Today, in typical Hawken fashion, we began our day with a “late start,” which allowed us to wake up at 7:30 rather than 6. We were all in agreement that this was much needed after all of the activity that we had done the day before during kayaking and night snorkeling! After getting out of bed, we met at the flagpole and were told which groups we would be split into; stingray catching or conching. One group would catch stingrays today then conch the next day and vice versa. We were both put into the group that would catch stingrays today. After singing the nation anthem, we headed to breakfast for blueberry muffins and cereal.
At 9:15, we met in the boathouse dressed in swimsuits ready to gather the necessary materials for the day. We met the crew who would be guiding us for the day, and it is safe to say that they were awesome. Max, Chris, and the legendary Dr. Owen O’Shea were the researchers that would guide us in our expedition to catch, tag, and measure stingrays. In doing this, we would be helping them with a small part of an ongoing project surrounding stingrays in the Eleuthera area. Dr. O’Shea drove our boat out to a distant sandbar, and after about ten minutes of driving, we anchored in order to catch a stingray that Chris spotted. The shouts from the crew to “Hurry up! Get off the boat!” caught us off guard, but before we knew it, we were plunging into the water chasing after a Southern Stingray.
Max, Chris, and Dr. O’Shea instructed us on how to effectively catch the stingray. We formed a circle around the ray in order to herd her into the net, and after just a few minutes, were able to bring her to shore to examine her. We learned how to measure the different lengths of the stingray, such as disc width, quarter width, body length and total length. We also learned about some of interesting bodily functions and characteristics of stingrays. As we were carrying out the measurements on this ray, we began to notice lightning and dark clouds closing in. We got back into the boat and attempted to head towards the next location where we would be stingray catching, where it looked clear.
The team catches their first ray!
Despite Dr. O’Shea’s efforts to completely avoid the storm, it quickly caught up to us, and as he put it, “Alright, we’re about to be pounded by this storm.” Moments later, a torrential downpour was upon us. We could see the concern in our instructor’s eyes as well as the crew as rain surrounded us, but fortunately Dr. O'Shea navigated skillfully through the weather and we made it safely back to shore (it was a little scary!). We hurried inside the boathouse and dried off until the storm passed before heading back out.
After drying off and a quick lunch, the sun had finally emerged from the clouds. We got back into the boat with the crew and headed back to sea. We docked near the sandbar where we had caught the first stingray. Once again, we followed the crew’s instructions and caught another stingray. This time, it was one that the crew instantly could recognize, and her name is Stumpy Jane. Let’s just say Stumpy Jane is an unlucky girl, having been caught 8 times, bitten by a shark, and missing her part of her tail (hence, “Stumpy”). Following the measurements of this unfortunate stingray, we got back on the boat and headed seaward to a small island where we caught, measured, and tagged two more stingrays.
Our stingray hunt was now over but the time with the crew was not over yet. We headed to the marina where nurse and bull sharks are known to feed. The goal was for Dr. O’Shea and his crew to catch a bull shark, one of the most aggressive species of shark, by hand. Unfortunately, after chumming the water for two hours, they were unable to spot a bull shark and we left the marina empty handed. Despite this disappointment, we still had an adventure filled day and loved every minute of it.
We rested up, ate dinner, and gathered once again at the flagpole to walk over to the Cape Eleuthera Institute for a presentation on Bahamian Creole English. During the presentation, we learned and practiced the Bahamian dialect. We finished off the day with a daily quiz. Despite the rain (we learned a new Bahamian term for lighter rain, which is spry!), it ended up being another beautiful and exciting day in the Bahamas.
After drying off and a quick lunch, the sun had finally emerged from the clouds. We got back into the boat with the crew and headed back to sea. We docked near the sandbar where we had caught the first stingray. Once again, we followed the crew’s instructions and caught another stingray. This time, it was one that the crew instantly could recognize, and her name is Stumpy Jane. Let’s just say Stumpy Jane is an unlucky girl, having been caught 8 times, bitten by a shark, and missing her part of her tail (hence, “Stumpy”). Following the measurements of this unfortunate stingray, we got back on the boat and headed seaward to a small island where we caught, measured, and tagged two more stingrays.
Dr. O'Shea (far right) and Chris (center) help Hannah measure a shark bite mark on the ray
Our stingray hunt was now over but the time with the crew was not over yet. We headed to the marina where nurse and bull sharks are known to feed. The goal was for Dr. O’Shea and his crew to catch a bull shark, one of the most aggressive species of shark, by hand. Unfortunately, after chumming the water for two hours, they were unable to spot a bull shark and we left the marina empty handed. Despite this disappointment, we still had an adventure filled day and loved every minute of it.
We rested up, ate dinner, and gathered once again at the flagpole to walk over to the Cape Eleuthera Institute for a presentation on Bahamian Creole English. During the presentation, we learned and practiced the Bahamian dialect. We finished off the day with a daily quiz. Despite the rain (we learned a new Bahamian term for lighter rain, which is spry!), it ended up being another beautiful and exciting day in the Bahamas.
Goodnight!
Hannah & Bar
Hannah & Bar
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