#researchstation

I was so scared when arriving on Heron Island because of how many birds there were. I had absolutely no prior preparation for how many birds would be there, and I was terrified when I saw them all. I am so scared of birds and would have loved a little prior warning so I didn’t freak out as much when I saw them, but luckily I made it through alive. I had to have a personal escort every time I walked to the beach, I had never gripped Pooja as tightly as I did these past few days! There was this one time we walked through a path through the trees, and it was the worst idea ever. Birds covered every square inch of the trees and were making horrible screaming sounds. Dead birds littered the ground, and I almost threw up just looking at them. I basically sprinted back to the research station- it was so scary! But by the end of the week I got more and more used to the birds and was even able to walk to the beach by myself without getting too freaked. I was very proud of myself!

             The food on Heron Island was definitely the best food we’ve had on this trip. As a vegetarian, some of the options on our group dinners were kind of lacking, but these meals I looked forward to everyday. The tofu was actually marinated, the curries were actually spicy, and the variety of cuisines that were prepared was amazing. Even if it was the same ingredients, the different preparations made it so delicious. It made me really look forward to next semester when I’ll have a kitchen and be able to prepare my own meals. I hope to take some inspiration from some of the stuff the chef made!

Snorkeling on Heron Island was one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had in my life. After going out every day over the course of the week, I started to notice which fish were more commonly seen together and which coral was seen together too. There were certain fish that stayed near the shore, and others you saw deeper out towards the drop-off. I saw biodiversity like I’ve never seen before. I didn’t know clams could come in that many different colors! I saw bright blue, teal, purple, and green. Being able to see an actual sea turtle in real life was amazing as well. They were just as calm as I expected them to be. The first time I saw one, it was eating the coral and made such a funny sound underwater! I learned that when they swim they only use their front flippers, and not their back ones, which was interesting. I thought I’d be scared to be in the water with sharks, but it was actually super cool to be able to see them up close.

             I also had the opportunity to go scuba diving while on island. I hadn’t been in over 6 years, so I was a little nervous at first, but after taking the refresher course I felt so much better about getting out in the water. I went on 2 dives. One of them I saw an eel, but other than that nothing big. The second dive I saw so much! The coral was straight out of Finding Nemo. I saw 5 sharks, a turtle, a ray, and even an octopus! It was the coolest thing ever. We just sat in the water and let the current push us through different patches of coral and I got to soak up all the sights doing minimal work kicking around. I am so happy I had the experience to practice my scuba skills again and get to utilize my certification in such a beautiful place!