One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to your heart. In January 2011, I was fortunate enough to lead a group of 6 students through the world of Tropical Ecology. Apart from not being in the right ecosystem, Nebraska in the winter is definitely not the place to have field trips about Tropical Ecology. Consequently, one portion of the course involved a 10-day trip to Puerto Rico where we got to see for ourselves all the things we talked about in the classroom.
This is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we saw, the things we did, and the lessons we learned.
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Day 3 dawned bright and early for AJ who took advantage of the warm weather and brilliant skies to sleep under the stars. He did wake up at the break of dawn to capture some silent sights from Percy's Perch.
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| (C.S. Manish 2011) |
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| (Andrew Jacobsen 2011) |
After breakfast, we drove to La Parguera, about 25 miles west of where we were staying in Guánica. On the agenda for the day? Snorkeling the coral reefs off the coast of Puerto Rico!
La Parguera turned out to be a seemingly-quiet, little, fishing village/town. After getting fitted for all the gear we would need by
Paradise Scuba and Snorkeling, we set out for two nearby reefs - Enrique and Mario Reef. The boat ride was a fairly short one but as the excitement rose, so did the nervousness. I had never before wandered into an ocean with my limited swimming ability as the only thing preventing me from washing off to islands unknown.
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| (C.S. Manish 2011) |
The students did not seem to share any of my apprehensions, enjoying the ride and the company.
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| (C.S. Manish 2011) |
And then it was time to venture into the water. One final mug shot was taken, just in case we never made it back!
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| (C.S. Manish 2011) |
The water was much colder than I thought it would be but it was clear and quite salty. After a couple of minutes, where I hyperventilated and nearly backed out of the whole deal, I settled down enough to actually enjoy the experience.
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| (Andrew Jacobsen 2011) |
For the next few hours we lumbered around, following our two guides, Christian and Jonathan, as they led us around the two reefs (with a brief stop for a sandwich in between) showing us the various types of coral on view, with quite a few sightings of schools of fish of varying sizes and shapes. Also, occasionally, one of the guides would dive to the bottom and come up with an animal to hold or feel. Sea cucumbers are soft and rubbery while sea urchins are always seeking objects to anchor onto, be it the sea floor or your palm.
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| (Miranda Beran 2011) |
Starfish were aplenty in the water, too. Interesting echinoderms, they possess a multitude of feeding habits and are well-studied for their regenerative abilities.
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| (Miranda Beran 2011) |
Finally, it was time to get back on board, but not before some of the girls took some extra time to explore their settings. Don't ask!
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| (C.S. Manish 2011) |
Swimming around for hours is more tiring than I could imagine and was glad to be gently taken back to shore in the boat. Along the way we stopped at a small island that is a refuge for iguanas. Iguanas are not native to Puerto Rico and are quite a widespread invasive species today. The guides explained that many abandoned iguanas were brought and set free on this small island. AJ was quite adventurous and got closer to them than the rest of us cared to be!
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| (Andrew Jacobsen 2011) |
As with any coastal area, the houses on the seashore are pretty and have interesting combinations of colors.
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| (C.S. Manish 2011) |
After a quick detour to the grocery store we returned to home base and everyone rested for a few hours, tired but happy. In the evening, SW, MB, KM, and LP cooked up an ensemble of dishes that capped off a good day.
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| (C.S. Manish 2011) |
In keeping with the tradition of eating together but at a different place each day, we ate dinner in the patio area, under the stars (if you discount the big umbrella above our heads!).
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| (C.S. Manish 2011) |
We merrily reminisced about the activities of the day and discussed our upcoming hike into the Dry Forests of Guánica.
But that's an adventure for another day!
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