Submitted by Bethany Vanderloo on the 2018 winter session program in the Cayman Islands sponsored by the School of Marine Science and Policy…
After spending a night in Grand Cayman, I instantly could tell this study abroad program was going to be an exciting experience. It was my first time flying in a small plane that held less than 20 people. We arrived in Little Cayman and were greeted by the staff. Along with the staff there were also a few graduate students doing research here who introduced themselves to us as well. This past semester, I took the scuba course at UD to become a certified diver so diving is still very new to me. I had never been diving in the ocean or from a boat so I was slightly nervous at first for how this was going to go. Once in the water, I took a few seconds to look around me and what was below and it was breathtaking. The water was a crystal blue, there was coral all around with many different types of fish swimming about. The dive lasted about an hour and when it was over, I instantly wished to go back in and see more.
A few days later, we had a lecture on the history of the Cayman Islands which was quite eye-opening as well. I learned that the three islands that make up the Cayman Islands appeared at different times in history and have unique qualities. We learned that a type of rock called karst was created as a product of the weathered calcium carbonate which is a jagged, black rock near the shore lines. In Grand Cayman, there is a giant area of it referred to as Hell. After the lecture was over, Dr. Warner and Dr. Marsh took us to see some places that had an abundance of it where there were also coral fossils visible in the karst. The site we first went to was Salt Rock Dock and the area was breathtaking. We watched the water splash up the sides and fill up the tide pools with little fish and snails. I was also able to see a few different species of coral fossils as I explored the area. As the weather here has been a mixture of sun and rain, we have only seen a small percentage of the 13 mile island that 17 other students and myself get to call home for the next month and I cannot wait to see more.
