Wednesday afternoon was a four-hour research block. Whether you were out diving after sea turtles or towing behind a boat counting
conch, the afternoon was fun and fascinating. My group, deep water sharks, spent the afternoon examining footage from the Medusa, a high-tech machine lent to us exclusively this semester that drops thousands of feet underwater and takes footage of what it sees. At 1800 feet, we caught a few Cuban dogfish sharks on tape, but the real excitement came when a 6-foot long blunt nose six-gill shark crashed into the camera and circled it for investigation! It was amazing to see a creature that most people never get to see in their lives up so close.

Although Wednesdays are our longest workdays, I caught some relaxation this morning during morning exercise. Instead of a run or swim, we were given the choice of yoga or beach volleyball. I chose yoga and was so excited to see we would be doing it on the roof of the dining hall with the sunrise. It couldn’t have been a more perfect day – the water rippled gently against the docks and the sunrise dripped like warm honey from the horizon. I had a newfound strength in being surrounded by my friends and I was reminded of how happy I am to be here, and how incredible it is that I got to do yoga over the ocean in The Bahamas! I’m inspired to pay more attention to the sunrise when I return home, because it truly is an example of pure natural beauty. With a steady yoga breath and newfound relaxation, I’m ready to take on the weekend!