Big day on the Reef

Today we tested our reef fish ID skills while snorkeling three new reef sections - starting on the ocean side fringe reef at South Water Caye.  The reef was a new habitat type for us, and we added to our fish and coral species list.

We stopped for lunch at the docks on South Water Caye and the anglers drooled over the big bonefish hanging out by the docks. We also got a glimpse of a couple more species of fish. 

After lunch we took a short boat ride to CarrieBow Caye and visited with some scientists working at the Smithsonian research station there. We learned about their studies on health of coral reefs in marine protected areas and hermit crab behavior. We also chatted with two world renowned videographers with BBC filming a documentary on the hermit crabs.  Overall an awesome experience with a glimpse into some possible careers for the students.

We had two more shorter snorkels in shallow patch reefs - just north of Carrie Bow Caye and just south of the cut near Tobacco Caye. We got a chance to explore the reefs, see even more creatures, and take our time observing fish behavior. 

Tonight,we are drawing more fishes that we identified today while watching "Finding Nemo."