Sunday, June 9, 2013

Glovers Reef

Today we got up early for a big trip out to Glovers Atoll - one of just five atolls in the Western Hemisphere. Seas were choppy on the way there, but we all held onto our breakfasts!  The rough ride was worth the rewards of snorkeling over the protected reefs of Glovers - it is a No Take Marine Protected Area. Crystal blue waters awaited us and we saw many new species of fish and many more larger fishes than the other reefs, large tarpon and chubs, and groupers and big snappers that usually are fished for nearer to shore.
We had two morning snorkels, a lunch stop at Glovers Marine Station owned by The Nature Conservancy, and then one more snorkel before heading back to Tobacco Caye.
The ride back was a bit tamer, but still pretty choppy- ocean spray kept us all cooled down.
Tonight we are going to have a lecture of marine preservation, and students will start to think about what type of research project they will pursue for the next few days. 

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