Kelp forest trips 2014

Friday 10 October and Tuesday 14 October, second year marine scientists did the annual field trip to the Nereocystis kelp forest at Fossil Point.  This is one of the very best field trips we do in the IB Marine Science course at Pearson College. Divers get into the water with a camera that is tethered to a monitor on our boat ‘Second Nature’ so that non-divers can experience the kelp forest along with the divers.

Yam (below), Riikka and Tyleisha did the dive on Friday.

Stuart (below) and Martin (even further below) did the dive on Tuesday.

 

Martin getting instruction on how to use the camera…

…before rolling off of ‘Second Nature’.

The divers descend with the camera so that everyone on board can see what they see on the monitor in the cabin.

Sometimes we can also see the divers:

Non-divers are invited to snorkel around the surface of the kelp forest and have a wonderful time acting like sea otters.

Back on ‘Second Nature’ other students are doing various measurements…

and making observations…

Thanks to Courtney for making these 2 trips happen and to the divers, snorkelers, measurers, observers and photographers.

Jellies in Pedder Bay to welcome students

First year students (PC 40) arrived at the College today, second years (PC 39) arrived two days ago and the lion’s mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) have come into Pedder Bay to say welcome!

These jellyfish are one of the very few species in this area which can cause harm to humans – contact with the tentacles usually results in a burning rash.  They are also the world’s largest jellyfish species and can be 2 m in diameter with tentacles several meters long.  The individuals in Pedder Bay are about 30 cm in diameter.

Curiously though we didn’t see this species in Pedder Bay last year…

Also swimming around the docks to greet the students are Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) – sorry for the terrible photo.

Kelp forest exploration – F block

On Wednesday 3 October second year Marine Science students in F block travelled to Fossil Point to explore the Nereocystis kelp forest.

 

From the surface, various abiotic factors were measured.

 

And organisms were observed, including the Lion’s mane jelly (Cyanea capillata) below.

 

And a kelp crab (Pugettia producta) that was collected by Chris.

 

Seven students submerged themselves in the ecosystem using mask, snorkel & fins.

The hardest part was getting dressed…

 

 

Once in the water they seemed to really enjoy themselves…

 

 

 

Sammy managed to collect a holdfast:

 

 

It was difficult to extract the snorkelers from the kelp forest but we had to return to the College for lunch (we left the kelp there for the grazers – sea urchins, snails, fishes, etc.).