Day of Relaxing, Work, and Fun

We had a very relaxed morning today. Dr. Gilchrist told us to finish up our assignments due today. After working for a solid amount of time, Sonja and I decided to set out for some kayaking. We wanted to go out for the point, but decided once again that it would be better to go to the beach near the point so that we didn't get sucked away. After paddling for a while, we finally reached the beach! We saw some very cool snails and climbed the rocks where we saw some crabs and very pretty shells. After that, we went back and gave our presentations of our focal animal and focal area sampling data (discussed in earlier people's blogs). So many people saw really cool species! I was really intrigued by how differently fish behave especially and I'm looking forward to start working on our projects this week. After eating dinner, we went for a night snorkel. We used flashlights to see underwater and we saw an octopus again! We also saw a scorpion fish, which I had never seen (or identified before). A few people got jellyfish stings and I hurt my finger on the dock, but it was definitely worth it. Sonja and I also saw a fish sleeping on turtle grass. The reefs are completely different during the night! After I was just about to go in, I came back out when I heard that a few people were seeing an eel. I put on my snorkel and Thomas showed it to me. It was so pretty and glissened on the bottom of the shallow sea floor. Great way to conclude a very nice day!