Today was our first real day of coral reef work. We went to our primary study site on Amiga Island, where we are partnering with the Amiga Island Ecological Foundation in the work of monitoring and restoring coral reefs. They have built and cultivated nurseries of endangered corals to be replanted on the local reefs. Our SCUBA team was in the water for two dives, first viewing the nurseries and then mapping out the reefs. Now that monitoring sites have been identified, we will be returning throughout the week to establish the first data sets for this area. We will be monitoring the abundance and biodiversity of corals, invertebrates and fishes. While divers were in the water, other students were honing their snorkeling skills and marine life identification. What better way to end the day than with a quiz on coral identification! This is school, after all!
Stay tuned for some stellar underwater pics...