VTVLC 2018 Marine Biology Trip to Honduras : Second Day in Utilá

Today started off again with breakfast at 6:30 and then the two groups split again for their busy days.

Open water crew had a similar schedule to yesterday. They watched a PADI information video which was followed up with a quiz, and then had their third confined water dive in the pool. Everyone practiced sharing oxygen, learned how to do an emergency ascent and a few other skills.

Reef Ecology divers took another morning boat dive, where students started their very first science dive. Students were lead by a dive master to identify different types of coral.

After the dive Brian met with a few students to explain that the location we dived was very much degraded, in bad shape. One student recognized this by remembering there was fewer fish. However students were assured that we would be seeing a more diverse reef system later in the afternoon. We then had another identification lecture, this time on reef fish! 🐟 🐠

Then we ate a delicious lunch of couscous and veggies that everyone was excited about.

After lunch the open water group watched another informational video and took a quiz, and then we headed out on the boat for or first open water dive. After a quick ten minute boat ride we arrived out our dive site. Everyone geared up and jumped into the water, the in our individual groups we made the descent to the bottom. We were about ten meters down, so everybody had to equalize their ears and adjust to the pressure. After performing a few skills on the bottom, we went for a swim around a reef. We were a bit distracted by the struggle of staying neutrally buoyant but we did get to look around a bit at the amazing fish and corals. We ascended back to the top, got back on the boat, and headed back to shore.

For the Reef Ecology students lunch was followed by another scientific dive where in groups we were asked to identify the percentage of soft/hard coral, sponge, rock, sand and algae in a quadrant that the dive master placed over an area (a plastic pipe square) We then had another lecture and headed to dinner.

While everyone else got ready for dinner, part of the open water crew had to perform their swim test by doing three laps around the pool, and then treading water for ten minutes. We then headed to dinner, starving after our long day.

We had another great dinner that included interesting fruits called lychees that had a different texture and a taste kinda like a green grape!

After dinner both groups attended a lecture about reef ecology and crustacean identification. We ended the night with some free time to rest up for tomorrow’s adventures.