Island Times Blog

When we woke up today the rain and winds had passed through so we consulted the weather report and Capt. Brandon decided we could head out and do some diving after lunch.

Since the boat was dockside, we took the opportunity to begin working on our group research projects and preparing for our time at the Cape Eleuthera Institute. We also discussed some important themes that the students would be learning more about throughout the FATHOMS program, including their research projects. Topics include sustainability, ecosystem-based management, and how tourism impacts small island communities. The discussion was insightful and student-directed and generated some interesting conversation. The students are really looking forward to their time at Cape Eleuthera Institute so they can put these ideas and their scientific knowledge and research skills into practice. In the afternoon we did two more dives. One was called Jake’s Blue Hole because of the freshwater spring that flows through one area of the dive site. We could see and feel the temperature and salinity difference of the blue hole water and the surrounding seawater…it was super cool – both literally and figuratively! It was also a good opportunity to talk about a little geology. Then we headed north to our overnight anchorage where we watched a movie about shark conservation before getting a good night’s sleep.

Here’s a video of the Cape Eleuthera Institute facility.

(Video credit: YouTuber Nigel Waltho)