Day 3 by Keila

At first I didn't know how to put on or use snorkeling equipment and I was getting nervous about not being able to take part in the activity that we are going to be doing later in the week. I listened to the instructions and tried my best to not let my fear or lack of experience get the best of me. There were some moments while snorkeling in which I felt the water hitting my nose or I tasted the salty water but with practice I got used to the snorkel and was able to swim into the deep. This was my first experience ever swimming and seeing fishes beneath me and it was truly breathtaking. Through this experience I was able to feel much more in touch with nature because it was just inches beneath me. I was also able to see how these fish live in their natural habitat. Overall this was an amazing experience, even though it was short. I’m looking forward to going for our longer snorkeling trip later in the week and hopefully seeing a turtle or a school of fish. 

Another highlight of today was going to the oyster hatchery. My favorite part was actually going into the oyster bed and being able to swim through the water filled of algae and being able to catch some of our own oysters. It was very interesting to learn about these manmade hatcheries and how they can produce millions of oysters in months using very minimal resources. It was also astonishing to see how aquaponics function using fish whose waste is used as nutrients to grow plants.

I truly enjoyed being able to get into the water and stay cool but also learning so much about the life underwater. The sight of so many different fish and seeing the way they interacted with each other and the coral reef made me reflect on how horrible it would be without them. It really opened my eyes to the fact that if we don't take care of the environment and be careful about the products we produce it will be deadly. If we don't find ways to protect nature then there will be devastating consequences that will be nearly impossible to stop after they begin.