Coming to an End

Throughout this trip I have experienced and learned so many new things about San Salvador and other things that can apply to marine organisms in other areas. On one of the days we went to the East side of the Island where we got to see in person how the currents of the ocean work. The beach was filled with all kinds of trash that had washed up like different forms of plastic, shoes, and even part of an airplane. While we spent our time there we looked at bottles to see if we could identify where they were originally from. Later on during the lecture, we learned about the currents of the world and the trash we saw was most likely from the current that travels up through the gulf stream, through the waters off of Spain, and down around Africa, which eventually sweeps back up to the eastside of San Salvador island. This was very fascinating to me because to think about how far the trash travels through the ocean is mind boggling!

My favorite part of the trip so far was yesterday (May 24th). We first went to an island off North point and then later in the afternoon we went on the boat and snorkeled where the waves break and went to an island filled with hungry iguanas. While we were on the way to north point, I probably pulled off twenty stickers off my feet, but in the end it was all worth it. We got in the water and swam off to a beach on a small island. While we were on the island we came across some iguanas. They were very curious so we were able to get pretty close to them. They are fascinating to me because they look like little dinosaurs that should be in the Jurassic Park movies. When we were snorkeling back, we saw a huge spotted eagle ray which is one of the coolest organisms I have ever seen. I have seen them previously on trips with my family, but when you get in the water with them and see how big they actually are it is crazy! In the afternoon we went out on the boat, which was very relaxing. After we hopped off the boat and got in the water, we snorkeled around the biggest reef we've seen yet. The fish and coral were so much bigger than they were in other reefs. My favorite coral I saw was the elk horn coral because of how big, complex, and important it is. It is very beneficial to marine life because it is a reef building structure and can grow fast. With coral reefs declining over the years from things like ocean acidification, climate change, pollution, and more it is essential that the coral grows fast to replace the dying coral.