After a delicious lunch of burgers, fries, and peaches, the group packed into the van, and we made our way to Snapshot Reef, snorkel gear in hand. Snapshot reef is located right off the west coast in Fernandez Bay which is thought to be the location where Christopher Columbus first stepped foot in The Bahamas in 1492. A cross and monument is located at this historic yet controversial site.
We put on sunscreen and snorkel gear and headed out into the water, highly anticipating what was to come. About 30 meters from shore, we came upon beautiful patch reefs. Patch reefs are different from barrier reefs in that they grow from the sea floor in isolated clusters closer to the coast. Each patch we saw was covered in life with a great diversity of corals, fishes, and algae. Also there was evidence of coral bleaching and some people saw a sea turtle! After about 3 1/2 hours, we headed back to dinner exhausted and enjoyed spaghetti, salad and chocolate cake. At night we attended a presentation on the History of San Salvador give by Kathy Gerace, one of the founders of the research center we are staying at. We will definitely be going to bed tired from today but excited for what’s to come tomorrow!
-contributed by Aubree S.
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