Oceans Live '97 Q&A with South Caicos

  From the week ending April 11, 1997

Have you done any night dives, yet?...Jack P., Silver Springs, Maryland, USA
by Kathy Feasel, 4/6/97, South Caicos Island

 I went night snorkeling at night about three weeks ago. I’d have to say that it was my most amazing experience since I’ve been here. Sylvia and I were buddies for the trip. A bunch of us went out in the boat at 8:00 p.m., and by this time it was dark out. The only light that led us to our destination was the small boat light. Once we got to our dive spot, both Sylvia and I were a little nervous about getting in the water (so was everyone else.) It’s a bit scary to know that you’ll be swimming with sharks in the dark .

All of us had underwater flashlights so that we could see what was nearby. As soon as we got in the water we saw a reef shark. It was so different to see one at night. Then we saw a nurse shark and one other reef shark. It was so cool. While swimming around we saw a 4-foot Hawksbill turtle underneath some coral. It was sleeping. It was the biggest turtle I’ve seen so far. There were a lot of fish sleeping on the reef. You could touch some of them and they would stay sleeping.

One of the coolest things about night snorkels is the bioluminescence. Bioluminescence comes from plankton in the water. At night if you stir up the water around you, the plankton get aggravated and glow in the dark. They are an iridescent blue color. Until this dive, I had only seen them near the dock. It was so neat to have all of them glowing around me. I can’t wait to go night snorkeling again. I hope that I’ll be able to in the next four weeks!

 

How do the locals feel about the research that you are doing? ....Jake E., Manchester, Massachusetts, USA
by Shana E. Brickman, 4/6/97, South Caicos Island

My Directed Research entails working on an Environmental Impact Assessment for East Bay. South Caicos has the potential to increase tourism with development of hotels along the coastline. This would increase local recreational activities such as SCUBA diving and sport fishing. Establishment and use of resource management programs will help to maintain the health of the surrounding ecosystems. Proper management will encourage sustainable use and minimize negative impacts on the coral, sea grass, and mangrove communities.

Through habitat assessment research, and by speaking with government officials, developers, non-government groups, and the community, we hope to determine the possibility of establishing a safe way for tourism to increase in the East Bay area. While there is some opposition, the locals seem to encourage the idea of an increase in tourism that will hopefully help the economy to grow and increase employment opportunities on South Caicos Island. Our main goal at the School for Field Studies is to aid the community of South Caicos in finding a balanced ecological relationship between the human users of the resources while maintaining the health and beauty of the ecosystems.

www.sitesalive.com / Oceans Live