You Betta Belize It

Image: http://www.nahanni.com/

I am going to Belize to lead the Dolphin Studies trip for Broadreach/Academic Treks this summer.  Exciting!

Here is a link to the website describing the trip in detail.  I would be lying if I said it was my first choice (we all know how much I love sharks and the Pacific so I was naturally drawn to the Fiji Shark Studies trip), but it's going to be amazing.  To make things even better, I know of 2 kids that I had last summer in Egypt who will be going on this trip to Belize this summer!

Science Diving Weekend Extravaganza

BANG!!! My drifting mind was jolted instantly to full alert. The van was packed to the brim with luggage, dive gear, 10 people, and several scuba tanks of highly compressed air as it plowed forward at 65mph down Alligator Alley well after dark. My hands reached for the seat in front of me as my eyes focused on the road ahead. My mind was working at an inhuman pace as it processed everything around me: my classmates in the car waking up startled, the van to our right, the scuba cylinders beneath our seats, and the highway ahead as it swayed left and right across the windshield.

After what felt like 30 seconds of stumbling to a stop, Kevin (class TA) was able to control the van all the way to the shoulder on the median. We immediately checked for traffic and hopped out of the van, hearing another car grind its way to the median in front of us. I advised everyone to stay well back from the highway and went with 3 others to find whatever it was that we just hit while Kevin got back in the van to drive it to the other side of the 2-lane highway. A few hundred yards of scurrying down the median, we saw a shape on the road that turned out to be part of the suspension of the semi-truck that we did not realize had already pulled off the side of the road a hundred yards ahead of where our van stopped. I picked up the greasy, piping hot, 50 pound piece of metal and with the others crossed the road and worked our way over the rough terrain back to the van.

After regrouping, I was finally able to look at the tire. The hole in the rubber was nearly big enough to fit my head and around the hole it looked as if it was mauled and mangled by a bear. Knowing the shoulder was not safe, we immediately started in on changing the tire. We removed all bags from the back, struggled to remove the spare tire from under the van, eventually released it, jacked up the van, changed the tire, replaced the blowout, loaded all the bags back in, and filed back in for a short ride to the nearest gas station to top off the tire pressure. Since everyone was safe, I feel safe saying that it was a very exhilarating and exciting way to kick off a great weekend.

The rest of the weekend was entirely enjoyable but none of it makes for nearly as good of a story so I apologize for the dry style of the rest of the post.  Furthermore, I am unable to get a hold of any classmate photos from Little Salt Spring, at least as of yet.  Sorry!

We arrived at Little Salt Spring during a thunderstorm so we carried only the essentials in from the vans. 6 hours later we were waking up for an orientation and some diving. The weather had cleared and it was looking beautiful.  A couple people from the Florida Aquarium came down to show us some surface-supplied diving where the tanks remain at the surface and the divers descent with an “umbilical” attached to them. The type of masks they brought allowed for verbal communication and it was the first time I had ever tried it. If it weren't outrageously expensive and bulky, it would be a cool way to dive under more circumstances. We also learned about underwater archaeological excavation techniques that day which again was something very new to me.

Entrance to the Florida Aquarium

Saturday morning was spent at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, a good 1-2 hours north of our site. Last month when we took the midterm for the class, I earned one of the top 7 scores and thus earned a dive in the aquarium. The dive was actually broken up into two parts: first was an underwater tour of the tank we were in, and the second was to clean algae from the fake corals. My favorite part of the entire dive was a queen triggerfish that I interacted with for about 5-10 minutes. In all likelihood it was being territorial (as most triggerfish tend to be), but it was so timid about it that it made for a fantastic interaction where I pretended to reason with it, explaining with hand gestures that I needed to clean the corals.  When that didn't work out, I offered it my alternate air supply, I pretended to clean the fish itself, and turn back to the glass looking puzzled at all the amused faces pointed in my direction.

Queen Triggerfish Photo: A. Porter

Eventually my buddy came over and motioned me away from my corner to clean a different part of the tank. The cleaning was very unusual because with fake coral, the best way to scrub was by climbing and otherwise aggressively holding onto it. I hope that none of the aquarium guests saw us on the coral thinking it was real and walking away with the notion that this is how professional divers treat coral. Between the remainder of Saturday and Sunday morning, I had the opportunity to dive with double tanks (which I'm already certified for but it was nice to do again anyway), use a diver propulsion vehicle (“scooter”), practice navigation, and excavate one of the sites used for archaeological study. Overall, the weekend was fantastic.

In other news:

My good camera is indeed broken, hopefully not beyond repair but it's out of commission for the time being.

My underwater camera's battery charger is no longer functioning, so it will be a while before I solve that issue, though it is easier than fixing a broken camera.

I ordered a machete which came in the mail while I was gone so I can now easily open coconuts!

Simon Cowell's show “X Factor” is having auditions for 2 days at our basketball stadium on campus. Traffic is horrific!

Rafael Nadal ended up losing a tiebreaker to Djokovic in the finals

Rafael managed to snag free tickets for the Sony Ericsson Open on the 28^th of March and we were able to see a couple matches before they were canceled on account of rain. We picked up the raincheck and went in 2 days later to see Djokovic and Azarenka, the two who would continue on to become the singles champions.

Coming Soon

I just got back from a class trip to Little Salt Spring.  It was fantastic and I have a lot to talk about.  Keep an eye out over the next few days.  My camera broke so it may be about a week before I obtain pictures from classmates to go along with it.

Spring Break!

4 team members with a Caribbean Reef Shark.  Photo: N. Hammerschlag

My legs were pressed tight against the gunwale (side of the boat) as I balanced and braced myself to pull in the line. Hand over hand, the 40 pound weight slowly came closer and closer to me while the rope tore at my tired rugged hands with every pull. From behind me came the usual words of encouragement from the rest of the very capable team while one of the members coiled the rope as it came onto the deck. The sun beat down on the clear blue water and heated our small boat, turning the sweat and ocean water on my body into a layer of crusty white salt. Heaving the weight onto the deck, I announced that the hook timer was intact. The hook timer is a device used to tell how long a shark has been on the line. When the shark takes the bait and swims away, the timer pops and begins counting. This way when we pull them in, we know how long they have been hooked and use this knowledge to decide a plan of action. If it has been on for over an hour for instance, especially for a hammerhead, we let it go without taking a full set of data.

Diagram of fishing setup

One of the team members jumped in and started reeling in the monofilament while another prepared the next bait to go on the hook. We paused as we noticed that there appeared to be some tension in the line. Curious, we all stopped to watch, hoping for the best. Since nurse sharks live on the bottom, they often take the bait and don't move so we assumed it was just another nurse. As it came closer it became clear from the shape and coloration that it could not possibly be a nurse but we couldn't quite identify it.

With one flick of the tail, the shark bolted and the one reeling it in struggled to stay on two feet. Knowing the shark was one of our biggest, all six of us quickly took action and within seconds we were all standing by: one with a tailrope, another with the cable, someone else to move the weight as needed, another to spot, and two people helping to pull in the shark. These tasks are never assigned but always get done as needed. We had become very good at recognizing what needed to be done and making sure it happened by this point in the trip.

“Definitely a tiger!” the captain called out as the shark neared the surface, still fighting and threatening to pull two of our experienced team members overboard. (Tiger sharks sometimes don't realize they're hooked and thus don't pull enough to pop the hook timer which explains why it was not engaged.) A renewed excitement washed over the crew. I wanted to drop the tailrope to help bring the shark in but there are only so many hands that can pull the line at a time. At long last, the shark was brought alongside the boat, the cable was wrapped around the body and I made quick work to slide the tailrope around the tail. The massive tiger refused to cooperate and she rolled over and over and over while we did our best to hold her in place. My hands were aching while I braced myself in the engine well grasping the aluminum rod that held the rope now attached to the shark's tail.

After a few minutes, she exhausted herself and we were able to start taking data. During this time it was decided that a couple of the girls (one being the videographer) could jump in the water with the shark so they quickly pulled their gear together. My long arms were needed to hold the dorsal fin out of the water enough to take a fin clip. After passing off the tailrope I made a split-second detour to my underwater camera to hand to the other team member in the water before grabbing the medical shears and draping myself over the gunwale in one smooth motion.

Trying to hold the shark. Photo: C. Shepard

Sharks secrete what is called TMAO on their scales and for all intensive purposes we can just consider it to be a mucous layer all over their body. For a reason unknown to me, tiger sharks have a lot of it. The reason I bring this up is that when trying to hold onto a dorsal fin to lift a several hundred pound fish up from the water as much as possible with one hand, operating medical shears in another hand, and holding onto the small piece of fin that is being cut off with yet another hand, things are complicated enough. Throw in a moving boat, raise it about 3ft from the water, and add a whole bunch of slippery TMAO into the mix and the task is rather impossible. Luckily with the help of the girls in the water we were able to take the sample and we were ready to set the shark loose.

Using bolt cutters to cut the hook is rarely a problem when the sharks are on the boat. However, it's another story when it's a 9-ft tiger shark in the water 3ft below the boat's edge with the hook lodged deep into the jaw and the boat is rocking back and forth. The professor wasn't able to cut the hook himself and needed help. Every situation calls for different measures. This time, help came in the form of me needing to scramble up to the port side, tangle myself there in the railing with my legs, dangle over the edge of the boat with my face hardly two feet from the shark's mouth, pull the monofilament taught with one hand, and grab one handle of the bolt cutters with the other to help him cut the hook. Here was yet another task that proved to be a great reminder that I am not a magician. I had to let go of the bolt cutters and monofilament to reposition myself while barely keeping from falling into the water within striking range of the tiger's jagged teeth. I settled myself, pulled the monofilament, and the professor was able to brace the cutters against the outboard side of the boat to cut the hook. A bit jaded, the shark swam slowly away, dipping under the hull and passing to the starboard side as she descended into deeper water. All six of us shared a brief moment of understood excitement, relief, satisfaction, exhaustion, accomplishment, and exhilaration before the feeling turned to the realization that we needed to make a swift hook replacement, set the bait and line, and tend to the 9 other baits in the water that needed to be retrieved.

Tiger shark swimming away.  Photo: F. Graham

Releasing bait. Photo: C. Shepard

Over the course of the 3 fishing days, 33 sharks were pulled up to the boat with a species list including bull, nurse, great hammerhead, lemon, tiger, caribbean reef, and atlantic sharpnose. Most of the catches were much easier to deal with and we handled them like a well-oiled machine. Although living quarters were tight on the 38ft boat, the trip could not have been successful if we had cut back by one person. The story above makes it sound as if I was doing a lot of the work but this is not the case. Everyone else had just as many responsibilities when a shark was on the line and it would be unfair to go without giving them due credit; I'm the least experienced member of the team after all. Anyway, I had many “firsts” during the 5-day trip to the Dry Tortugas and I apologize for not going into detail. If anyone asks, I will provide another story, but until then, here is the list:

Goliath grouper. Photo: D. Lazarre

Going to Key West
Going to the Dry Tortugas
Touching a tiger shark
Touching a caribbean reef shark
Snorkeling with wild dolphins
Catching a goliath grouper (larger than me) on rod and reel
Snorkeling with a nurse shark


Since returning to Miami from break, everything has gone my way. I found out that my cousin Claibourne had her baby, I got an A on my diving midterm which means I'll be one of the 6 to dive in the Florida aquarium in a week and a half, I used my birthday money to buy a new Halcyon backplate and BCD with Apeks regulators, and I scored a free ticket to the 4th round of the Sony Ericsson Open for Monday night through a friend of Rafael (we don't know who will be playing that match yet). Stay tuned and as I said, let me know if you want more detail on the other parts. It's getting late, this post is long enough, and I think sleep is a little more important at this point.

Back on Solid Ground

I'm back from my trip to the Dry Tortugas! What a trip! I'm posting only to say that I will post about the trip later. I didn't have a computer on the trip and haven't written anything about it at all. It was a very eventful trip that will require a ton of thought and time to compile a post. Keep checking back over the next week to see if anything is up. I'll try to get it out as soon as I can but I'm working now on editing the photos that I took while there. Cheers!

Another Wonderful Pi Day

For someone who is 24 years old, I really have experienced a great deal. I'm inclined to say this and I would reckon that others would probably agree. Why? In order to make that statement, a comparison must be made. My life experiences have to be compared to another's. Everyone is different and we should not be subjected so readily to comparison. What I'm getting at is that while my list of travels and exotic experiences may be long, it holds no bearing on anyone else. Mine are not better than anyone else's. I am immensely grateful for every opportunity that I have had: particularly the ones that I have taken. I thank God every day for the blessings I have been given and the doors that have been opened to me.

Today is my 24th birthday for which I somehow have an unusual enthusiasm this year. Most of my friends have left for spring break so the will be spent preparing for the trip to the Dry Tortugas and maybe going for a bike ride or pestering whoever is working in the dive shop. Last year's birthday (which I discovered I didn't ever write about) ended up being a fantastic day at the beach, the dive shop, around town, and having a fantastic grilled lobster dinner on Sint Maarten. We'll see how this one goes!

Tomorrow I wake up before 6, drive down to Islamorada, spend the day catching sharks with the group form the Miami Heat, spend the night at the house of our captain, then Wednesday around 4 or 5am, we will spend most of the day traveling to the Dry Tortugas to start catching sharks. I will not be able to update my blog while I'm there but as long as my camera does not break, I will come back with loads of great photos.

Until next time, enjoy this day of Pi (3.14) and talk to a friend you haven't heard from in a while.

Young Eyes

Look into a mirror. Look hard. Stare into the eyes of the one who knows you best. Don't think, just observe and clear your mind. Take all the time you need.

Imagine yourself as a child. Allow enough time to truly remember. Watch as the face in the glass gets younger, as memories flash in front of you. Think back to the games you played, the friends you laughed with, and the dreams you had. Hear the calls of your friends to get you to come outside. Feel the wind in your hair as you ride your first bike. Smell the baseball glove when you opened it up for the first time. Taste your favorite candy on which you happily spent your entire allowance. Whatever your memories are, relive them while staring deeper and deeper in to the eyes in front of you. Remember the details of each memory. You are young. You are innocent and naïve. You have your whole life ahead of you.

Look now from within the reflection at yourself. Is this adult the person you had wished you would become? Has this person made wise choices? Do you want to grow up to be just like him or her? Would you look up to the adult staring you in the face? Think about these things. Connect with yourself. See your own life from inside and out.

We all change. A dynamic life is the only one I would ever want to have. I know that I have different values and ideals now than I did years ago and in some cases, just days ago. I would act much differently in past situations if I was put there today. This is part of growing. Embrace the change; without it you would actually be the child you were and there would be no point to try seeing yourself through those eyes because the perspective would be no different. What is nice about this inner reflection is that it's possible to step back and see where this growth is taking you. If it's not where you want to go, it's never too late to change. As Gandhi said, "you must be the change you wish to see in the world." I believe this starts with being the change you wish to see in yourself.

The bottom line here is to think. Think about yourself, your habits, ideals, beliefs, and actions. How do these things play a role in the world around you? Are you proud of who you are? As a child, would you look at yourself now and be excited for what lies ahead? Think about it.

Change of Plans

Managers of the team, some players, and several kids from the Miami Heat foundation have been wanting to get in on a shark trip for a long time. To make a long story short, they're coming on the 15th of March which is going to change our Tortugas trip formerly scheduled from the 13th-19th. We now have no plans for the 13th and 14th, will take the group from the Heat out on the 15th, then begin our trip on the 16th and return on the 20th. On one hand, we are going to miss out on a few days of catching sharks and I suddenly have no plans for my birthday (even if plans come about, I have to consider that I will wake up at 5:45 the next morning to get down south for the Heat group). On the other hand, we'll be catching sharks and I'll get to meet one or two of the benchwarmers for the soon-to-be NBA champions.

I met with a professor at RSMAS today (RSMAS is the name of the renowned marine school at the University of Miami). Not much was decided but it has become very likely that I will return to Miami at the end of the summer. She commented more than once on how much my networking over the past few months has impressed her which was a huge compliment. Needless to say, it is difficult to justify leaving the 3rd best marine science school in the country and cutting off the ties I've made to start over somewhere else from scratch.

Stay Tuned

I hope everyone enjoyed the pictures from the shark trip because there is going to be MUCH more where those came from. I am going to spend my spring break (13th-19th of March) on a boat in the Dry Tortugas with about 5-8 other researchers doing exactly what we do on the other trips. However, doing it so many times and without having students around, we will be able to work with optimal efficiency and catch sharks left and right. Furthermore, the Dry Tortugas National Park has heavy restrictions on fishing so we are expecting to catch many more than we do within 20 miles of Florida. [Image from http://www.tropical-adventure.com/travelguide/archives/dry-tortugas-key-west.shtml]

In addition to spring break and sharks, another post to look forward to is going to come even sooner. I'm meeting with a professor on Monday to talk to her about my academic plans. I will not give any further details because there is a good chance she could say there's nothing I can do.

The other thing out of the ordinary that I am personally anticipating is my birthday which is just around the corner! 3 years ago, I was in Cape Town on the day of my first dive of my life, 2 years ago I was home, last year it was spent in Sint Maarten on a day off work, and this year will be on a boat catching sharks. One week from Monday and I'll be 24 years old. Weird.

Before I go, I must ask to keep 2 people in thoughts and prayers. My uncle Rick, although not in the hospital anymore, is still not in full health. Also, my cousin Claibourne continues to have complications surrounding her pregnancy and is in and out of the hospital more than anyone would like her to be. Thanks a million!

Rounding out February

As black history month winds to a close, my life continues to be full of fun and excitement.

On Friday I went on another shark trip. I was in charge of writing the blog for the day, so I will insert here the entry I made for the program:


Preparation for the trip this morning was carried out with efficiency and enthusiasm. Interns and students alike were itching to get out on the water and start reeling in the sharks. There was an unmistakable excitement in the fresh early morning air that built as the Miami-Dade College students volunteered to load the bait-crates with our collection of assorted fish parts. Watching them jump in to help without hesitating at the sight of sliced fish reassured us that this was going to be a fantastic day for catching sharks.

[The level of anticipation was very high as the hooks were being baited and dropped]

When all was ready, we set forth on our way seaward. Everyone pitched in when the time came to set the drumlines out with the tasty fish steaks attached. An efficient round of setting the lines brought us to our lunch break right on schedule. We used the opportunity to get to know the students, share shark stories, answer questions about sharks and shark research, and demonstrate exactly what will happen when we do catch one. The atmosphere became electric as soon as the time came to pull back around to the first line.

[There was a slow start to the day but it quickly picked up from there]

One of the things we have to deal with is nature's biting sense of humor. All of the buildup for reeling in sharks started to fade after 9 consecutive lines were pulled up empty. Just as hopes were starting to fall, I felt a good deal of tension on the 10th line. Sure enough, a 7ft nurse shark was on the other end.

[A total of 4 nurse sharks were pulled in today. All of them were large and were therefore not brought onto the deck.]

Like clockwork, everyone assumed their proper positions and we geared up with the tail rope. Nurse sharks have tougher skin than other species thus we do not bother with the muscle biopsy. They are notorious for putting up a fight making it difficult to safely bring the larger ones on board, hence the decision to rope the tail and make our measurements without pulling the shark out of the water. After an exhausting struggle, we successfully brought the nurse to the boat, roped the tail, and stabilized it without causing it any harm. Measurements were taken and morale was boosted as each student was able to come and feel the rough scales of this bottom-dweller.

[Here a black tip is being measured. The pump in its mouth causes water to flow across the gills allowing the shark to maintain oxygen levels.]

We let the shark go and with a renewed vigor proceeded to the next drumline. Throughout the rest of the day we managed to pull in 3 more nurse sharks, two black tips, and one lemon. The nurses tested our strength and tail-roping abilities but the black tips and lemon were brought to the deck, measured, sampled, and tagged with the precision and efficiency expected of an experienced team.

Alex Rodriguez Park

That night I ended up going to a UM baseball game where Appalachian State U upset us 7-5. That was my 4th UM sporting event I have attended and it was the 4th loss I've witnessed. Yes, it is sad.

Viola Day concert

On Saturday, there was an event at the Frost School of Music (in the heart of the main UM campus) called “Viola Day.” Yes, there was in fact an entire day devoted to sharing the love for the best instrument ever. I attended a couple of the forums and heard the concert. It was really quite nice to be back in the music atmosphere, albeit very brief.

Today was another early morning with a wake-up at 6am (30 minutes later than Friday morning!) but with plans of diving, it was completely worth it. I should mention I have the freakish ability to be wide awake within about 2 minutes of waking up without needing any energy supplement: it works about 90% of the time but it's amazing. Anyway we made it out to the marine campus, loaded up the van, and headed toward Miami Beach to load the boat at the marina. The dive boat was disgustingly full: there were 49 people on a 50 person capacity boat and easily a hundred tanks (2 per diver plus spares). One of them was a good friend I work with at the dive shop. It was completely overloaded but the diving ended up going very well. The dives were with my graduate “scientific research techniques in diving” course and we spent our time working on positioning, finning techniques, and skills. The highlight of the dives actually was on the descent of the first dive when I found a dive knife. This is a piece of equipment I've been thinking of buying for a few months and now no longer have the need for one. After the dives we came home, showered, changed, and met up at one of our classmate's houses for a bar-b-que. We made our own burgers, had great conversation, and ended up on the roof. Since we met at the marine campus at 7 and some coconuts caught my eyes, I'd been dying to have one but had no way to get up the tree to retrieve one. Earlier in the afternoon I had spotted a coconut tree that was particularly close to the roof of the friend's house. When we finally decided to go up to the roof, I went straight for the tree, grabbed a loose palm branch, and after about a minute of shaking, successfully dislodged the branch and several coconuts in the process. About 5 minutes after grabbing a large knife from the kitchen and hacking away, we were passing around the freshest coconut water many of them have ever had. By the time we finished drinking them, cut them open, and scraped out some of the meat, it was time to go. What a spectacular end to a great weekend!!!