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| Sally Lightfoot, a rare, evasive crab |
May 15, Day 3
Two and a half days into the trip. I’m exhausted, yet ready for more. After many adventures on the beautiful island of Nassau, we arrived here in San Salvador yesterday on a gorgeous afternoon. The gradients of blues in the ocean are unbelievable, as we witnessed from our small propeller plane.
After landing, we ate lunch and went to a brief orientation. And then we had another orientation---snorkeling. We each grabbed a buddy and went into Graham’s Harbor, right outside the Gerace Research Center where we are staying. It turns out that those quizzes throughout the semester were actually useful for something---in a matter of minutes, I identified at least 15 different species of plants and animals which I didn’t previously know about. From the colorful fairy basslet to the swaying staghorn coral, I was amazed to find so many creatures to be easily identifiable.
Today we woke up to the sound of rain hitting or clothes on the clothesline. It (temporarily) cleared up after breakfast, and we rode in the troop transports to Sue Point, my new favorite place. Consisting of a steep beach and a rocky shore, everything about Sue Point was intense. We began by walking along the rocks to find fossilized corals. Before long, I came across Sally Lightfoot, a rare, evasive crab that Eric, Ernest, and Sparrow are doing research on. We also discovered live coral inside a tidal pool, which was surprisingly cool.
Next, we snorkeled in the water, which turned out to be a bit more intense than we had imagined. With one unexpected wave, Sarah and I were pushed directly above a shallow reef. I escaped unscathed, but Sarah was a little scratched up. We then headed back to shore. But like I said, this place is intense. There were 4 foot tall waves just 15 feet off shore that will suck you in, claw you up, and spit you out---it may not sound fun, but it was a blast! Andy and I let Poseidon try to tear us apart for as long we could, but then we had to leave.
We had lunch at Columbus Landing, the supposed landfall site of Christopher Columbus in 1492. I made a mistake of busting open a rotten coconut and pouring its brown innards on my head for a picture. After five shampoos, the stench remains.
Unfortunately, the rest of our planned afternoon was rained out, but we are still having a wonderful time, Oh, and Tara says “Hi, Mom!”
It certainly sounds as if this trip is much fun, except for the rain. I bet all the discoveries are just like finding treasure! Please tell Tara that mom says "Hi", and sends her love. Keep up the wonderful posts everyone, they are fascinating!