Don't Step on the Coral! (Piti Fish Eye)

My view halfway through the class

My Marine Biology class just finished a lecture on coral bleaching, so we went out to see it up close and personal. Over the past years, corals have bleached faster than they have grown. Based off what I learned in class, corals bleach when they are under extreme amounts of the stress. The most common of them all is when the ocean's temperature suddenly spikes. The algae that photosynthesize for corals leave, causing the coral to "bleach".

When our class met at the lab site (Piti Fish Eye Park), the first thing I realized was how FAR we were swimming. Keeping in mind that I have not yet experienced snorkeling, I started to panic because I quickly realized I did not bring my gear. A great majority of my classmates were ill-prepared for this lab as well. But with determination, our class set out to see the coral nursery to see how corals are farmed. We walked out until we saw live corals, and from there, we started to swim to the nursery. The two things that kept me from stepping on the corals was

something might grab me and I'm going to drown and
why do people do this I'm already exhausted and all I see are creepy corals

I think it's safe to say that I wasn't too fond of this lab.

However, I realized the real reason why people dive to see the world under the sea. As soon as our class reached the plunge between shallow and deep water, I saw just how amazing it looked all looked. The distance it took to swim was worth the view. Granted that although it would've been a better experience had I been prepared with the proper gear, the lab was an experience I could never forget.

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