Existential experience

Where to even start with this amazing trip! So many awesome things happened. I saw a sea turtle (who we later found was named Saint) on the first day in San Salvador which told me that it was going to be an amazing week. Other things I saw included sting rays, reef sharks, and countless species of fish including blue tang, black durgon, and the very interesting white-spotted filefish. Everything that I saw and did on the beautiful island of San Salvador will forever be ingrained in my memory, but the highlight of the trip for me was swimming out to "The Wall". The wall, the shelf, the dropoff, the area where the ocean floor dramatically drops. The swim out was pretty intimidating, special thanks to Dr. Payne who came out with us to stand on the shore in a bright teal shirt so we could look back and see him for comfort. The sand ripples in the ocean floor were amazing, and before long we were seeing sea grass and sand dollars. The real excitement started when we saw a decent sized stingray. Majestic is a pretty good word to describe it. Eventually we were swimming over coral in water that was far far deeper than we were tall. We saw so many fish that I lost count of the species along with a few tiny adorable jellyfish and reef sharks. The moment that I'll remember for the rest of my life is when I swam out a few feet past the drop off. This is where the existential moment happened. I went from being surrounded by classmates in water that was shallow enough to see the ocean floor and all the life to water that was just this deep, dark, dense blue that I don't even know how to describe. It was definitely one of those moments that kind of puts the world in perspective for you, and in that moment I fell completely in love with the mystery of the ocean. 

The ocean wall (photo courtesy of Elizabeth Haralson)

One of the things I noticed in several of the snorkel spots was the lack of color on the coral reefs. In several places even within one stretch of beach there were sections of coral that had already completely died off, left as a shell to house stringy colonies of algae and completely void of all color and other life. In the photo above, this was an area of relatively healthy coral, but it still lacks color and abundance of life. Coral reefs are complex ecosystems that house numerous varieties of marine species in addition to offering protection from wave action and providing a platform for necessary marine chemistry to take place. Other people on this blog have mentioned the beauty of French Bay, but I didn't see it. I was only about 50-70 yards to the left of the group of people who saw the healthy coral, and everything that I saw was dead and covered in algae. This should be alarming, and to me it is. I'm feeling a renewed desire and intense motivation to pursue conservation of our oceans and marine ecosystems. I encourage anyone reading this to find the Netflix documentary called "Chasing Coral". We saw first hand exactly what those guys were talking about.


I hope that I'm blessed in the future to take another trip to this amazing island, and I hope that future students recognize the opportunity that they are given by being offered this class!

Ashton Mize

Graham's Harbor Sugar

During some downtime on the evening of March 23rd a few of us decided to venture back out to Graham’s Harbor. The mesmerizingly blue water was a bit choppy but yet we persisted in the hunt of spotting another green sea turtle, we geared up and headed for the seagrass beds that are couple meters from the beach. Of course had to make a pit stop and enjoy the alluring coral reefs, where we were able to identify some blushing star coral, golfball coral, and several sea fans.  We were even able to catch a glimpse of a cushion starfish and a yellow sting ray. Although these sights were captivating, we were out to spot a sea turtle and sure enough our efforts would pay off in the most hilarious way possible. Liz and Ashton were first to notice the young green sea turtle grazing away in a small seagrass patch, and we all observed in awe as we watched this turtle munch away as if we weren’t even there. As I turned to swim away the curious little guy began to follow me but then quickly started to swim towards Rachel. Who was completely oblivious and enjoying the fish until she looked up to a sea turtle trying to lay down some sugar. Rachel instantly screamed, I’m pretty sure the turtle did too, and I’ve never laughed so vigorously in my life.

Barn Owl Sighting

The experience on San Salvador, Bahamas was a unique one.  There are numerous amounts of life forms on this island.  The barn owl, which are very important in controlling the mouse population on San Salvador Island is a rare.  This is the only species of owl on the island and almost the only biological control to prevent the mouse population from growing and preventing the native Bahamian iguana.  When we first descended the owl cave no one knew that we would stumble upon a mother owl nursing her owlets.

I also enjoyed swimming out to 'The Wall' at Bamboo Point.  This was a beautiful experience.  The ocean floor slowly grew and grew.  The coral reefs were beautiful and then all of a sudden we were out in the deep blue ocean.  There were a plethora of schools of fish, and a shark appeared!  The shark was harmless and added to the experience.


-Andrew Ramírez

Sea Turtles and Sharks oh my!

This past week has been one for the books! This was my second time visiting San Salvador but there were many new things that I was fortunate to experience. There are sea turtles that frequently visit Graham's Harbor and we were able to meet two different ones! The first one's name was Saint and the second one we actually got to name ourselves! Its name is now Trojan (in honor of UALR). Following along with the turtles and watching them graze among the sea grass beds was a once in a lifetime opportunity. These creatures are so amazing and graceful underwater, it was such a unique snorkel adventure to observe them in their natural habitat. The sea turtles were definitely my favorite part of the week! We also gave a few other new things a try this week while exploring the island, the most thrilling of which was swimming out to "The Wall" where the carbonate platform of the island drops off drastically. Before you know it you're staring off into the deep dark ocean. I was very nervous walking down the beach to the spot we entered the water and I was still even more nervous swimming out that far to get to the wall. Once we had made it to the drop off, the water got so deep all of a sudden that you could not see anything but the deepest blue color one could imagine. We saw huge schools of fish, numerous sting rays, and we even saw a few different sharks that were hanging out around the edge of the wall. Once out there, my nervousness subsided and I was able to enjoy the beauty for what it was and reflect on how small we really are compared to the vast ocean.

I have never felt so small looking out into the deep, even compared to when I've been on the tops of mountains and looking out across the landscape. One thing that has affected me much more than I anticipated was the overall health of our ocean's corals. Compared to two years ago, so much more of the coral has bleached and is now deserted wastelands with the decayed skeletal remains covered in algae. The importance of our coral reefs is one that is often overlooked and I have come back with a renewed passion for saving our planet's oceans. This has been an enlightening trip overall and we got to witness some of the most amazing things! I know that I will be returning again at some point in the future to this wonderful island, and hopefully we can all start doing a little bit more to make less of a human impact on our oceans and planet overall.
Elizabeth Haralson

Dixon Hill Lighthouse Cave--John Snell

On March 21st 2018, we visited Lighthouse cave on Dixon Hill on San Salvador Island, the Bahamas. We arrived at the cave at around 9:40 in the morning and it was around 78 degrees Fahrenheit. It was very humid. Lighthouse cave is around 125000 years old, of pleistocene age. It is the perfect example of a flank margin cave. A flank margin cave has no surface opening until some form of erosion exposes the underlying cavity. Speleothems were abundant and have Farm since about 71000 years ago. This cave is one of the largest cavities in the Bahamian aisles.
To enter the cave, we climbed it down a metal Ladder into a spacious Cavern. There is water around the outside of this cavern. The water leads into different areas with other semi-large cavities. To access a couple of these separate rooms, we had to duck below the water surface and go under a very short archway.
There were 2 bats that were flying around within this cave. There was also a very strange looking centipede-type insect.
As I entered the water, fear and freezing temperatures greeted me. Right on the heels of Matt Carey, We continued on word looking for the path that would lead us on the loop so that we could come back to where we started and exit the cave. Matt showed no fear and was eager to find the right path, and even though I was nervous I followed him. The feeling of doing something that you're afraid of is extremely liberating, not to mention how awesome it was to be swimming in a cave.
This was legitimately one of the coolest experiences that I have ever had in my entire life, and I am extremely grateful.

San Salvador Bahamas Caves

I was proud to be a part of the 2018 Introduction of the Geology and Ecology of the Bahamas course. During the trip to San Salvador, we saw many great sites. I studied and taught my fellow peers about Bats on the island. My favorite site was lighthouse cave, a cave on the Northeast side of the island, near a lighthouse.  It was a thrilling experience. I was able to see magnificent speleothems, stalagmites, and stalactites, and dive under water in the cave going from room to room (as the tide was coming in). We saw 2 bats while in lighthouse cave. They were Erophylla bats (Brown Flower Bats). Other caves I visited were Owl’s hole, Dripping rock, and Altar Cave. In dripping rock I saw great examples of Cave Bacon, and Soda straws, which are more speleothems. In Altar cave, I was able to see around 20 Erophylla Bats, hanging on the tall dome-shaped ceilings. Towards the back of the cave, I went to the low hanging ceiling, and was able to see 2 Natalus Bats (Bahamian Funnel Eared Bat). The main difference between the two bats I’ve mentioned are Erophylla stay on High Dome-shaped ceilings, while Natalus Bats hang on low flat cilings in the cave. Erophylla eat nectar and seeds from flowers, and Naltalus bats eat insects—they can eat hundreds of mosquitoes in one night. Naltaus bats only occur at the Bahamas, and their conservation is very important. One good thing about The Bahamas’ bats is that they don’t suffer from white nose syndrome, like they do in the U.S. The public needs to continue to be informed about the importance of Bats, and many other species as well. One thing that we as a group found unusual is something we saw in Alter cave. We found hermit crabs in the cave, and one was really big. Perhaps more research should be done on the caves in San Salvador to find out more about the organisms that reside there.


Cody Smith

Snorkeling in San Salvador

During our class trip to San Salvador in the Bahamas, my favorite part was the snorkeling! On the first day, we snorkeled in Graham’s Harbor and got to see a lovely sea turtle that we later learned was named Saint. On the second day, we snorkeled near the Columbus Monument, and this was one of the prettiest snorkeling locations. We got to see dolphins, coral, and lots of interesting fish. Later that week, we snorkeled at French Bay; unfortunately, it was super windy that day which made snorkeling while trying not to damage the coral difficult. Another one of my favorite snorkeling spots was at Pigeon Creek. I loved swimming by the mangroves and seeing all of the fish. My top spot for snorkeling though would have to be when we went to “The Wall.” The swim was kind of difficult, but the view was worth it! I saw 4 sharks, some stingrays, and many schools of fish. It was an amazing experience and probably my favorite part of the whole trip!
-Callie Pace

Fossil Coral Reef

Fossil Coral Reef

On March 22, we went down to fossil coral reef, which is on the west coast of San Salvador. This is where we find the type section of the Cockburn Town Member of the Grotto Beach Formation. It's the fossilized remains of two different reef systems that were covered suddenly after catastrophic storm events. Due to the burial of the reef happening in such a short amount of time, there is an amazing amount of detail in the preservation of the coral fossils. While we were there, we saw fossilized brain coral, staghorn coral, sea fans, chitons, as well as live chitons and sea urchins. It's a rare and unique opportunity to be able to see an old reef system that's still in place, with many of the coral in the same positions they're in when they're alive.

Rebecca Bishop

Fossilized brain coral (Photo courtesy of John Snell)

Black sea urchin (Photo courtesy of Olivia Pate)

Dunes, Sea Caves, and Altar Cave

Of all of the wonderful experiences I had while in San Salvador, the hike to North Point was perhaps the most enjoyable.  The North Point hike showed fascinating coastal geomorphology, with sea caves slowly forming.  I had never had the experience of applying theoretical concepts learned in geomorphology to the field, and this experience was a perfect culmination of my learning.  While my passion lies in oceanography, the forming sea caves indicate the wonder and power of the ocean. Additionally, the dunes gave me an opportunity to apply knowledge from sedimentology and stratigraphy and were truly awe-inspiring. 

While the dunes and sea caves lie in my comfort zone, I decided that this trip would also serve as an ideal opportunity to go beyond my limits.  I have never been a fan of caves-- for me, darkness, heights, and uncertainty are three variables for disaster.  Although I did not climb into Owl's Hole Cave or Lighthouse Cave, I took the final opportunity to climb into Altar Cave.  Despite immediately regretting it because of the irritating sand and bat guano mixture, the being able to see and identify bats up close was an exhilarating experience that I had yet to experience.  

I am greatly indebted to my professors and classmates for their camaraderie and brilliance as we traversed San Salvador.  Above all, my experiences in San Salvador further demonstrated to me my passion for the ocean and geology.  A truly unforgettable experience, San Salvador (and Goombay Punch) has a special place in my heart.

Photo of the dunes.  Credit to Olivia Pate.

Tyler Kee

Light house cave

The light house cave was an great adventure in an old lighthouse on San Salvador. It was a long walk up to the top, but well worth it. The view was great. After that we took a long trail to a cave that is tidally influenced. Climbing down a metal later to an underground cave.  The cave was a unique experience. Then later in the day we went down to French Bay to snorkel. At first I was not able to see anything but sea grass. Later someone showed me where the coral and fish were. It was scary how close the coral was to my face and body. But it was an amazing time. I loved everything about this trip everyday was packed with great adventures and new experiences.
Rachel Yeager

BEWARE THE LUSCA

Blue Holes. They're not exactly a rare sight here on San Salvador. Blue holes are defined as a large marine cavern or sinkhole, which is open to the surface and has developed in a bank or island composed of a carbonate bedrock (limestone or coral reef). Blue holes typically contain tidally-influenced water of fresh, marine, or mixed chemistry

Inkwell blue hole is an 8.5 meter deep, essentially, hole in the surface of the surrounding rock. Due to the large amount of tannins found about 3-4 meters deep, the blue hole is black. This dark color gives Inkwell its name.

Inkwell Blue Hole
feat Matt (left), Dr. Rene's hair (center, left) and Andrew (Center). 

As a fairly common feature in the Bahamas, Inkwell also has some lore and myth surrounding it. The Lusca, a mythical giant octopus of the Caribbean, is supposed to have given inkwell its black color due to the ink that it might have ejected at some point. It is also believed that a Lusca resides in the blue hole itself. 

According to cryptozoologists, it is assumed that a Lusca is actually decomp[osing adipose tissue from Sperm Whales. How it might have ended up in a blue hole is beyond most, but because of the enormous reported size of the Lusca, it is far too large to be a giant octopus.

Sperm Whale Blubber

Enteroctopus dofleini, or the Pacific Giant Octopus 

Olivia Pate, 3/23/2018

Just keep swimming

      I think the most memorable things so far have been swimming in Light House Cave and snorkelling in French Bay. Light House Cave was on March 21 and it is a flank margin cave with a direct conduit to the ocean. If you are able to time it right you can walk and swim a good portion of it before high sets in and fills in too much of the cave. This was such a different experience than doing guided or tourist type caves because I had an actual sense of exploring a cave. The water in this area had a much different feel to it than the rest of the island, it is hard to describe but it did feel a lot fresher than the rest of the water sources we have seen on the island.
      The following day we were able to go snorkelling on the south side of San Salvador at French Bay. French Bay has had the most coral present during our dives and it was extraordinary to see. To see the different species of corals and the different fish that dwell among them is amazing, however it is a wake up call on how humans affect these environments. The decline of these environments is detrimental to more than most people understand and honestly that is heartbreaking. I believe if more people were able to see these reefs and fish and educated on their importance then these ecosystems would stand a fighting chance at surviving.

-------------------
Tristan Gregory

Swimming in a cave

On 3/21 we went to lighthouse cave and it was amazing! We entered this flank margin cave through a pit cave entrance that connected to it. My first impression on entering it was that it was much like caves in Arkansas. Then I realised that unlike Arkansas, it had none of the differing rocks and minerals: this was all calcium carbonate rock. Another thing that was really cool about it was the relative youth of this cave and the speed with which it formed. Then came the really fun part. As we entered the chamber, we could see the water. Tidally influenced marine water rising with the tide. We got to get in and swim through these nearly submerged cave passages in what was rising water. We were safe about it, but it was still a thrill. Highlight of the trip so far!

Brendan Talbert

Venturing Into Lighthouse Cave-

On March 21, 2018, I visited Lighthouse Cave with my class in the Bahamas.  We observed that this unit of rock is a member of the Owl's Hole Formation.  This cave is considered to be a flank margin cave.  Due to the infiltration of ocean water and rainwater, the Ghyben-Herzberg lens is also present.  This lens is used as a water resource be the local population.  The entry of this cave was made possible from pitting.  After entering the cave, I saw clastic material as well as stalagmites and stalactites.  This cave is connected to the ocean and is affected by the tide.  Bats were seen within the cave and headlights were required in order to see.  Further on in the cave, the water level got to be neck deep.  Lighthouse Cave was my favorite part of the trip overall.

----
Julian Ervin