Coral restoration, tropical fish species, reef ecosystems, native plants, and pollinators.
Although we are pretty unlikely to get to see a Porcupinefish while snorkeling, I just can't resist adding this striking fish to the fish coloring book. Their enormous eyes, wide mouth, and large extended lips give them the appearance of a half smile as though they’re just about to share a good joke and (in my opinion) make them pretty irresistibly adorable.
Barracuda are a fairly common sight almost everywhere I been diving or snorkeling. Although they are sleek, powerful swimmers that can sometimes look intimidating, they mostly hang out around reefs alone or in small groups. Sometimes they open and close their mouths showing off all their big teeth but don’t worry - this is just to help with their breathing.
I've read about manatees before but never really knew much about them. They always seemed like such an exotic and bizarre animal - the kind you have to travel around the world to see. Now that we live in Florida, how could I possible not go swim with these amazing, gentle giants?
Not long after I got certified to scuba dive, I learned about the Coral Restoration Foundation. CRF is a really exciting and amazing organization dedicated to "actively restoring coral reefs on a massive scale, educating others on the importance of our oceans, and using science to further coral research and coral reef monitoring techniques." While… Continue reading Citizen Science with Coral Restoration Foundation
This is an Initial Phase Queen Parrotfish being cleaned (most likely) by juvenile bluehead wrasse and are the best photos we've ever gotten of cleaner fish in action. I learned about this amazing occurrence from a fishinar presentation "Cleaning Stations" given by Ned Deloach (co-author of everyone's favorite fish ID books) that I really began to understand the importance of cleaning stations and the amazing relationships that play out there.
Erica Lauer Vose 