7.16.14 Dive Journal Entry
Sofia Alaniz, Scubanaut-Senior First Class
Master Diver
AAUS D-100
DAN Diving First Aid Pro Provider
Today was filled with a ton of fun and a huge load of diving!!! I was expecting a normal day of normal dives… That is not even close to what they were. In the morning all of the Nauts woke up and got ready to help MOTE with more transplanting corals! I remember when we hung these corals last year, but this time we were able to help cut them. This was a great experience for me and the other SCUBAnauts. We were able to see how to cut these and to see that these are actually tough corals. This was such an eye opening experience for all of us. Later in the day we had a talk from Mr. Mark Knowles about the geology of the Florida Keys. Many don’t really think geology is the best subject…. but having a talk from him, was so much fun. We learned that over the years that the Florida Keys were formed from the shifting sand from the original shoals. These sand particles are called oolites and without these, we wouldn’t have the lower portion of the Keys. Just thinking this day was amazing and I did not think that this could get any better, when in fact the day and night got even better. The SCUBAnauts had the opportunity to go on a night dive. We had two thirty minute dives and they were filled with so much fun and beautiful creatures. On the second dive, I saw two massive eagle rays that came right under me. I know that this dive will stick with me for the rest of my diving career. I hope that I will have more dives similar to this one!! This is an amazing trip and I will keep many memories from it!!!
