Updates!! Finally! I had a hard time with the internet.
Monday - After lots of time in the airport the past few days it feels excellent to be on the beach and in the ocean! We had a great first full day on Andros Island. It was a beautiful sunny day 77 degrees. We saw 3 sea turtles! It was amazing! We also saw many tropical fish and several sting rays. We explored a blue hole at rat key. We stopped on saddleback cay for lunch (peanut butter and jelly, ham or turkey sandwiches with a cookie or brownie for dessert. We also snorkeled 3 sisters patch reef. Our last snorkel was turtle reef where we saw a large sea turtle and elk horn coral. Came back to the station to get cleaned up for dinner and had some time for volleyball. Meatloaf for dinner. An invertebrate lecture to help us get ready to visit an intertidal zone tomorrow. Some students decided to learn how to basket weave!
Tuesday - we had a land day today. We started the day at Money Point. Ths is an intertidal zone that the students got to explore to find all kinds of organisms. We spend time identifying starfish, crabs, shrimp, mollusks, and others interesting organisms. We were lucky and found two chain moray eels. It was pretty students also found some beautiful shells along the beach. Then we had lunch and snorkeled around some shipwrecks near captains Morgan’s caves and bluff. It was very windy so the water want to clear but they got to see some fish and see a few sunken ships. Then we climbed captain morgan’s bluff, a cliff that the pirate lured ships by mimicking a lighthouse causing ships to wreck so he could take over and rob them. We also went in Captain Morgan’s cave where he was rumored to stash his treasures. Then we went to pickup a pop and a snack at a local store on our way to Charlie’s blue hole. This is a freshwater area. So we get to jump off a small cliff into cool fresh water. Very refreshing after all the sun and saltwater. The cool water felt good on our sunburns. I am feeling great about the students that are part of this trip. Enthusiastic and engaged. Have a great attitude and have moved on from our rocky start with the flights and airports. Our evening lecture covered blue holes and fish identification.
sorry pictures not great below. It’s what I can do! :). Bottom left was a memory we gladly leave behind!
Wednesday - today we went to Androsia where they make colorful tropical clothing. You will be impressed with the fashions that the students will bring back to Ohio. Then we headed off to sommerset beach and saw all the trash that collects on the beach if it is not maintained. We picked up small pieces of trash that could be harmful to organisms like sea turtles. Then, we explored the beach and collected shells. We had lunch and reviewed invertebrate phyla. Then we went and got a snack at a local store. Next we went to Captain Bill’s blue hole. Another refreshing swim in a much larger freshwater inland blue hole. Then we returned to forfar and snorkeled stafford creek. We got to see many fish and even spotted the invasive lion fish. Then back to the rooms to clean up,for dinner. We had spaghetti and was it good. After dinner we had time for a short walk down the road to ms. Murleys for some ice cream. Then back to the ststion for a coral lecture. After lecture students spent time working on their daily assignments. After working a while we had time to play some ping pong and hacky sack. It’s been pretty windy the past few days which is good for keeping the bugs away but not as good for snorkeling because it makes the water tough and murky. The wind has been getting calmer so we are hoping tomorrow and Friday will be a better day for snorkeling.
Tuesday - we had a land day today. We started the day at Money Point. Ths is an intertidal zone that the students got to explore to find all kinds of organisms. We spend time identifying starfish, crabs, shrimp, mollusks, and others interesting organisms. We were lucky and found two chain moray eels. It was pretty students also found some beautiful shells along the beach. Then we had lunch and snorkeled around some shipwrecks near captains Morgan’s caves and bluff. It was very windy so the water want to clear but they got to see some fish and see a few sunken ships. Then we climbed captain morgan’s bluff, a cliff that the pirate lured ships by mimicking a lighthouse causing ships to wreck so he could take over and rob them. We also went in Captain Morgan’s cave where he was rumored to stash his treasures. Then we went to pickup a pop and a snack at a local store on our way to Charlie’s blue hole. This is a freshwater area. So we get to jump off a small cliff into cool fresh water. Very refreshing after all the sun and saltwater. The cool water felt good on our sunburns. I am feeling great about the students that are part of this trip. Enthusiastic and engaged. Have a great attitude and have moved on from our rocky start with the flights and airports. Our evening lecture covered blue holes and fish identification.
sorry pictures not great below. It’s what I can do! :). Bottom left was a memory we gladly leave behind!
Wednesday - today we went to Androsia where they make colorful tropical clothing. You will be impressed with the fashions that the students will bring back to Ohio. Then we headed off to sommerset beach and saw all the trash that collects on the beach if it is not maintained. We picked up small pieces of trash that could be harmful to organisms like sea turtles. Then, we explored the beach and collected shells. We had lunch and reviewed invertebrate phyla. Then we went and got a snack at a local store. Next we went to Captain Bill’s blue hole. Another refreshing swim in a much larger freshwater inland blue hole. Then we returned to forfar and snorkeled stafford creek. We got to see many fish and even spotted the invasive lion fish. Then back to the rooms to clean up,for dinner. We had spaghetti and was it good. After dinner we had time for a short walk down the road to ms. Murleys for some ice cream. Then back to the ststion for a coral lecture. After lecture students spent time working on their daily assignments. After working a while we had time to play some ping pong and hacky sack. It’s been pretty windy the past few days which is good for keeping the bugs away but not as good for snorkeling because it makes the water tough and murky. The wind has been getting calmer so we are hoping tomorrow and Friday will be a better day for snorkeling.
Thursday- today we had a great day! We got to visit Red Bays in north Andros. We first visited the shore where we learned about he sponging industry, very important for the community. We leaned about the process of how they harvest the sponges. Then we visited Otis. He told us about he history of Red Bays and shared food from his fruit trees with us. He cut up some coconuts with us and a fruit called sapodilla. Sapodilla tastes like sweet potato casserole. Very good! Otis had some sponges, shells, and artwork for sale. Thank you, Otis. Then we went to see the Marshall family, well known for basket weaving. Their baskets are said to be water tight. Then we got to see Henry Wallace’s wood carvings. He is a famous artist and has work in the smithsonian. Then we got a talk from a bush doctor that told us about herbal medicines. We also had the pleasure of hearing him sing 3 songs. It was wonderful. After leaving Red Bays we visited Conch sound blue hole. We saw lots of fish including huge spade fish and a large puffer fish. On the way home we stopped by uncle Charlie’s blue hole again to cool off. We made our way home and went to Miss Murleys for some ice cream. We had a great Bahamian meal at MJs . We had chicken, coconut conch, fish, rice, and plantains.
Friday - last full day! A boat day. We set off for pigeon key today. There we dissected a goniolithon algae to discover tiny crabs, brittle stars, Shrimp and all kinds of organisms. Very cool! Then we hiked the island to learn about the geology of the Bahamas and find some interesting organisms. We had lunch and headed out to Kevin’s patch reef to see some really cool spade fish, flamingo tongues, coral, loin fish and all kinds of other organisms. Then we headed off to blue hole cay for some more fish identifications. We also saw a spotted sea hare! Then we made our way to Dave’s patch reef to find it still very murky and low visibility from a window week. So we headed back to the station. Students cleaned up and took their lab n we had dinner and headed of to ms. Murleys for some ice cream, goumba punch (some kids are addicted I fear :)) and picked up,baskets if they took the class earlier this week. Ended the evening with a camp fire and the Story of Archie, founder of forfar, Which was part ghost story. Spooky! What an awesome week with a group of awesome kids! Feeling fortunate to have gotten to know them better! Early morning tomorrow. We leave @ 6am.
Important Dates for 2018 Trip
- Feb. 5th- Final Payment for field station & school fee $845.00 (minus fundraising) (Waynesville HS Ecology Club)
- Non-refundable
- Feb. 25th-Class from 4-6 pm
- Feb. 26th/27th-TJ Sports –Snorkeling equipment pickup/sizing 5-8 pm
- March 10 - 3 pm Go to the Y and try out snorkeling equipment
- March 13 & 14 - 6-8pm - Exchange any equipment due to problems; Pick up ordered wetsuits
- March 24th- Leave for Bahamas – Flight @ 5:30 am at the Cincinnati Airport (Meet at school around 2 a.m. – details still being worked
- March 24th-31st-Exploring, Adventuring, and Learning on Andros Island in the Bahamas! ! ! Woohoo!
- March 31st-Return home – Flight arrives in Cincinnati @ 11:45 p.m.
- April 3rd/4th-Return Rental Equipment to TJ Sports 5-8 pm