Interim 2004
Title: SCUBA Diving adventure on the Dutch Island of Bonaire, the fish capital of the Caribbean.
Course Description: Bonaire, one of three Dutch islands located 50 miles north of Venezuela is consistently ranked by international divers as the finest SCUBA destination in the Carribbean. The island is renown for the shore diving (we drive up to one of eighty dive sites, put on our gear, enter the turquoise water and swim onto the reef). The brilliantly colored reef is a spectacular haven for a diversity of marine organisms, including sea turtles, luxurious corals and sponges and almost 500 species of fish. Buddy Dive Resort is designed to maximize the tropical diving experience with a drive thru dive shop, fantastic boat support, excellent restaurant and clean comfortable grounds (www.buddydive.com). The township of Kralendijk offers dining, groceries, shopping and night activities.
The project consists of three weeks of SCUBA diving and marine biology classes, and an eight day dive trip to Bonaire. The students will enroll in a PADI SCUBA course and upon successful completion of all course requirements, they will become certified divers. Additionally, students will attend on campus class lectures on coral reef ecology. Marine biology lectures will prepare students to enjoy the beauty of the coral reef and enable them to critically observe and understand the complex nature of the ecosystem. At sunset we gather to discuss the day’s diving and the reef community. The students will describe what they have experienced on each dive and explain how the organisms interact with each other and with the divers. Evaluation will be based on participation in SCUBA and marine biology classes, individual contribution to post-dive discussions and a written daily journal and exam.
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SCUBA Certification and Coral Reef Diving
The project consists of three weeks of SCUBA diving and marine biology classes, and an eight day dive trip to San Salvador, Bahamas. The students will enroll in a PADI SCUBA course and upon successful completion of all course requirements, they will become certified divers. Additionally, students will attend on campus class lectures on coral reef ecology and marine biology, which will prepare them to enjoy the beauty of the coral reef and enable them to critically observe and understand the complex nature of the ecosystem. After each dive we will discuss the reef community and the students will describe what they have seen and explain how the organisms are interrelated. The SCUBA classes will be taught by Mike Atkins (PADI certified SCUBA instructor at "The SCUBA Shop" and YMCA in Spartanburg). Evaluation will be based on participation in SCUBA and marine biology classes, individual contribution to post-dive discussions and a written daily journal and exam.
Grand Cayman SCUBA
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January 23, 1999 we will stay in Atlanta at the Comfort Inn near the airport. Three students will stay at a brother's home.
January 24: ALL students are to be at the Airport at 05:00.Delta Flight # 1128, Atlanta to Miami, Leaves 07:00
Cayman Air Flight# 103, to Cayman, leaves Miami 10:50
January 28: Cayman Air Flight# 102, to Miami leaves 1:30 PM
Delta Flight# 2130, Miami to Atlanta, leaves Miami at 4:20PM
We will be staying at:
Coconut Harbour
S. Church St.
P.O. Box 2086 GT
Grand Cayman, BWI
(345)-949-7468
Marine Biology: An Introduction To Field Research
This interim provided students with an in-the-field, hands-on introduction to marine biological research as practiced by biologists and fishery scientists of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. The project will combine lectures and outside reading with coastal field observations and work. Students will participate in ongoing marine invertebrate and vertebrate population studies at the Marine Resources Research Institute on James Island near Charleston. Students will assist biologists in fish tagging studies in the estuaries of Cape Romain and the Ace Basin. Students will also use a variety of sampling gear for the collection of crustaceans and fish in salt marsh habitats. Students will spend a day aboard an oceanographic research vessel to conduct water sampling and chemical analysis, use plankton nets to collect both phytoplankton and zooplankton and study in the lab, and collect fish in trawls from offshore habitats. Other activities will include assisting in data collection and analysis, and cruises in near shore and tidal creek environments. Evaluation was be based on participation, thoroughness of a daily journal and a written exam.