Today aboard the R/V Coral Reef II was quite exhausting. The morning started with a snorkel over a sandy bottom habitat and a snorkel in the mangroves. Our boat later traveled to the shipwreck Hesperus for our first snorkel over an artificial reef. There were tons of new animals on the artificial reef.
The Hesperus was a barge that sunk and is now a refuge to a variety of different animals. The wreck is located roughly in twenty feet of water. It was our deepest snorkel to date. Some of the animals were: southern stingrays, loggerhead sea turtles, horse eye jacks, barracuda, ocean triggers, spotted moray eels, and nurse & reef sharks. Later that night, we snorkeled the wreck again to see the different species that inhabited it at night. It was everyone's first night snorkel.
Although it was choppy and the visibility was poor, we did manage to see some cool wildlife. Again we were able to see some loggerhead sea turtles, cobia, and donkey dung sea cucumbers. Although the four snorkel day was quite tiring, it was also very rewarding. Everyone is looking forward to a future night snorkel!
Answers to some of your questions.
Question: Octopus. I'd like to see a photo of an octopus, because that will mean you'll have seen one. But honestly, any species that can be identified while you snorkel would be great to see!
Karen
Answer: Alright well keep an eye out for one. They are a little tricky to find because they are so good at camouflage and are excellent hiders but we'll try really hard to locate one.
Comment: Look for the Donkey Dung Cucumber.
Answer: We looked today and actually found 2. They were pretty cool and felt weird.
Sam
Question: I'd like to see sharks and schools of dolphins porpoising! Can you all post latitude and longitude coordinates once in the morning and at the end of the day? I'd like to chart your adventure on a map her at home.
Answer: I'd love to see pods of dolphins porpoising as well but it seems they are a little tricky to find here in the Bahamas. We actually post out position every day. Click on the map in the top right hand corner of each page to check it out.
Comment: Look for Flamingo Tongue! It's gorgeous and would be a great
find.
Good luck with all of your snorkeling adventures!
Joy
Answer: We found some Flamingo Tongue on some purple fans on our dive on Saturday. The picture was posted last night so you can check them out. They are pretty cool looking and we'll be keeping an eye out for some more.
Question: I hope you see sting rays. What type of sting rays live in the Bahamas? How big do they get?
Answer: We saw a TON of sting rays today! We saw mostly southern sting rays which get to be up to 8 feet across and are the most common here. There were also about 7 spotted eagle rays swimming under our boat which inspired all of us to jump in and try to catch a glimpse. Several other species can be found with the Manta Ray being the largest which can be 22 feet across!
Question: What is it like to swim in the ocean? Can you see very far underwater?
Answer: Swimming in the ocean is like gliding through a cloud. The salt water makes you float more but tastes very unpleasant when swallowed. It depends on the day and the conditions but here in the Bahamas the water is almost crystal clear on most days. You can see about 50 feet in front of you.
It's great that you've seen all those species! I had some questions about the loggerhead turtles - why are they named that way? How big do they grow? What is their average lifespan out in the wild? I understand that they can hibernate....can you tell me more about that?