August 20th Day 59

Today the weather was absolutely perfect for diving. We got all our stuff and the camera rig and headed out to take plot pictures. Andy and I dropped down and when we got to the first plot, the strobes weren't going off. After a few minutes trying to fix it under water, he aborted the dive and we ended up having to go back. He got it fixed in 20 minutes so it wasn't too big of an issue and we then headed back out. We did two dives out there today and got 5 more plots done leaving us with 10 more plots or two days of work to go. When we got back in it was around 4:30 which made it impossible for me to take photos of my corals on Gump before the night dive tonight. For our dive master certification course, we are required to lead a night dive and tonight was my turn. Steph and I led 4 people on a dive of a site across the channel in the lagoon. It went real well for the most part and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. We saw some cool wildlife including an octopus, sleeping parrotfish, and many other types of fish roaming around the coral bommies. When we came back in we gave a little debrief and then everyone was on their way. We ate dinner shortly after with some chicken and pineapple fried rice which was good as usual. After dinner we had our review from Keith about our performance which was pretty good. We got good marks on just about everything. Once we were done with that I got to work for a little while before I started to get really tired. I had a long night last night so I think I am going to go to bed early. Until later.

August 19th Day 58

Today I didn't go out to the fore reef first thing like a had the past few days. I instead started drilling tiles for next year. When I started, I was cracking so many tiles and got a bit frustrated. Keith told me to go do Gump with Steph and they would figure out what was wrong. Going with Steph was a great opportunity to take photos of my corals so I was sure to bring my camera. Once I finished taking pictures of my corals, I helped Steph with the rest of the anemone survey. When I got out of the water and saw Jessica effortlessly drilling tiles I was a bit confused. Turns out though that we were trying to drill the wrong tiles that are much harder than the standard clay tiles we use. While I was doing Gump, they realized this and got a bunch of the correct tiles. Because of that I spent the rest of the afternoon drilling tiles and I managed to get over 100 drilled. When the work day was over I hopped in the car and headed over to the public beach with the three people from Florida. They are leaving tomorrow morning to go back home so today was their last day. We hung out and had a beer at the beach and then came back after and had pizza for dinner. After that we went out to the fare pote and hung out there. We listened to music and had a few gin and tonics and then I started to get tired. I said my goodbyes to them and said that I would like to go out to Florida to visit at some point. Hopefully I get a chance to go visit! Now I'm laying in bed and am about to pass out. Until later.

August 18th Day 57

Today went out to the dock with the idea that we were going to take plot pictures at the rapid sites. However the conditions weren't good so we decided to once again do something else than photography. Tom and I went to insert additional tiles to a few of the algal settlement plots to examine what the next year of settlement will look like. With the help of Andy and Brett we got this done before lunch and were able to head back to Gump. After lunch, Tom and I did some work along the anemone transect which allowed me to work on the cages to determine bites and coral mortality. I was glad that Tom and I took full sized tanks because we used up a lot more air than I expected. After I finished with the anemone transect and Tom finished with his deep shrimp goby photography, we came back in and that was pretty much my work day. For dinner tonight we had fish tacos with mango salsa which was really good. After I did some work and then it was time for bed. Until later.

August 17th Day 56

We went out today right away to the Rapid site outside Cook's to do some plot photos. When we got out there it looked much like it did the day before so we called it off. We came back in to drop off the camera and then headed back out to go do fish surveys on the plots. When you don't have to carry a giant camera rig, it isn't so bad to dive in dicey conditions so that is what we did. It was great for me because all I had to do was be Andy's buddy so I was able to just cruise around and be a tourist for 2 dives. I took a ton of pictures. After that was over it was the early afternoon which gave me a chance to deploy my coral tiles. I put them out along the same transect where the anemone survey is done and it went well for the most part. It was nice not having to worry about securing them that much because there is no current or surge here in the lagoon. After they were deployed the day was pretty much over. Steph and I were supposed to lead a night dive tonight for dive master but the wind was up and the conditions were deemed to not be good enough. Instead I helped Mike make lasagna for dinner which was really good. We made it with eggs which I have never done before but I think it really turned out well. I would certainly do it again. After dinner, I came upstairs to work until I got tired. Now I am going to go to bed. Until later.

August 16th Day 55

Today I went out to the dock expecting to get ready to go out to the fore reef outside Cook's Bay. I was going to go with Andy to go switch a few cages that had been deployed on the wrong plots. Instead I was given the alternative to prep my corals to be deployed and I jumped on that. Brett and Andy went out and I stayed behind to work on my project. I got them all set and ready by the time they got back which was good. Once they got back, we broke for lunch. After that we got ready to go back out to the fore reef to do plot photos. On our way out, Andy was talking about how nice it had been out on the fore reef in the morning and what do you know when we got out there, the conditions weren't as good. There was a ripping current which pulled me a ways from the boat toward the plot that we were going to photograph real fast. The bummer about that is that on the way back, I would have to fight it and fight I did. I had to carry the camera rig all by myself since Andy was way low on air. At first I tried to go up to try to conserve air but the current of course was worse closer to the surface. I noticed that I wasn't moving so I decided to dive down below it so that I could swim. By the time I got to the boat I was beat tired and I was relieved to see Tom dive down to help me bring up the rig. Tom and Brett had been waiting for us on the boat and Andy told Tom I needed help. I was relieved to get up on the boat to get a breather. We then decided to call it a day because of the conditions. After that the day was pretty much over. With the sun going down we then met up on the dock for our first dive master class led night dive. Brett, Brie, and Katrina led us on a night dive of Gump Reef and I really enjoyed it. It was the first time that I have dove at night so I was really excited. I saw some cool anemones and some fish that were different colors compared to the day. My light Keith gave me turned out when I was under water so I had to use my own light as my back up which was funny. Keith also had a hard time picking up pin cushion stars because Brett was doing the right thing and preventing him from taking them. In actuality, we remove pin cushion stars from Gump because they eat anemones. He snuck one in his BC pocket and it was really funny to explain the situation to Brett when we got to the surface. After the dive I came in for dinner and had some chicken and broccoli which was ok. Right after I headed outside to take pictures of my corals and the stars since they were bright. I got some great pictures of the Milky Way out on the dock while Tom, Sammy, Mike, and I had a few drinks. After that it was time for bed and I called it a night. The day of diving has got me so it's time for bed. Until later.

August 15th Day 54

Today was another day to do plot pictures on the east side. We had only 4 plots to do so it was figured to be an easy day. But when we got down, we knew it was certainly not going to be an easy day. While Andy and I were trying to take photos, we were being tossed around which certainly made the picture taking more difficult. When we finished, we pulled into the dock in the harbor to unload our equipment off the boat so that Jessica and Brett could take off. When we left apparently they broke down and we saw Keith come past us with a trailer to go and get them we knew something was wrong. Eventually they got back and we found out the problem wasn't crippling for the boat. For the rest of the day, I did a little data and then Z spared my corals onto the tiles. While we were doing this we found a number of coral crabs that were very unhappy. While taking my photos of the individual coral pieces, I got a coral crab in perfect focus. Once we finished with the corals, we had some dinner. We had some fish and grapefruit fries which actually turned out really well. I can't say that I have ever had grapefruit fries but they actually were great. After dinner I checked in early because I was really tired for some reason. Now I am going to bed. Until later.

August 14th Day 54

Today was our first day of photographing the plots at the two Rapid plots around Moorea. We headed out to the east side to do the Rapid site there. This was our first try at it so for the most part it started off slow. But as I got used to the flow, we got faster and we ended up getting a lot done. We were taking the pictures with an SLR camera mounted to a 1/2 meter by 1/2 meter frame to cover segments of the entire 5 meter by 5 meter plot. I help by changing the tag that indicates what portion of the plot the photo is of and help to move the frame. We ended up getting 6 plots done in 3 dives which was pretty substantial. The conditions were absolutely pristine over there which made for easy photo taking and great visibility. While I was on the bottom waiting for Andy, I saw a parrotfish turn on its side to let a cleaner wrasse do its thing. I had never seen that done before and it was pretty trippy. Right when the parrotfish turned on its side about 2 feet above the bottom, a single wrasse came from out of the coral to pick at the sides of the parrotfish. I felt like I was watching Planet Earth or something like that. After we finished Andy and I drove back to Gump with all the equipment while Tom and Jessica drove the boat back. When I got back, I cleaned up my gear and then got started on chipping the corals that I collected for my coral tiles. Brett and I got them all chipped and ready to be glued tomorrow. After that was done it was time for dinner. Sammy and Katrina made homemade pizza tonight which turned out really well. They made one with goat cheese which I thought was particularly good. After dinner I got into bed to work on some stuff and read a few papers before bed. I am feeling a bit exhausted from all the diving today so I think I am going to go to bed. Until later.

August 13th Day 53

The day started with some rain and boat weighing. Wasn't incredibly exciting but it had to be done. Once we got through the boats and filters we made our way out to the Rapid's plot outside of Cook's Bay. Tom had to take pictures of the coral cages we had just got done deploying to check for any accidental mortality from our handling of them. While he did that, I got a chance to collect some corals for my experiment. I did a decent job getting corals by myself. Once we got in I grabbed one of the assistants to help me chip the corals so that they could be fastened to the tiles I am going to use. We got done with a third of the corals before we got off work early to go to the public beach. On our way it started to rain and by the time we got there, the rain was pretty steady. We made a few drinks and stood in the water while it rained on us. After a while the rain subsided and a few of us took out our cameras to get pictures of the sunset. While the sun was going down, I did a bit of a sunset swim. It was incredible to just swim in the water while practically dark and not be any way cold. It seemed to be warmer in the water than out. Despite that getting out was still not bad and I dried off faster than I would have thought. After the beach we headed over to the snack cart to have dinner. Our entire cooking group went and as usual it was delicious. We then came back and I was feeling really tired. I read for a bit before bed and now I am getting super tired. Until later.

August 12th Day 52

Today was the last day of deployment out to the rapid plots for the algal tiles. While Tom, Andy, and Jessica did that, Steph and I did Gump. It was a pretty ordinary survey dive until I saw this crazy fish right under me. I didn't have my camera on me of course. We finished the dive and I got my camera to try to go find the fish. Unfortunately there was no sign of it. After the dive I did clean-up and data entry for the rest of the day. Mike and I cooked dinner tonight and we had some pasta primavera which turned out good. Can't say I have ever made it with eggplant but it was a decent substitute for squash. After I worked on my statement and then called it a night. Time for bed I am beat. Until later.

August 11th Day 51

The day began with a customary Gump dive to do damselfish surveys while Tom, Jessica, and Andy went to deploy more cages out on the Rapid plots outside Cook's Bay. They brought back the last set of cages to be taken apart and redeployed tomorrow and when they arrived we got right on working. The project took the rest of the day for the most part. There was a little time after where I was able to work on measuring corals for my own coral project. I have been given permission to conduct my own coral assay in order to determine which size of young coral doesn't get accidentally bitten by parrotfish. It should be a very interesting experiment if I have the time to completely finish it. Once the day was over I started working a bit on a job application and then got ready for Mosen's birthday party. Mosen is a French guy who did his PhD at CREOBE and now is working as a assistant to Hunter. Hunter is a researcher from the Bren School at UCSB who is working on early coral mortality. Mosen invited some of the people over from CREOBE and we all had dinner together. Tonight Stella put together an awesome taco salad with mango salsa and her signature Mexican beans. As always she is the master of Mexican food cooking and it tasted great. Unfortunately she wasn't feeling well right after she cooked so she really wasn't able to come out to eat and socialize with the rest of us which was a shame. After dinner we had ice cream cones and cake along with Mosen's punch that he made. I stayed up rather late but checked in earlier than some of the people here because I am feeling a bit tired. It was fun as always to be with company under the fare pote. I also managed to get some awesome night time photos. The moon was incredibly bright out so it was great to take pictures. Now I am going to sleep so that I can get up in the morning. Until later.

August 10th Day 51

Yet another day here at Gump station. I do feel like the days are beginning to fly by faster and faster as my time here goes on. It started off as an ordinary day in that I had to dive Gump Reef with Steph to do the damselfish surveys. We took a while to do it since we have seen a wave of recruits to the anemones within the last couple of days. Once we were done however the day became a little bit boring. I started to make cages right after Gump up until lunch. I would have kept on going with the cages right after lunch if it weren't for Russ and Sally leaving tomorrow. During the day they had been in the process of cleaning out their hillside bungalow. They needed help moving a heavy table of theirs and since I was the only guy available, they took me up there. I had never been to their bungalow before myself but I had heard a few things about it. I had heard that it was really not that big and that for the NSF funded couple it was a small place. I can say that these assertions are all true but still I was absolutely floored when I entered the place. When you walked in, you were in the kitchen and it's by no means big. After that you make your way into the bedroom with above it a loft. Keep going and you get to the balcony where you have the most beautiful view of Cook's Bay that I have seen yet. Despite the beauty, I was made to help them tidy up the place and lift a few tables that were heavy and unmovable without another guy. After we finished, my efforts were rewarded with a double chocolate dove bar which I can say I have had maybe one other time in my life. Funny how I can say the other time was in Moorea. When we came down from their bungalow, I did cage work for the rest of the day. After work, I talked to Erica a bit and then got ready for the dock bbq in honor of Russ and Sally's last night here on Moorea. Despite its impromptu manner, it was a glorious night. From the running limbo to the flawless music selection for Russ on my part, we all had a great time. In the process, Russ shared a few more of his crazy stories from Africa which I appreciated because of his great story telling abilities as well as his actual experiences. Once they left, the party began to morph to catering the younger crowd. I came back to the dorm feeling super tired so I think I will retire now so that I can wake up at the customary hour tomorrow. Until later.

August 9th Day 50

Today was a day that was really meant to tie up all the loose ends before Russ and Sally leave. I started off the day doing the Gump survey which was cool. I ended up seeing an octopus in really shallow water right at the end of the site where we exit the water so I was able to take some really colorful photos. We proceeded to clean one of the boats while we were in the water and then did fish survey data entry until lunch. After lunch, we used some of the cages I made right after I got here to Moorea to replace the cages that were in the field. Those cages were brought back and the tiles inside these old cages were moved to new ones to ensure that they will last another year out on the fore reef. We finished that early and I washed Russ's car before I was able to wonder off for a bike ride to drop off my postcards in Maharepa. It was cool to ride around Cook's Bay and bike through what I have driven through dozens of times. I stopped to take pictures along the way there and back. When I was riding back I found a spot right at the point of the bay that looks directly at the setting sun. I stopped there and took a bunch of pictures of the sun low in the sky and during the sunset. It was absolutely incredible to see the sun set on the open ocean like that. It was the first time since I have been here that I have actually seen the sun set because Gump is situated behind Rotui mountain which blocks the setting sun. It was cool to get pictures doing full manual with my camera because I really was able to get a feel for how to take the picture I wanted and how I could capture the scenery exactly how it looks to the naked eye. With the shots I too, I certainly had a sense of accomplishment when the sun went down because I really feel like I am starting to get a hang of landscape photography. On my way back to Gump it was obviously getting dark. I sped along to try to get back before it got completely dark and to my surprise I was pursued by a dachshund mutt about 100 yards down the road for riding by where I presume it lived. It was funny because when I first saw it, I figured I could outrun it no problem but it kept up barking and growling at me the whole way. After I got away I could do nothing but laugh at what I had just experienced. "Only in Moorea," I told myself. After I got back to Gump I did some more work on my application and waited for dinner. Tonight we had meatloaf with macaroni which actually turned out really well. Afterward I spoke with Erica about more details concerning our trip and then decided to work a little more on my personal statement before bed. Now that I am tired I am going to call it a night. Until later.

August 8th Day 49

Once again we started off the day today collecting corals. Getting out to the site where we were yesterday was smooth and easy and the conditions were much better. I found it incredible as I sat on the boat going to the site that I still could smile at the scenery and beautiful conditions all around me. By now I would have figured to be "used to it" and maybe a bit less appreciative but really I felt like I had just arrived today. I am truly grateful that I have been able to enjoy this experience because I don't think you can say that many times in your life. The diving at the site was pretty mellow compared to yesterday and we made sure to get as much coral as we could. Today was the last haul for the experiment so Russ and Sally wanted to make sure that there was enough to make it through the last two plots. When we got back we immediately started processing them like before. While we were working, I discussed with Russ and Sally a bit about my parrotfish survey project that I will be doing after I leave which was really helpful. They have been a good tool in developing a procedure for me to evaluate which corals are most bitten by parrotfish. After the day was over I worked some more on my personal statement before dinner. I also talked to Prinz who had the party where I lost my sandals and told me that the guy who left early probably had my shoes but he was so drunk that he ended up in a ditch with no shoes on so my sandals are god knows where. Sammy and Katrina made steak and coos coos which was pretty good. After dinner we watched Jurassic Park finally. We had been trying to watch it for the past month but it has continually fallen through time and time again. I just got back from across the street and now I am going to go to bed. Big day of deployment tomorrow. Until later.

August 7th Day 48

In continuation of the large coral experiment undertaking, we made our way out first thing in the morning to collect corals. The way out was a little bit choppy and so getting the boat in place was a challenge. It took a while for us to find the mooring so that we could hook up and get in the water. Since there was a bit of a breeze, the surge underwater was noticeable. I was opening and closing zip lock bags with little corals inside them while being thrown around by some decent surge. I wasn't really uncomfortable at all considering the much worse surge I have been in here in Moorea, but it made the task a bit harder. Once we collected all the corals we needed we headed back to the station to process them and glue them to tiles for the experiment. The assembly line was much like it has been for the past few days with me helping to shape the rubble pieces and later recording coral size measurements. We did that for the rest of the day until we finished the next two treatments. After we finished up for the day, I came in and talked to Erica for a while since I haven't heard from her in a week while she was on her cruise to Mexico. I then had dinner which was this pasta dish with ham and white sauce and Mosen's special chocolate cake which was a treat. After that I talked to Erica for a little while longer before working on my application and going to bed. Now its past 12 so I am hitting the sack. Until later.

August 6th Day 47

Today was dry work day for the most part. Started by going to the store to pick up groceries for our meal tonight. First thing at work we did Gump reef and then I did Russ and Sally's coral tile work in the wet lab for the rest of the day. Not too much excitement that's for sure. After that I had to cook dinner for the night so I got it going rather early. We made chicken piccata for dinner which turned out really well. Made the sauce with capers, oil, butter, and lime and I think everyone approved. After dinner I worked more on my personal statement for Fulbright until I went to bed. I feel like it is really starting to take shape since I have drafted it three times now. Hopefully three more drafts and it will be golden. Anyways I had to get up rather early to go to the store so I am going to go to bed early. Until later.

August 5th Day 46

The day started off with continued assembly of the coral cages for deployment in the field. Right at around 8, Tom and I were assigned to measure corals that were on the tiles. We did this from 8 until 3 pm. I then weighed some filters for the algal succession time series and then looked at a few coral tiles before work was over. After work we got pizza for dinner which was really cool. I haven't had pizza here yet so it was a pleasurable new experience. They slice pizza into more of squares than slices here which was interesting to see. We had two kinds of white sauce pizzas that were good along with a traditional marinara. It was also more like an Italian style thin crust which I really like. After a good dinner, we went up the hill to Prinz's house, who is a local here, and had some drinks with him and his friends. It was a really good time talking to some of the people that came. A few more CREOBE people I hadn't met before were there and I had conversations with them about Europe and Germany which was nice. I also spoke with one of Prinz's friends James who is half Tahitian half French. He spoke enough English for us to hold a conversation about his experiences in Florida and California and about my trip plans after I leave Moorea. Funny that he was wearing a sweatshirt on a night like tonight where I was already sweating a bit with just a shirt on. When the time came for us to leave I went outside to get my sandals to go back down the hill and of course they were gone. Everyone took off their sandals before going inside so someone must have put on my shoes by mistake or on purpose who knows. That left me with a much older pair of reef sandals (which is now my third different pair here) to wear for the rest of the trip. A bummer but alas I had to head back down to go to bed. Now that I am back at the dorms I better get to bed because I have to get up early tomorrow to go to the grocery store. Until later.

August 4th Day 45

Today started off with more coral collections just like yesterday. First thing in the morning we went out to LTER 0 to collect another 150 baby corals growing on pieces of coral rubble. They were relatively easy to find and we pretty much got our fill of them. While we were down there, I spotted this really cool natural coral overhang that was nothing like I had seen before here. I took a few pictures of it because I was so intrigued. After that was finished we headed back in to Gump to unload the corals and then Russ and I went right back out to get the algal settlement tiles out at the Rapid site outside Cook's. By the time we came back in, it was time for lunch so we broke for it then. After lunch the real effort to place the coral tiles into the cages began in earnest. We spent the rest of the day after lunch preparing cages for deployment into the field. At 5 we called it a day and I went back to my room to work on the blog before dinner. For dinner Stella made gourmet hamburgers on baguettes which was pretty cool. She had managed to get ground beef so she could shape the paddies herself and as a result she made them oval shaped so that they could fit into baguette buns. The potatoes were also delicious. Right after dinner, I cleaned up the dishes with Mike and then headed to another dive master class. After that I worked a little on dive master reading and my personal statement before taking a shower and getting ready for bed. Now it's getting late so I best get some shut eye. Until later.

August 3rd Day 44

Got out to the dock today anticipating a pretty big day. I knew that we were going to start the coral collections for Russ and Sally's experiment today so I made sure I was out on the dock a few minutes early to meet them right when they came down from their bungalow. When they did, they told me to just do Gump with Steph first so that they would have time to figure out exactly how they wanted to collect coral. Gump initially was same old same old. But right around the 8th anemone, we saw a titan triggerfish swim by which was really cool. This guy we saw had to have been close to two feet long which is decently sized for these guys. As we continued on, Steph spotted a turtle laying on the bottom about 30 feet away from us. It was my first time ever seeing a turtle underwater like that. This guy was awesome to watch as it swam away into the distance. I got a few pictures of it but they were from a distance which means it looks a lot smaller than it actually was. When we finished up Gump, we got out of the water and got our stuff ready to collect coral. We went with Russ and Sally first out to LTER 2 to both pick up tiles and get some small corals growing on the coral rubble. It took Russ and I forever to find the tiles which led to us wasting a decent amount of air. Once we found them, we were all business until the bag with our plastic baggies for coral collections floated up to the surface. Luckily it hadn't drifted to far away and was easily visible from the bottom. I went and retrieved the game bag as Russ continued to harvest the tiles. Right as we finished that, we started collecting the corals. Russ used a hammer and chisel to knock loose rubble with tiny corals on them. We did this the rest of the dive and then went back in to drop off the tiles and corals so that we could go back out and get more. We took a quick lunch break first before heading back out. Russ and I collected another 90 corals to go along with the 150 corals that Russ, myself, Sally, and Stephanie collected earlier in the day which gave us plenty to glue to the tiles. The rest of the day I spent helping Russ and Sally get the corals prepped to be glued onto the tiles. While I was cleaning out one of the tanks that we placed the coral tiles into, I found a little baby bennett's toby. These guys are real small and look like little hummingbirds underwater because of how fast they move their little pectoral fins. I guess it might have gotten in through the intake pipe which led him to the pool that was in. Regardless I had to get the little guy out of there before I drained the tank. After about 15 minutes or so I finally caught it with a little fish net and then was able to set it free into the bay. That was basically the last thing that I did at work. Directly after this we had another dive master class and then it was dinner time. Tonight we had noodle and chicken dish again which was good although a bit too similar to last night's meal for my taste. I have been browsing the internet now for the past couple of hours and now I am getting tired. Time for bed. Until later.

August 2nd Day 43

Today started off with the recently usual Gump dive. It was the same old same old for the most part. I then got to go out with Russ to go and get some more algal settlement tiles at LTER 1. The visibility out there was pretty amazing. At this site, we use a tag line to connect our boat to a subsurface buoy. This means someone has to snorkel down and latch the boat to the buoy. That person ended up being me and as I dove to the buoy I got a real good idea of the water clarity. I could easily see fish below me that had to have been 50 feet further down which as of late has been pretty customary visibility. The actual dive wasn't incredibly exciting at all because we just went down, got the tiles, and came back up. Once we got back there really wasn't much else to do around the station for us so we decided to take a long lunch. After a two hour lunch, I ended up working on coral tiles across the street in the lab. It is real tedious work where you just sit and look at these tiles under a dissecting microscope and circle any coral that you see. I did that for the rest of the work day and then called it quits at 5. After I got off I tried to work on my blog and Fulbright application a bit before dinner. For dinner, Sammy and Katrina made pad thai which is just peanut butter and spicy sauce on noodles with some chicken which together were really good. After dinner, many of the people from the dorm went across the street to watch this TV show locked up abroad that was on Mike's computer. After that it was time for bed. I feel exhausted. Until later.

August 1st Day 42

When I got out to the dock this morning, I really wasn't sure what to expect for what I was going to be doing for the day. On my way out Keith told me to just do the Gump survey right then and not to wait for Russ and Sally to come down from their bungalow. As we were getting ready, Russ and Sally came down to tell us to pack up one of the boats to take out to the fore reef instead. We needed to deploy cage bottoms for the coral experiment at the site outside Cook's Bay and they wanted to get it done while the conditions were still good. On our way out I understood their sentiment. It was absolutely gorgeous out on the fore reef with no wind or significant swell. We got the cage bottoms all done in two dives with pastries and bastogne cookies aplenty in between the dives. We came back in to get some more tanks to go back one more time to do some maintenance. After that Russ and Sally told Steph and I that we were done for the day after we did the Gump survey. We decided to get it out of the way and skip lunch so we could get off earlier. I was glad that we did that because that gave me the chance to go out and explore. I took one of the bikes over to Opunahu Bay to explore and of course take some pictures. The ride was gorgeous. I stopped a few times along the way to where I wanted to go in Opunahu to take some pictures which turned out really well. I stopped my ride at the French CREOBE station that is the farthest inland part of the bay. From there I was able to take some spectacular pictures of the bay and the surrounding mountains. I was happy to get in some practice on using full manual to take landscape shots. I have made it a mission for myself to try to wean off of the program mode of my camera and to more consistently do everything manually. There were many bad pictures taken as a result but they all gave rise to a set of really nice ones. On my ride back I saw that a fisherman had just hung his catch alongside the road. As I approached, I saw this huge fish and as I passed by I noticed that it was a huge yellow fin tuna hanging there. I stopped on the other side of the road and took out my camera and zoom lens to try to take a picture. I was trying my hardest not to look like I was taking pictures of the fish as to not upset the fisherman in any way. This fish had to have been at least 5 feet long and over 150 pounds. That thing could feed a family for a couple of weeks straight. Once I got some good ones of the fish, I continued on back to Gump. When I got back I started the process of moving my stuff across the hall into the bigger open bedroom. My roommate Brett wanted to move across the hall to get rid of the sounds of cars in the mornings. The room is a lot bigger and I can say that I like it a lot more than the other room. For dinner tonight we had some delicious tacos which were spicy and delicious. We had all the toppings and spices that you could want. After dinner, I started to work on my Fulbright application some more and then got a chance to talk to my contact in Kiel about my potential work there. He mentioned that I should try to come earlier in the year sometime around the beginning of July when diving can be done in the Baltic. We talked a bit about that and my stay here in French Polynesia and then left with the understanding that I needed to find out for sure if I could shift my dates. Otherwise I would be able to do other projects but they would be mostly indoor projects where the frigid Northern Europe weather wouldn't have an effect. Now after emailing three different people to try to find out about whether I can change the dates, I am in bed and ready to go to sleep. Until later.

July 31st Day 41

Today ended up being a dry land day for work on cages for the coral tiles. We got to dive Gump at the beginning of the day but then got right into setting up for the operation of retrieving and installing the corals tomorrow. After doing a bunch of things from marking cages with zipties to cleaning out salt water tanks, we called it a day. Right after I got off work, I started making our lasagna that we were cooking for dinner. Everything was going fine until Mike and I tried to cover the two lasagnas with foil and the two trays fell out of the oven. Thankfully they didn't break and one of the two lasagnas were more or less intact. It was disappointing to have that happen but fortunately there still was enough for everyone. Later on after dinner, a few people watched Valkerie across the street and I joined them after working on some postcards after dinner. Just got back from that and I am beat. Time for bed. Until later.

July 30th Day 40

Today started off very slowly. Russ and Sally didn't come down before 8:30 am and so we decided to do the Gump reef damselfish survey since they were not around. That was really the most exciting thing I did during the entire workday. After that I worked on a variety of menial tasks from painting cages to cleaning boats. Once the day was over, I cleaned up, took a shower and got ready to go to a party with some of our local Tahitian friends. These friends were supposedly meeting at the public beach near the station. We took some pots to the snack shack near the public beach to be filled for dinner tonight while we had a good time at the beach for a couple of hours. Turns out that they didn't come to the beach and they instead were at a family members house where Mathieu had lived. We decided to stay at the beach for a while to take some pictures and have a drink while the sun went down. It was a beautiful day that couldn't really have been better as far as sunsets are concerned. While we were talked to each other, a English man named Tim came up to us because he overheard us speaking English. He talked to us about how he is two years into a five year worldwide sailing trip with his family. He interestingly has two boys who are 7 and 9 which he home schools of course. Crazy to think that you would put aside your life after having kids to go sail around the world but man was this guy doing it. They started in Panama and have moved their way across the Pacific to now being in French Polynesia. Hearing his story about his travels was a bit inspiring to me because it struck a chord that I have always wanted to do that. After we finished talking to Tim, we left the public beach and went to the actual party. It was very cool to go to a house here and experience what life is like as a native Tahitian. The house was very quaint consisting of a kitchen connected to a bedroom and that is it. The yard however was much larger in size than the house, especially with the customary fare pote. Everyone was sitting in chairs in a circle around some older men with guitars and ukuleles. We had fun socializing with everyone and then we left to go pick up our food from the snack shack to take back to the research station. We ate some curry chicken and chow mien that were both delicious. After we finished dinner we went back to the party for a bit longer. I spent a lot of the time while we were there staring up at the stars which were absolutely stunning. Can't see the stars like that back home. After a drink we ended up calling it a night and going back to the Gump. It was really fun to experience the hospitality and kindness of the Tahitian people. It was an experience I most certainly won't forget. Now I am in bed and I am beat tired. Until later.

July 29th Day 39

Today was as calm as could be. In all respects, it was the calm after the storm for sure. Since it was so very calm today, we decided to go out early to the fore reef to get some more algal recruitment tiles. Out there it was just as calm as in the lagoon. The visibility was outstanding and the only shame of it all was that I couldn't stay out there for longer. We had just a short dive to collect the tiles and then headed right back to the station. When we got back, it was once again time for cage work. We worked on painting cages from about 9:30 to 5 in the afternoon. We got a lot of work done but there still is another coat that needs to be applied to some of the cages. For dinner we had a chicken parmesan dish with some baguette and potatoes which tasted great. When it comes to Stella's cooking, it is always fantastic. Today was our turn to clean up dinner so Mike and I did that quickly and then I got ready to go out to the Pearl Resort here on Moorea. Thomas and Chloe from CREOBE came over to go to the Pearl with us as well. When we got there, we met with Stella and her boyfriend at the bar and enjoyed a drink and socialized. I actually spent most of my time talking to Thomas about photography. He is an expert photographer who essentially is hired by the French version of the National Science Foundation to take pictures of sharks all around the world. He had such incredible insight on how to learn to take good pictures even with the SLR camera I have now. He shared with me the best way to get acquainted with going full manual and how he learned to do it. It was very easy to tell that this guy knows an awful lot about taking pictures. After everyone was done with their drinks at the bar, we went out to see the fish off of the water bungalows. Off of this platform you could see hundreds of fish and other sea life gathering around these two very bright lights that are underwater and that project outward from the platform. It was amazing to see all of the different organisms that are very active at night like the Jacks fishes and the different kinds of jellyfish that floated by. We spent close to 40 minutes just looking at the fish off of this platform at the Pearl. Once we decided to go, we went back to Gump. Thomas, who was finishing off his last night on Moorea before he heads back to France, stopped at Gump to say goodbye to us which was cool of him to do. He told me that he is from the part of France next to Spain and that I should come visit if I have the time whenever I go back to Europe. After he left I decided it was bedtime and now I'm going to pass out. Until later.

July 28th Day 38

Today was a bad weather day through and through. We ended up just calling the day off as far as diving is concerned right away in the morning. As a result I got myself set up inside Keith's shop and started to paint the cages I had built last week. I spent the entire day doing that which was a bit mind numbing but it had to be done. Once the day was over, we had another class session for divemaster before dinner. It went a little faster than yesterday which was good but it still took an hour to get through two slideshows which is a little slow. Once we were done with that we had a dinner which was a variation on chicken and rice which wasn't spectacular but it was edible. After I spent some time working on my Fulbright application some more I now feel pretty tired and I'm going to go to bed. Until later.

July 27th Day 37

Today I got the chance to go back over to the west side of the island to do instruments work with Keith and Jessica. We did the two sites LTER 5 and 6 and the visibility was incredible. It was hard to pay attention to switching instruments with such beautiful underwater scenery. I really like the west side of the island because it has probably the most live coral compared to anywhere around the island. Also there are just more fish it seems swimming all around. When we were done, we had enough time to stop at the corner of the island where the north shore meets the west side. Right at that point there is a mooring for boats to attach to and this is where shark feedings have been done in the past. We jumped in with snorkel to check it out and saw a couple of grey reef sharks right away. These guys were in the 6-8 foot long range and their build makes you think of them more as a real shark as opposed to little black tip reef sharks. These guys weren't shy to come up in the water column a bit and check us out which at first was a bit disconcerting. Seeing these sharks was cool for me because they were the first "real sharks" I have seen here in French Polynesia. Now I know what those guys look like. On our way back to the station the boat we were on broke down so we had to wait for a tow back to Cook's Bay. It took a while for the tow to arrive so we had to anchor for a short time to prevent the boat from drifting onto the reef crest. After we got back, I had a late lunch and then did the Gump Reef damselfish survey again with Stephanie. Saw a nice size octopus on Gump too which was pretty cool. By the time we finished the day was over so we packed in our stuff for the night. For dinner we had a chinese chicken salad which was good and then we had our first divemaster class session. It's interesting because these class sessions aren't really lectures but more of open discussions about topics we need to know. It's a different style of teaching but I actually enjoy it for the most part. It took a little too long last night though because Brie was making a few too many comments about non-related things during class which slowed things down. After we finished with class, it was getting later so I checked in for bed. Until later.

July 26th Day 36

Today or tomorrow demarks the halfway point of my stay here in Moorea. It is incredible how fast the time has flown by. Today though was a pretty mellow day at work. Started off the day diving Gump with Steph again which was still cool to do. I am starting to get the hang of the damselfish survey again now that I have done it the past couple of days. After that was done I worked on cage related activities for the entire day which wasn't thrilling but a necessary task to be done. I also got a chance to get to the airport at the end of the day to pick up the passes for Erica and I which was nice to get out of the way. After that, I worked more on the pensions in the Tuamotus and had dinner. Tonight we had a simple pasta and marinara with eggplant in the sauce. We also had cake and ice cream to celebrate Stella's birthday which was cool. My roommate Brett (who is her assistant) took the time to make her a cake which was really nice of him. After the cake was finished, we played some cards and then everyone started to peel off for bed. Now it's time to get some sleep. Until later.

July 25th Day 35

Today started off pretty usual with Tom and I going out to get tiles outside Cook's. When we got back we spent some time processing them and by the time we finished that it was time for lunch. Today we decided to have a bbq for lunch because it is Jessica's birthday. Russ and Sally bought hamburgers and buns and we all brought other dishes to have. It was fun to take a break like that together in the middle of the day. The hamburgers were awesome and we had plenty to eat for everyone. Of course we also had some Grill Party sausages which have some kind of mystery meat in them and we have at every bbq because they are really cheap and greasy. After lunch, I worked on some instruments for a bit and then went and dove Gump Reef with Stephanie to do damselfish recruit surveys. It was really cool to dive Gump because I hardly ever do it. I got a picture of an upside down jellyfish that was burrowed in the sand on Gump and was surprised by how clear the picture. By the time I got done with that it was clean-up time and we all got ready to go to the Hilton for drinks. It was so nice there. I have always seen the bungalows as we pass by but the resort itself looks incredible. The view out onto the ocean for sunset was awesome and I managed to get some good photos. The drinks of course were really expensive but it was worth it to go there and check it out. After we got back at around 7 pm I had to help my food group, who hadn't gone to the Hilton since they had work to do, to cook up the rest of our meal. We made rib eye steaks from a slab of meat which I had to cut myself. As sides we had a salad and a special potato dish that reminded me of scalloped potatoes. It turned out really well and everyone seemed to enjoy the dinner. Afterwards we hung out and had a cake for Jessica's birthday, played some cards, and then went off to bed. Time for sleep. Until later.

July 24th Day 34

Today we started up by finishing the water sampling. Since we had already sampled offshore and the fore reef, we sampled some sites inside Cook's Bay. It was much easier than working out at sea like we had previously. The biggest waves that we encountered were from boat wake which was very nice. Once we got done, Keith and I started the water filtration. It was interesting doing the filtering because I have done it previously in Santa Barbara with the SBC-LTER but it has been a couple years now since I had last done it and it definitely took me back. After we finished that I did a dive on Gump Reef with Steph which was cool since I hadn't done it in a while. I ended up getting some good pictures since I didn't have to count the recruits on the anemones myself. Once we got back, we did some work on dive master skills and I got most of mine done which was nice. We had to do some exercises where we left all of our gear at the bottom and then recover it while still ascending safely to the surface. Breathing compressed air prevents you from ascending fast because if you do you can get the bends which is really bad. The tasks were easy though and we were able to finish them without any real issue. After that we got ready to go up to Neil's bungalow on top of the hill. He lives in the original bungalow where Mr. Gump lived before he donated all his property to research and UC Berkeley. It was cool to go up there and see. I had never seen this man Neil before so I actually have no idea what he actually does here while he is on station. The gathering was a good time. I sat down to Russ who was a little tipsy and listened to some of his stories. I managed to hear how him and Sally got married on a bet which was a longer story than could be told in a blog. Nonetheless it was a great story which I made sure I heard most of it. Just after, Mosen and I went to go get the food at the snack shack . We got the lemon chicken and chow mien which are signature dishes there. Our cooking group came down from Neil's bungalow to eat and now they are downstairs listening to music. I think I'm going to join them before I go to bed. Until later.

July 23rd Day 33

Today I headed out to the east side of the island with Keith and Jessica first thing in the morning to help with instrument replacements at LTER 4. The ride there was as smooth as could be. So smooth in fact that I was able to take some pictures of Temai on the way around the island. Temai is a world famous point break on Moorea where surfers can get just about the longest ride you can get. There weren't any surfers out at the time, but I did manage to get some cool pictures. Once we got to LTER 4 we got into the water and man was it clear. The visibility was incredible. It had to have been at least 120 feet which is about as good as I have seen out here. I did two quick dives with Keith and Jessica and then jumped ship onto Russ and Sally's boat to help them out with their work they needed to do at LTER 4. I did two more dives with them working on cementing eyebolts into the reef with Andy. He was using the underwater drill to drill holes while I came in after him to cement down the eyebolts with Zspar. We finished it in a couple of dives and since I had already made two dives before with Keith, they had me sit out for the last dive. I got the chance to talk to Sally while the rest went and finished up their work. We talked about study abroad experiences of Melissa and myself and also talked about the Tuamotus. She told me the diving out there was amazing and that she would like to go back herself but the start of school limits them since her and Russ are professors. We also talked about Berlin a whole lot and how she loved her trip there and really wants to go back. It was a beautiful ride back to the station. The clouds were so puffy and stretched as far as the eye could see. The sun lower in the sky by then made for some cool colors in the clouds. Once we got back the day was done and after I was done doing work, I came back up to my room to work on the blog as well as my Fulbright application. For dinner tonight we had tostadas that Stella made which were incredible. I haven't had a tostada in a long time and coming here to Tahiti and having one that tasted like back at home was awesome. After I worked for a little longer on things talked to Erica more about our trip and now I'm getting tired. Time to go to bed. Until later.