Wow, this post is long overdue! To make a looong-expired story short, I met up with Paul down in the Virgin Islands, specifically in St. John to gain some experience in the field with him and his team. I too had the opportunity to be part of multiple projects lead by Paul's graduate students, John and Rachel. It was an awesome and fun experience getting in the water, comparing the Caribbean marine life to the Pacific. I thank God that all of my accommodations, food, and amenities were taken cared of by Paul and his godsend funding. Everyone was so kind and friendly. Paul and John were so helpful with brainstorming ideas for my thesis and getting the methodologies and field techniques down. It was a unique experience and I spent a good three weeks getting to know these awesome people.
So, here are some photos of my time in the water and the neat places I visited. Enjoy :)
The research lab part of the Virgin Islands Environmental Research Station (VIERS) was located on Great Lameshur bay.
Our Accommodations at VIERS
The Crew
Paul Sikkel, John Artim, Rachel Welicky, Elizabeth Brill, Lance Renoux, Joe Sellers, Starlene Loerch
Taking a Swim
Not as diverse as the Pacific, but still very beautiful.
In The Field
These are some fish cages for our gnathiid experiments. Cages were placed next
to live and dead coral for parasite infestation comparisons.
The Buggers
Adult gnathiid parasite: female (left) and male (right)
Customized fish cages for juvenile fish.
The Island
These are taken from a trail between Small and Big Lameshur bay overlooking the ocean.
Haulover Bay, Leinster Bay, Trunk Bay and Maho Bay
Downtown: Cruz Bay
Original ice cream of St. John!
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| They have really great burgers and plenty of souvenirs there too. |
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| Conch Fritters! |
St. John looked lovely, right? I'd love to bring my family down there in the future. I didn't take nearly enough photos. I failed to include Sloop Jones, Aqua Bistro, and the shops of Cruz Bay.
