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Puerto Rico & Vieques 2008 Cruise, day two: March 27, 2008
Christine
Addison
rolls off the
small boat
to begin
her dive.
(Credit: Amy
V. Uhrin)
Click to enlarge
colony. (Credit:
Amy V. Uhrin)
Click to enlarge
Up bright and early, the small boats were launched and we were off to our sites at 8:00 am. Our mission today was to begin fish and habitat survey work. At each site, one of a pair of divers swims along a 30 meter transect line identifying and recording all fish sighted within one meter on each side. The second diver follows behind the first and estimates the percent cover of various habitats falling within a 0.5 x 0.5 m² quadrat. A total of 25 stations were surveyed today, a great start!
One of the dive teams encountered a spectacular colony of pillar coral (Dendrogyra cylindricus) at the end of a transect. These colonies may contain dozens of upright cylindrical branches which can attain heights up to three meters. This particular colony had 14 branches and was over a meter tall. The distribution of this coral is spotty throughout the Caribbean and we have never before encountered this species in four years of survey work at Isla Vieques. At the base of the colony, a large mixed school of fish including highhats, wrasses, butterfly fish, and squirrelfish swayed in rhythm together.
The crew of the NANCY FOSTER is a critical resource during the cruise. They provide small boat support so that we can conduct remote dive operations. Crew members navigate to the dive sites, assist divers in donning gear, track divers while underwater by maintaining visual contact of surface exhalation bubbles, and record important dive statistics such as time in and out of the water, air pressure remaining in SCUBA tanks after a dive, bottom time, and maximum depth. Our work would not be possible without them. Thanks guys!
General Vessel Assistant, Dave Brown, records statistics after a dive (Credit: Amy V. Uhrin) Click to enlarge |
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Scientist Don Field finishes up his fish survey at the base of the pillar coral (Credit: Amy V. Uhrin) Click to enlarge |
