9:00 PM Monday, August 18. After a long day of travel, we made it! We arrived at 3:00 PM, had a tour of BIOS, a short practice snorkel, dinner, and an introductory lecture. Here is a photo of Quin and Ben having coffee at 7:00 AM and getting mentally prepared for the day with Ferry Reach in the background. This is the view from the BIOS balcony where we eat breakfast and dinners.

Tuesday, August 19. Part of the group snorkeling in Whalebone Bay. We examined outcrops along the hike to Whalebone Bay, and then spent about 2 hours exploring shallow carbonate environments. We had lunch on the beach and then examined an ancient beach and eolian dune complex in outcrops on the way back along the north shore. After everyone got cleaned up and changed clothes, we spent a three hours in the lab and then had dinner followed by a wrap-up discussion and lecture.

Quin collecting a sample from the seafloor.

Discussing some of the organisms and sediments on the seafloor in Whalebone Bay.

Amanda wanted to stay here and build a house on this spot!

Wednesday, August 20. We went out on the boat (Research Vessel Henry Stommel) to some spectacular reefs on the South Shore.

Students diving on a patch reef near Arches on the South Shore.

We snorkeled up to this beach and then hiked up to the top of an ancient eolian dune on Charles Island.

The a high-energy, wave-swept passages between the islands are perfect habitats for parrot fish like this blue terminal phase adult male stoplight parrot fish.

Amanda watching a parrot fish chomp on rocks.

An adult rainbow parrot fish about 30 inches long.

The beach assault.

Some of the group just resting up after snorkeling around (did not circumnavigate) part of the island.

Working in the laboratory to identify organisms that are in the sediment around the reefs.

Ashley holding a sea cucumber (holothurian) at Hall's Island, Harrington Sound.

Karch collecting some sediment from Bailey's Bay.

Kelsey, Chelsea, and Ashley examining samples from Harrington Sound.

End of another excursion on the boat.

Friday, August 22. We started out our day of cave and karst study in Fantasy Cave, which has very nicely preserved straws, stalactites, and helictites hanging from the ceiling.

A layer of freshwater about 6 feet thick floating on top of 20 feet of seawater in Fantasy Cave. We had to check this out and snorkel in this groundwater system (see below)! 

Friday, August 22. Swimming in a freshwater lens in a cave. Quin is standing on a "drowned" stalagmite.

The group in one of the caves we explored.

A large benthic jellyfish (Cassiopeia sp.) in Walsingham Pond (a large sinkhole created when part of a large cave collapsed).

Friday, August 22. Snorkeling in a large sinkhole (Walsingham Pond) that is about 60 feet deep. I "remembered" that there used to be a large (4 feet long) barracuda living in this murky, deep, collapsed cave after we finished our snorkel and were all out! (I think I might have been snorkeling alone if I had mentioned this fact earlier.)

Sunday, August 24. Ben and Chelsea back at BIOS working on their notebooks.

Ben, Lauren and Piper working on their notebooks at BIOS.

BIOS. Wright Hall is where we stayed and ate breakfast and dinner everyday.

Students were able to go on this trip with financial help from generous donations made by alumni of the trip, Kelley and Hendrik Steffen-Braaksma, Dr. John Rivers, and generous support from the ExxonMobil foundation.