Year of the Cephalopod?

      I've surprisingly seen a lot of octopus this year. We've definitely come across at least 6 dens, although there is another one up for debate. We found another small octopus under the dock today and this one was slightly out of its den. These are the best pictures I got of it!

I can't really identify it since I can't see its body, but it is most likely a Common Octopus.

Round 2!

Hello Honduras,
   If you thought you saw the last of me.... You're wrong! I'm back again for Honduras, this time as the TA. It's been nice so far, although some of the stuff from last year has changed. The worst of those changes is that the beloved dog, Kona, went back to the states but luckily there's a new dog named Nadine who is just as sweet.

   These are some of the pictures I took today, and I'm really excited for diving and exploring Cayos again in the coming weeks.

A really pretty banded shrimp

A neon goby

A whitespotted filefish

An octopus hiding away

An angelfish

          Honduras is beautiful. And in a way, it makes me nostalgic for Cuba. Everything is in Spanish. The airport was full of people waiting for family members. The landscape is similar to the monotonous areas in Pinal del Rio and el Oriente. The architecture in the countryside is also similar; the buildings are slightly run down, mostly just in need of a new paint job. I’ve seen a lot of the tropical fruits that are really hard to find in the US. I even found some mamoncillos for a really cheap price. 

          On the island there is the sweetest dog her name is Nadine ( we renamed her butters that same night) and she likes to play fetch with rocks and to escort you to your room.

 Our room is the suit at the top of a hill and the walk three makes me feel winded every time. We’re gonna have legs of steel by the time we get back home. The view is very pretty though, not sure if it’s worth it.

First Days in Honduras

        To start the trip to Honduras I woke up at 5:00 am to get in a flight to Atlanta. I don't really remember much of that flight because I was sleeping the whole time. Once I landed in Atlanta I met up with the rest of the students going to Honduras and Dr. Gilchrist. The flight went by really quickly and the next thing I knew we were in San Pedro Sula and it was super hot. We then took a very interesting and slightly dangerous drive to La Ceiba where we spent the night. The next morning we all got on a super small boat to go to the island. Ben nearly drowned from all the water that came in the boat and everyone was soaked except me. Somehow I managed to stay really dry even when the boat almost sank. 

         So far the days on the island have been great. While snorkeling I saw a ton of fish, a shrimp, two octopuses and two lobster. The snorkeling is amazing and its all so pretty its hard to believe that what I'm seeing is real. I also got to go paddle boarding with Ben, Lauren, and Sandra. It was a lot of fun even if the current got a little strong. I managed to stand up for a while but eventually we were all sitting. Everything has been exciting and I look forward to the rest of our time here.

 A flower near our room

 We found a pineapple while walking around

Best view (worst walk)

Welcome to Honduras

July  1, 2018: 

 I woke up at 3:30 in the morning to catch the flight to good ol’ Atlanta which was very unfortunate considering that I have been waking up at 2 in the afternoon during the last few weeks but I somehow made it work.  Walking though the Atlanta airport reminded me of a skit off of Tru TV; people pushing and shoving, babies be thrown to strangers(?), and a lot of questionable smells. The flight to Honduras itself was pretty good if I didn’t focus on the fact we were just over a massive body of water but even if we crashed I’d be fine because I got my snorkel with me (That’s normal right?).  The Honduran airport was quite hectic maybe since I forgot how to speak any coherent Spanish?  

The drive to la Ceibawas scary at the best.  I learned that lines don’t actually exist, and pedestrians do not actually get the right-a-way.  The lush mountains were very refreshing to see after being in "mountainless" Florida for the majority of my life. Staying in La Ceiba was very nice: the dinner was good, the room had AC, the water in the shower was hot, and there was decent WI-FI if you positioned yourself the right way.  I admittedly had the urge to drink some water but decided against that after a quick google search.

La Ceiba

Good ol' Travels 

July 2, 2018

I forgot I was in Honduras. I woke up at a fresh 7:15 and headed down to meet up with everyone for breakfast but found out quickly that no one was down there so I decided on a Cliff bar to get me through the day.  We walked Paix a Honduran Walmart, and after fixing a broken toe, got some water, diet coke, some coconut and banana soda.  We headed out to the island soon after.  

Getting to the island was an adventure.  The drive, like the previous day, was scary and the boat ride almost killed me.  The boat ride took us from a port in La Ceiba to the Turtle Bay Resort  but the water was really choppy due to all the wind and the water was not excluded to the ocean; I do not think I will ever get the taste of the salt water out of my mouth.  Thankfully, unlike me, my backpack which had my computer in it stayed dry. 

Once on the island I was met by a new friend, a lab-mix(?),  she likes catching and bringing rocks to you which was the highlight of my first day. The room that I was put in is very nice although I wish there was AC but I can live without it. 

We went snorkeling which was a lot of fun even though I forgot fins L.  We saw some different reefs, a scorpionfish, and an eel which kind of scared me since I have never seen one in the wild like that but thankfully my toes are all still intact.  

Dinner consisted of tacos and carrot cake and I am not complaining.  We went out to the dock after dinner and did some stargazing which was amazing. You don’t realize how much air pollution ruins visibility until you are somewhere like this and see everything.  Going to bed was kind of hard since it is so hot in the room, but I managed to go to sleep rather quickly. 

The doggo we named Butters

Some Bridge to the room

Photo from the top of the resort

The water 

Death Counter l

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2017 blog info

Students for 2017 have been posting to my alternative blog at http://pritzkercoralreefers.blogspot.com/ if you are interested in following along this year.

Last sunset on the island

Our last night on the island.

Last day at Turtle Bay

 (Camila and the resort)

(Afternoon storm)

Today is our last full day at Turtle Bay. I really don't want this trip to end; it has been one of the most incredible and rewarding experiences of my life so far. Not only have I been living in a tropical paradise for three weeks, I've also been learning a great deal about the Bay Islands and coral reefs. I know I will be able to take what I've learned here and apply it to my future studies. 

I would like to take this time to thank my family, my peers, the staff at Turtle Bay, the donors and especially Professor Gilchrist for making this trip a reality. 

Yellow Ray

My best underwater photo!

Fun finds on the reef! 

Last Thursday on the island

The sunset on our last Thursday on the island.

Island donuts

Two dozen fresh baked donuts. Made right here on the island

Postcard Photos

Sadly, we have only a few days left here. I was going through some of my photos this morning, and picked out some (of many) that look like they would be perfect for a postcard.

Adventure Buddies

Some of us went on a hike yesterday to look for minerals. We found a small beach between two points that had a lot of really cool rocks, as well as some sea glass. Kona the island dog came along, as usual, and Camila snapped a photo of us. You can see the mainland in the background.

"Little" Visitor (Spider Warning!)

The other day, as I was still in my morning daze, I sat on the floor to pick out a shirt. I lifted up some clothing, and found this little beauty. After the initial shock, and some screaming, Camila and I gently coerced the tarantula into a bag, took it outside, and let it go. The total size of the spider was about the area of my hand. I'm glad it was friendly, slow moving, and probably just as sleepy as I was. It stayed on our porch all day. Honestly, it is probably just hiding in a different spot in our room now. 

Chachuate

We went to the neighboring island of  Chachuate for lunch

 

A little out of focus but thankfully I was finally able to get a picture of this ctenophore for my project. These translucent organisms like to hang out on the edges of reefs and feed on zooplankton and varies larvae! 

Buddy stretching with Camila after a long day of work.

Guardian of the Key

Last night, I went to grab the room key to head to bed and it had a little bodyguard. This little critter is a tailless whip scorpion, which actually isn't a scorpion at all. Thankfully, it wasn't too difficult to scare off! 

Day of scorpions

(No Camilas were harmed in the making of this photo.)

Today we had two scorpion encounters. First, a small one fell from the ceiling during lunch and onto Blisses plate! The one pictured was found outside one of the rooms. Good thing Andy was there, jar in hand, to save the day.

Jackfruit Discovery

The locals found a jackfruit tree yesterday and they've been incorporating it into our meals in surprisingly creative and delicious ways! I didn't know what jackfruit was before this trip, but it's definitely made a good impression and I look forward to making meals with it at home.

Friend from the Piling

Yesterday, the group went a little further offshore to snorkel a small boat wreck. On the way out, I noticed a neat crab on the piling under the dock. I wasn't able to grab anyone's attention at the time, but thankfully the crab was waiting in the exact same spot when we got back from the swim. Sierra snapped a photo of it in my hand!

This yellowline arrow crab was really friendly, did not seem to mind being held, and slowly climbed back onto its piling when we were finished snapping photos with it.

Photo bomb!

Andrew looking for some worms in the fan coral

 While on my search for some ctenophores for my project (which I did not have much luck with) I ran into Martha, the sea turtle!!

The lighthouse

Some students made the trip up the lighthouse, and they said it was a little scary.

The End of Week One

Week one is officially over, and I wish there were more than just two short weeks left. Honestly, this is my first blog post because it has been difficult to keep myself out of the water. After every snorkel we all flip through the numerous identification books to learn about the incredible organisms we saw, and share with each other. I came to Honduras with a fairly specific idea of what I wanted to study for my project, but there are so many things I have taken an interest in that it has become difficult to stick to a single topic. The coral reef just offshore is teeming with interesting things, but the dock pilings are worthy competition for attention. During one assignment for class we were required to observe and record our observations of an area for a 15 minute time period. I decided to observe the first meter of a dock piling that was below the surface of the water. The algae growing on the piling was a light green in a Y-shape with almost iridescent blue tips. Inside a dead clam shell on the piling, I observed a tiny blenny with cryptic coloration that was moving in and out of the shell to feed on the nearby algae. Everyday since the assignment, I have gone back and check on the little fish in its home. Without fail, the blenny is home, and not nearly as excited to see me as I am to see it. 

The terrestrial life on the island is just as astounding as what we have seen in the water. Hiking the island has been strenuous, as the inclines are steep, but the views are totally worth the extra sweat. The hike and climb up the lighthouse yesterday took my breath away, by exhaustion and beauty. The photo below was taken of the island and surrounding area
from the top of the lighthouse.