Good Morning from Eleuthera,

After a relaxing day-off we were so pumped to start off the day with another amazing run-swim! But before we began we took a moment to marvel at the magnificent sunrise. It’s crazy how we are so used to getting up with the sun. One of the morning’s surprises was a beached Lemon Shark- we are so excited to learn more about this creature in Marine Eco. While doing curls with rocks, Liz told us the reason why the Lemon Shark gets its name- the sides have a yellow appearance, making it a shark the color of a lemon. Our Monster 10k run-swim is coming up soon and we are so ready!

Today also marks the first day of our final academic rotation. It’s so crazy how fast the time is flying by! The Queen Triggers started our first day of Sustainable Systems. Today we learned about how we make biodiesel here at The Island School. This renewable resource powers all cars on campus! We get vegetable oil from cruise lines and we are able to convert it into fuel.

In Tourism and Development the Blue Tangs split up in to research groups. One group worked on pond research. Despite getting lost a few times, the group had so much fun duck diving in the pond. We were able to swim with shrimp that may be a new species! The other group began their studies early this morning with bonefish research. In the afternoon, the group assisted with Lionfish research. This invasive species has come to the Bahamas from the Indo-Pacific. We then were able to assist the researchers by cutting off the poisonous spikes and then filleting the Lionfish, which can be eaten by humans.

Finally, the Sargent Majors had our first day of Marine Ecology. We began by learning about the power of careful observation. We put this into practice by using all five senses to discover an area in the mangroves. This later would come into play when we went out for our dives at Tunnel Rock this afternoon. Each buddy pair was assigned a coral reef ecosystem that they will focus on and become intimate with for the next week. We were in awe of the abundance of life. We took underwater notes on a slate, which would then be transferred into our placebook.

We are so excited to keep learning and stretching. We can’t wait for the days ahead!

Your Caciques,

Lucy and Doug