Category: United States

Submitted by Carter O’Brien on the 2024 Winter MAST program in Florida…

A really cool experience we got to share was our first “deep” dive to 65ft. It was the first dive of the day and everyone was apprehensive on making the dive. Blue Grotto boasts a large overhead environment where daylight is still visible so it is technically not cave diving so long as the daylight is visible. That being said there is rock over our heads as we make the dive so there is no easy option for an emergency ascent. It was a bit of a nerve wracking experience grabbing the line and swimming into the dark. The “ballroom” isn’t really visible from the daylight section due to low visibility. Once we made our way into the overhead section it became clear that there wasn’t anything to be scared of. Once our eyes had adjusted it was clear that the overhead section was even larger than the daylight pool. We could see the daylight outside the overhead although we were still in the dark. We spent our time at depth, came up for the decompression stop and finished our ascent. It was a really cool way to break in our advanced open water certifications and it was super fun. (Submitted on January 27, 2024)

Submitted by Carter O’Brien on the 2024 Winter MAST program in Florida…

The second day of our group trip in Florida was unforgettable. After a long two days of traveling, we had finally woken up at our hotel in Crystal River. Without any breakfast or coffee we waddled our way to the dive shop and suited up. The air was cold, the boat was cold, and the breeze, was colder. Our study abroad lead and boat guides had informed us that we would be the first one’s on the water, and even though we were everyone was regretting it at least a little bit. At the very least the water was warm from the springs. There was very little visibility, but we were lined up in the water waiting for the sun to rise. As we swam into the sanctuary dubbed “the keyhole”, other boats were beginning to pull up. Before I knew it I had gotten separated from the group and found myself face to face with a manatee. It was incredible, at least an 8 ft. animal that weighed as much as my car and it wanted to say hi. Staying as still as I could she put her face up to mine and started to nudge me. She was inspecting me and being curious. After she swam off I was still riding the high of meeting such a gentle giant. Before I knew it something was nudging my leg. There was another manatee being me and was being pretty nosy. This manatee did the same but kept rolling onto its back. Taking the queue I put one hand behind my back and one hand out to try a belly rub. For the next ten minutes my also massive manatee kept rolling over like a puppy for belly rubs and we started to get along. Eventually the other groups rolled in and I had to let my manatee go but it was something I’ll never forget.

Later that day we had a nature talk and took a walk around three sisters spring. All waters there were blocked off for wintering manatees and we saw some of the animals with signs of cold stress from the winter weather. But most of all we saw two mother and calf pairs, each calf only being months old. In the picture provided there’s a mother and her calf who ended up nursing in front of everyone. An especially tender moment to cap off an already amazing day. (Submitted on January 18, 2024)

Submitted by Maddison Alt on the 2022 winter session program in Hawaii sponsored by the Department of Biological Sciences…

This week had some of my favorite activities yet. We went on another boat excursion to Kealakekua Bay, and in my opinion, it was the coolest snorkel outing on the program. The water was crystal clear, and the corals were incredibly tall and complex. It was like swimming through a little city. Seeing an absolutely massive school of goatfish just feet below you, and coming up to swim in the middle of a school of needlefish, made me feel like I was just part of the environment. The sheer diversity of the fish here was mind-blowing, and it was interesting to swim through warm or cold spots caused by freshwater mountain runoff combining with the salt water. It makes for very blurred visibility in one spot, and completely clear water in the next. The one thing I wanted to see more than anything was an octopus, and right at the end, I got to achieve that goal. It was the first time snorkeling where I didn’t feel like an invader, I felt like part of the ecosystem—just letting the currents take me between coral towers and over huge groups of yellow tang or black triggerfish.

This week was the last week, and as heartbroken as I am to leave, I feel like I learned even more than I expected in the two classes I took. But the most important lesson, learned in this very unique classroom, was how to truly live in harmony with my surroundings.

Submitted by Megan Perdue on the 2022 winter session program in Hawaii sponsored by the Department of Biological Sciences…

Aloha!
We have just gotten back from Hawai’i… and I want to go back already. While in Hilo, on the Big Island of Hawai’i, we went to a botanical garden rain forest. I was completely obsessed with the Hawai’i Tropical Botanical Garden. The flowers, trees and wildlife here were gorgeous. We looked at many different plants and learned about their origin and properties. I loved how vibrant the colors were. After spending a long time at the gardens, we drove to Akaka Falls State Park. Here, we walked through a trail that had lookout spots as we got closer and closer to the huge waterfall. We all took pictures, and I took one “drinking” the waterfall.

Submitted by Abubakarr Bah on the 2022 winter session program in Hawaii sponsored by the Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics…

Now that I’m back home, I do miss the Aloha spirit. When I was in Hawaii, everyone seemed chipper from the tourists to the locals. It could be due to the warm weather, but everyone was nice and friendly. Even my classmates, we all got along well like a family. I could chat up a local cashier or waiter and they would give me suggestions on shops, talk about who’s winning the NFL games right now, or ask about my experiences on the island. The island was teeming with life. Now back in Delaware, I barely even see people. It’s cold and nobody wants to talk to strangers. The only sound you hear is cars going super loud down the highway. Even at stores the cashiers say have a good day, but they all seemed annoyed and ready to clock out. It makes you really appreciate the quiet peaceful time you have when visiting a new place.

Submitted by Julia Kausel on the 2022 winter session program in Hawaii sponsored by the Department of Biological Sciences…

Aloha! This past week we transitioned from Oahu to Hawaii (The Big Island). This was a really cool week to compare everything about both of the islands we had been on so far. One of the main things we studied this week was the volcanic rocks on The Big Island, and how the whole Islands structure is different than Oahu. My favorite part of the week was going to Volcanoes National Park. It was so interesting to see how the plants and animals living in the park were so drastically different than other islands in Hawaii.

Something that I didn’t expect was how different parts of the Big Island were to each other. Right after visiting Volcanoes National Park and admiring how rocky and dry it was, we visited the Botanical Gardens which were lush and filled with vibrant plants. I really enjoyed seeing the difference between the two islands ecosystems as well as the difference in plants based on location on the Big Island.