Spring Breakin'

These last couple of weeks have been extremely rough, but Spring Break decided to uplift my inner happiness. Thank goodness! On "Spring Break" most college students take a vacation with their group of friends, they go out partying at night, sleep during the day (most likely by the pool or on the beach), but I am 22 years old and the last thing I want to do is take a vacation with a group of friends and waste daylight thinking "I'm so cool". Maybe it is because I live in Hawaii, maybe it is because I am getting smarter, maybe it is because I have already lived my glamorous college days, maybe I am just not a people person, or let's face it, maybe I just really am not "cool", but what I do know is all I want to do is be a mermaid on Spring Break. I know, I am 22, and I want to be a mermaid, it does sounds ridiculous, but I just want to come up to the beach, lay in the sun, then get back into the ocean, and frolic around with sharks, sea slugs, whales, fish, and all the other cool creatures of the ocean. In case you are getting nervous that I might be crazy, I definitely know that I can't turn into a mermaid: There are no "Ursala's" to grant me the dream of a tail for the price of..... my voice?. However, I am "Homo sapiens" and I have a large brain, which means I can be creative, I am smart, and I can do whatever I set my mind to. With that said, I went to the beach for Spring Break and you best believe I hung out with some cool sea creatures. I may not have the fins, the tail, or the ability to hold my breath for long durations to make awesome friends under the sea (why can't I have a "Flounder"... I am crying... WAHHHH), but I was a mermaid for Spring Break. Don't think you can rain on my parade!

(P.S. This blog is about my whole Spring Break.... it is long. Sorry, but I know most of my Family will enjoy it! At the end, I have some pictures and a video swimming with Sandbar Sharks! Also, I am not a specialist in identifying marine organisms, so if you do know what it is, and I got it wrong, let me know, I love to learn, and some of them I am not sure about, I just mention what I think it looks like the most! Okay... off we go....)

Where should I start off......... How about the beginning.

The ocean always has a way of comforting me, better than any human being, except well, my family, of course, and the best thing in life is to just keep swimming. So, I hopped in the ocean with my awesome hand made weight belt, call it redneck, if you wish, but I am a poor Masters student, there ain't nobody in graduate school who's got money for a weight belt.

TOTAL FASHION STATEMENT

So, I just keep swimming (or snorkeling if you want to be specific). Out of no where, my cool friend Flakey comes out to play.

Snowflake Moray- Echidna nebulosa

Flakey and I go waaaaaaaaaay back, we've been friends for a while, you know, had a few lunch dates. I think it knows me by my camera always being shoved in front of its face; sorry FLAKEY you are just tooo dang cute! It is always looking at me with an expression of "You again? Okay, get your shot...... Gee lady, how much longer!?" As a scientist you should never give animals human qualities, but this is SPRING BREAK and I AM A MERMAID and I HAVE UNDER THE SEA FRIENDS, so just deal with it during this blog. I was reading up on the Snowflake Moray the other day and found out that these creatures, unlike other eels, do not have sharp teeth, instead they have have grinding plates that are used to crush the shells of some invertebrates (it's prey). Pretty cool right?

As Flakey got bored with me, I kept swimming, and came across several other cool friends. 

Hawaiian Whitespotted Toby- Canthigaster jactator

Hidden Hermit Crab- Calcinus c.f. latens

I believe this is a Conspicuous Sea Cucumber (Opheodesoma spectabilis) and yes, they look like a human colon. They feel super weird, slimy, and squishy. Whatever you do, do not pick them up. I have seen many people try and they just stretch and split in half. Poor sea cucumbers! 

Stubborn Sea Cucumber- Holothuria pervicax

I wish there weren't so many suspended particles, but I had to show you the cool blue color of the
Blue-Black Urchin- Echinothrix diadema

What I believe is a Clearfin Lizardfish- Synodus dermatogenys

I am definitely not an algae specialist, so I have no clue what this is, but it makes me laugh every time I see it. Looks kinda extraterrestrial, no?

The next invertebrate I saw was the Blue Swallowtail Slug (Chelidonura hirundinina). I especially like these little guys, and when I say little, I mean usually smaller than an inch. The main reason is because of their colors.... BLUE and ORANGE. They clearly know the way to this girl's heart (GO BRONCOS.. I don't even care if it isn't football season). I am going to make a whole blog page about these guys, only because I get to watch them mate all the time, and they roll into these balls, which is obviously adorable.

I also like the Ringed Sap-sucking Slug (Plakobranchus ocellatus). It is a little bigger than the Swallowtail Slug at about 2.5 inches. It is pretty much beautiful. The colored rings always attract me. They feed on algae and use the chloroplasts to photosynthesize, meaning they are SOLAR POWERED SLUGS! I know, the ocean has so many cool creatures. I want to be "cool" like them.

Everyone loves brittle stars! A Spiny Brittle Star (Ophiocoma erinaceus) below, with a video of it moving. They are hilariously quick!

The next thing I saw was a Sea Hare. I am not sure of the exact species because it doesn't seem to fully fit any of the descriptions, but I am going with White Speckled Sea Hare (Aplysia dactylomela). I was pretty stoked seeing this sea hare; it is always exciting to see something new and intriguing.

I also saw this Stout Moray (Gymnothorax eurostus). Stout Morays vary in their pattern and coloration, and this was the first one I saw of this color. He was very shy, which I approve of because many of the people I have seen lately have been collecting the eels and other sea life at this location for aquariums and you can tell the place has been "overfished". I wish people understood the importance of the ocean and all its species. It really makes me sad.

On this snorkel trip, the last thing I saw was a Sculptured Slipper Lobster (Parribacus antarcticus). Their eyes are soooo cool!

Spring Break is long, and that was only one day. To mix it up, I got to FaceTime my Mom and Baby Brother. They are 2 of the most beautiful people in this world, and they bring so many smiles to my face. I love you mom and baby brother and I am so proud of both of you!

Another activity for Spring Break was SCUBA DIVING! At the 100 ft. Hole on Oahu. And... what did I see....

Common Longnose Butterflyfish (Forcipiger flavissimus)

2 Yellowmargin Morays (Gymnothorax flavimarginatus)

Moorish Idol (Zanclus cornutus), yes, from NEMO

Red fish: I believe are Bigscale Soldierfish- Myripristis berndti
Yellow striped fish: Yellowfin Goatfish- Mulloidichthys vanicolensis

Red fish: I believe are Bigscale Soldierfish- Myripristis berndti
WHITE TIP REEF SHARK- Triaenodon obesus

WHITE TIP REEF SHARK- Triaenodon obesus
Such a cutie. Look at that smile!!!!!

And to end it, a Spotted Eagle Ray- Aetobatus ocellatus
You can hardly sea it, but it was there! This was off the YO-257.

The next few days involved beachin'. I was able to go to one of my favorite beaches on the west side and hang out on my body board with 3 green sea turtles, and after I caught one really good wave, which gave me such a rush! Then we went to the North Shore to hang out with more turtles and to Lanikai to build sand castles. Everyone always judges me, but yes I am older and I still love making sand castles. JEALOUS? I don't think I will ever grow up!

North Shore, Oahu

Green Sea Turtle- Chelonia mydas
Photo by Adam Farrell

Lanikai, Oahu

My sand castle

My sand castle to the left, my friend Adam's sandcastle is to the right.

Enjoying the sunshine and not school! WOOO

 

Lastly, I did a shark snorkel. Below are some pictures. I should have professional ones of me soon. It is amazing how gentle sharks are and everyone thinks that they are attacking machines. They literally are so scared of you, it makes me laugh. I got to swim with 11 Sandbar Sharks (Carcharhinus plumbeus). Sandbars are pretty noticeable compared to other sharks around here because their dorsal fin is extremely tall, you can probably tell in some of the photos. I would say on average these sharks are only about 5 feet long. No there was no bait, and definitely no cage! In the video, you can totally hear the humpback whales vocalizing! It was super loud!

 

Now, my Spring Break is coming to an end, and I can no longer be a mermaid, but the ocean gave me tons of adventures, which were much needed! It is time for me to hit the books again, but remember that the ocean is why we are all alive and even those not around the ocean can still do things to help it and take a stand. Also, sharks are not human killers, and I want people to know that sharks have an important part in the ocean ecosystems, and that is exactly why you should care. We are at the top of the food chain, and without sharks, who knows how the ocean and its life will shift. Many species' populations/stocks are declining rapidly and tons of sharks, over 11,000, are killed every hour. You need to care, at least for the future. 

Also, I will be making blogs of certain animals, preferably ocean creatures, so if you want to know more about any of the animals above, or just any in general, leave a comment and I will make an educational blog about it! 

Anyways, I love you family and friends. 

Don't forget to LIVE ALOHA!