Today we analyzed our marine iguana data and went out for a snorkel off the beach of Isabela.

At 8am we all gathered to IOI to debrief for the day. Originally, we had planned an early morning snorkeling trip to Concha y Perla, however things did not exactly go as we planned today.

Due to a bad storm, the dock at Concha y Perla was closed, and we were unable to utilize the area. Though despite the bad news, we all held our heads up high and went into the classroom to begin analyzing the Marine Iguana data we had collected from the previous day. Up until lunch, we were in the classroom hard at work trying to use Prism to devise the best way to get statistical results and to display our data.

But for some groups it was easier than others, as for my group, we had a love-hate relationship going on with Prism. Hours passed, and at noon, we all strolled off to lunch with our analyses completed.

After lunch, we resumed our day by walking to the beach of Isabela and going for what we thought to be a leisurely snorkel, to make up for the missed morning snorkel. All 19 of us strutted to the beach in full snorkeling attire, wetsuit and all, through the town of Isabela; it was definitely quite a site for the locals.

Many of us were able to swim with marine iguanas, sea turtles, Galapagos penguins, sea lions, and a colorful variety of fish.

 

We all took turns holding sea cucumbers and observing probably the largest spiny lobster I have ever seen. As we made our way back to base, our pleasant snorkeling quickly turned into quite a workout as we were greeted by four-foot swells and cnidarians-ophoras.

All, but the two girls on the swim team, were a tad short of breath when we finally made our way back to shore. We then met back up at the IOI and ended our tiring day by indulging ourselves with fresh homemade pastries from the local panadería.