months paid off because I was able to tell my brother what fish we saw after our dives. Some of the marine life we saw were balloonfish, smallmouth grunts, yellowline arrow crab, black long-spined sea urchin (Diadema antillarum), spotted drum fish, french grunts, scorpionfish, lobsters, spotted moray eels, and a lionfish.

Balloonfish

Lobsters

Yellowline arrow crab

In between dives, we went to Roseau to have lunch and explore. As we were walking to town, locals would briefly greet us with one local having a conversation with us. People on the island are friendly. When in town, we walked around some of the local souvenir stands since there was a cruise ship in town and they were all set up. We then had a delicious lunch. 

This evening we watched the sunset listening to a local jazz band during dinner. It was a pleasant way to wrap up a wonderful day.

Welcome to Dominica

Today I was island hopping from Curaçao to Dominica to meet up with my brother for more diving adventures. My first flight was delayed in Curaçao for an hour. However, it did not impact my connecting flight in Sint Maarten because I had a five-hour layover. I arrived in Sint Maarten around lunchtime. I enjoyed the view from the airport of the island until my flight to Dominica. The flight was on time for this final leg of my journey. I arrived in Dominica right around sunset and was picked up to head to the hotel I will be staying at with my brother. The ride from the airport was about an hour and half. The driver talked about the history and culture of the island along the way pointing out things when he could because it was dark shortly after we left the airport. We drove through the Kalinago Territory, which is the name of the indigenous people of Dominica. The territory is made up of multiple villages governed by a chief and six council members. Our driver also said that the only thing that really remains of the native culture is basket making. Only a few words in the native language are used and some of the dancing still exists. The most common wildlife found on the island are iguanas, agouti (looks like a very large guinea pig), and opossum. There are also boa constrictors on the island.

I finally arrived at the hotel and was greeted by my brother. My luggage was taken to our room while I checked in. We then went to the room to drop off the rest of my things and then went to dinner. We talked about many things during dinner. I am so glad to see my brother and get to share this experience with him.

Flying over some island on my way to Dominica

Almost in Dominica

Arrived in Dominica

Submersion

Over the past three months I have been immersing myself in a field of study that I have always had an interest in. From a young age, I have always found the marine environment fascinating, but never had an opportunity to really explore and see if it was a path I would want to pursue for a potential career. When this opportunity presented itself to me, I took advantage of it to embark on an adventure that would provide clarity in what direction I would like my future to go.

As you all know, I literally have submerged myself in the marine environment for extended periods of time exploring the depths of the ocean. I have learned so much about the marine environment during my time in Bonaire but there is still so much more to learn. There are so many mysteries in the depths of the ocean that it is a treasure trove waiting to be discovered.

Diving has allowed me the chance to explore the underwater world were these mysteries lie to begin understanding the complexity and importance of these ecosystems. I can see myself continuing down this path because there is so much more to learn. Besides the learning, I feel at peace in or near the water.

Descending below the water’s surface, I enter an atmosphere of serenity that comforts me allowing me to clear my head of all the things that do not matter. All the worry, stress, and uncertainty are washed away. The tranquility of feeling weightless in the water surrounded by the quietness comforts me. I am alone with my own thoughts and emotions without the distractions of the world to think more clearly. Time passes in a different way when beneath the surface. It can feel like only twenty minutes have passed when it in fact an hour has already passed. I am in my own world but close to others sharing in the experience and provide support if needed.

All the people that have come into my life through this journey have made a lasting impact on me and helped provide the clarity I was looking for. Lifelong friendships were made and I am going to miss everyone that I have spent the last three months with exploring the underwater world and life abroad in a different culture. Here are to all the memories created during this adventure in the Caribbean. I am going to miss the island life but I am excited for future journeys.

On to a New Adventure

Today was my last day in Bonaire. I was suppose to be leaving tomorrow morning, but my flight got changed to tonight. So, I spent the day packing and cleaning, which was a sad endeavor. I am going to miss everyone that I have spent the last 3 months with.

Before I headed to the airport this evening, we had a farewell dinner at the director's house. All the staff made Mexican food for us all to enjoy. Prior to eating, we received gifts for completing the program including a t-shirt, a copy of our Physis journal, and a water bottle. After the little ceremony, I had to get ready and leave. I was able to grab dinner to take with me so I was able to enjoy the delicious food that everyone made. The taxi that was suppose to pick me up was late so one of my instructors drove me.

It was hard saying goodbye to everyone because we had become a close group throughout the semester. I am going to miss every single person because they have all had an impact on me in multiple ways. I know this will not be the last time that I will see everyone. Plans have been made to stay in touch and go on adventures together.

Adventures in Washington Slagbaii National Park

Celebration!

Today we got to enjoy the island before we all head our separate ways in a couple of days. This morning four of us went on one last dive to explore the beautiful coral reef in Bonaire. We saw Queen angelfish, porcupine fish, ocean triggerfish, bandtail puffer fish, a cornetfish, a sea turtle, and many more. We spent just over an hour underwater enjoying the depths.

In the afternoon, we all headed to Klein Bonaire to enjoy the water and sun. We swam and played on the sandy beach for about three hours. Some of us walked around part of the island, did handstands, tried to attempt a pyramid, and played in the shallows. This was a great way to celebrate with all ten of us students being done with the semester. Our group was close this semester and we all still enjoy each others company after 14 weeks of living together.

Leaving Klein on the water taxi

Public Lecture

Yesterday we finished our last assignment, which was our public presentation for our independent research project. All our presentation went really well and it is time to celebrate. We all went out to have a good time after all the hard work we have been putting into our projects for the entire semester. We get to enjoy the island for two more days before everyone heads their separate ways.

Physis Journal Completed

After all the hard work over the last couple of weeks, today we submitted Physis Volume 20 for printing. Physis is the student journal that is created every semester containing all the student's research projects conducted during the program. So, for the last two weeks, we have been editing and formatting all our research papers for this journal. We will all receive our own copy of the journal at the end of the week. Now, all that is left is to present our research findings during a public lecture.

Snorkel at Jibe City

Jibe City is home to some of the only remaining natural patches of the endangered Staghorn (Acropora cervicornis) and Elkhorn (Acropora palmata) corals on Bonaire. Acropora spp. are fast growing, branching corals that provide habitat to a wide array of marine life. In the past these corals used to be abundant around the island of Bonaire where channels had to be cut for boats to get to shore. The Coral Restoration Foundation Bonaire have a few restoration sites around Bonaire growing these corals in hopes to restore the coral reefs with these species. Besides enjoying the corals, we saw spotted eagle rays and a few octopi in the lagoon. 

Acropora palmata - Elkhorn coral

Octopus

Spotted eagle ray
Photo Credit: Emily Dawson

Acropora cervicornis - Staghorn coral
Photo Credit: Emily Dawson

Thanksgiving in the Caribbean

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We had a Friendsgiving to celebrate the holiday with all the fixings. There were two turkeys, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, cream of corn, gravy, and cranberry sauce.

This has been the biggest Thanksgiving I have been a part of because usually it is just my parents, brother and I. Though I could not spend this holiday with my family, it was great to spend the day with amazing friends.

The beginning of the day was spent editing our journal for our research projects and enjoying the underwater world. One of my friends and I went on a dive a couple of hours before dinner. We started at the dive site Something Special and leisurely swam to Yellow Sub. Our maximum depth was about 75 feet and we just enjoyed the coral reef. We saw a barracuda that was about 4 feet in length swimming next two us and at one point below us. Also, we saw a large midnight parrotfish further below us. Other than these species, we saw the standard fish life that we have become familiar with throughout the semester.

Spotted drum

Ocean trigger

Fireworm

Wreck Dive

This afternoon, a group of us went on a dive to explore a wreck as a reward for finishing our last final this morning. The wreck was at a depth of about 60 feet. It was not very large but very cool to see. There was a large school of fish that we watched for a while changing directions and following big fish. One of the large fish the school followed was a barracuda. The barracuda was about 4 feet long and has been the largest one I have seen while here.

Camping on the Beach

Yesterday we went to Washington Slagbaii National Park for an overnight camping trip. We stopped at a few different spots to enjoy the views and swim. 

• Stop 1: Playa Chikitu. This is one of the only turtle nesting beaches on the island. We didn’t see any turtles while here but we enjoyed the views of the ocean. 
• Stop 2: Supladó. The only blowhole on Bonaire. A few of us had already seen this area but it was cool to see it again. The spouts of water out of the blowhole were not as large because it wasn’t as windy as the previous time. 

• Stop 3: Boka Kokolishi. Here we swam in an area that was protected by a rock barrier. Some of us swam in the protected area and on the other side. Getting to the other side was a bit interesting because we had to be careful not to step on sea urchins. However, when we got to the other side it was worth the trek. We swam around in the deeper water enjoying the waves gentle rolling in from the open ocean. After a while, we headed back in using the waves to push us back to the rock barrier. We did have to time the waves once we got closer so we didn't crash into them. Once we got back to the protected area, we did some exploring seeing more sea urchins, chitons, and crabs. 

Chiton

• Stop 4: Seru Bentana. Here we did a short hike up to a small arch to enjoy the ocean views as well as looked at a lighthouse. 

• Stop 5: Malmok. This is the furtherest north point of the island and is where an old settlement use to be. There were remnants of a house and lighthouse. 

• Stop 6: Wayaká. A few of us had seen this area earlier but this time we went swimming. I got to see some lettuce sea slugs.
• Stop 7: Boka Slagbaii. This is where we would be spending the night on the beach. After unloading the gear, we went snorkeling and swimming before dinner. During this time, I saw my first lobster and midnight parrotfish. It was exciting. After swimming for an hour and a half we went and cooked dinner. We had quite a large feast eating chicken, ribs, sausage, potato salad and coleslaw. After eating a very fulfilling dinner, we went on a short hike looking for scorpions that fluoresce. We saw about 5 or 6 scorpions. This was very cool to see because I did not know that scorpions fluoresced. After having enough fun, we went back to the beach to get ready for bed and star gaze. The night skies were amazing and we saw a number of shooting stars. It was an early night with the sounds of the waves putting us all to sleep. 

In the morning, we were up bright an early with the sunrise. We enjoyed the peaceful morning eating breakfast and taking in the views. Slowly, we started picking up camp to get ready to go hit Mount Brandaris. This is the tallest mountain on Bonaire at 784 feet. The views from up there were so amazing. We could see a majority of the island and the ocean on both sides. This was a much needed trip after the long week at school finishing up all our assignments for the semester and preparing for finals next week. 

View from the top of Brandaris

Research Paper Completed!

The last two days have been spent working on finishing our independent research project paper. As of 10:30pm, my paper has been submitted. It feels so good to have it finished and all that is left to do is creating the journal itself. That will be the task for the next couple of weeks as well as preparing for our public presentations. I cannot believe it has been two and a half months already. Time sure does fly by when working and playing hard.

Bonaire Informational Market

As part of our environmental and cultural class, we had to research a specific topic dealing with Bonaire's culture or environment to create a poster or game to present to the public. My group gathered information about Klein Bonaire and made a Spin the Wheel game. We had four categories, Environment, Modern Use, Geography, and History, with different questions. At the information market, we had mainly children attend. They had a lot of fun playing spin the wheel and answering the variety of questions we had prepared.

Near the end of the market, all the kids wanted to play tag in the park. So, a majority of us played with them getting sandy as we did.

Analyzing Endobenthos Samples

After two days of our endobenthos samples being in the oven and stained, we did some analysis. We did a granulometry analysis where we sieved the sample into different particle sizes to weigh and determine the percentage of each. While this sample was being sieved, we took our other samples out of the rose bengal solution, so we could begin identifying the different organisms under the microscope. This part took the longest because we could only take a small amount of the sample to view under the microscope. We did not find as many organisms under the microscope as we did during the plankton lab. With the data collected during this lab, we now have to synthesize our findings. This is our last assignment for our Marine Ecology Field Research Methods class besides the final, which is next Monday.

Endobenthos Collection

Today was our last class dive of the semester. During this dive we collected endobenthos samples. Benthos are flora or fauna on or in the bottom of a body of water. There are two types of benthos; epibenthos and endobenthos. Epibenthos are benthic organisms that live on or move over the substrate surface, whereas, endobenthos are organisms that move within the sediment displacing particles. It is important to study benthos because these organisms are: 1) bioindicators of health; 2) play important ecological roles filter particles, breaking down organic matter, and removing sediment allowing water exchange; 3) study life histories of fauna; and 4) important component of a variety of ecosystems. There are a number of different sampling types and we did the manual core sampling technique. To collect the sample, we took a piece of PVC and worked it into the sand to a specific depth. This involved us having to take a vertical position in the water swimming downwards to work the PVC into the sand. We then worked the PVC back out and capped the sample. After all the samples were collected, we headed back to the lab to sieve, relax, stain, and dry the samples for further data analysis. Relaxation of the sample is done by using magnesium chloride to reduce the tendency of organisms to distort their shape. Staining facilitates sorting and increases sorting accuracy because a person can see more of the organisms. We used rose bengal (pink dye) to stain the samples. We also place some of the samples in the oven to dry to do more sieving to sort the different particle sizes for granulometry analysis. Later this week, we will remove the samples from the oven to sort out the different particle sizes and to collect the stained organisms from the samples with the rose bengal.

National Park Diving

Good to go!

Today, we spent the whole day in Washington Slagbaai National Park exploring and diving. We woke up bright and early to get to the park when it opened. Our first stop was at Supladó to look at a blow hole. The waves were amazing here and when they would crash along the shore, water would spray out.

Our next stop was the first dive site of the day, Boka Bartol. We spent about an hour diving going down to ~70 feet exploring the area. We saw two sea turtles, a ton of black durgon, and a green moray eel along with a bunch of other fish. At the end of the dive during our safety stop, we played around on the sand flats taking our fins off to do different tricks. We finished the dive and headed to the next.

Black durgon

After an hour surface interval, we went on our second dive at Playa Bengé. During this dive, we went to a depth of ~80 feet exploring the reef, a steep wall and hanging out in the open ocean. We saw about six lionfish along the wall. Again, we spent a while in the sand flats messing around doing tricks. 

Into the blue

I touched a flounder

After the second dive, we went and found a spot to have lunch, which was at Playa Funchi. The previous night we ordered two large pizzas to take with us. While we were eating, we had some friends join us. There were four iguanas and a ton of lizards watching us. Some of them even tried climbing up on the bench we were using. After lunch, we explored the park some more. We stopped at another area called Wayaká. This area was another dive site but we just enjoyed the view.

Our final stop was Boka Slagbaai. No diving is allowed at this location because it is a marine reserve. However, there was a cliff that we were able to jump off of. We would not have stopped here if we did not see a person jumping when we drove by. It was about a 25-foot jump into the ocean and we did it twice.

Successful cliff jumping

To wrap up the evening, we went on another caving adventure. This cave was all on land and we went about 300 meters in. We saw some bats while crawling around exploring the cave.