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UCSD GELS Hawai'i 2017

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Day 6- Science Presentations and Hapuna Beach

Day 6: Maddie Wallace Today was a good day at the UCSD GELS Hawai'i program. After breakfast in the HPA dining hall, we returned to the house and worked on our research group projects. Each of the four groups had a different topic to discuss. My group was assigned “The Anthropogenic Impact on Coral Reefs” and we presented how humans impact coral reefs and the ecosystem surrounding them. After finishing our poster we headed for Hāpuna beach, a beautiful white sand beach, with light blue-green water surrounding it. My favorite activity of the day was going to the beach. My best friend from Los Angeles happened to be vacationing a short walk away from Hapuna beach, and so I got to see him. This was probably the highlight of the day for me because I rarely see him because he lives six hours away. He has helped me through some of my hardest times and is one of the people I trust most in my life. Being able to see him and have fun with him at a gorgeous beach reminded me...

Day 5- Coral Reef Studies at Puako

Day 5: Maverick Chin After arriving in the rock beach of Waimea, I proceeded through 2 stations, one of which was mapping intertidal life while the other involved measuring the salinity, pH, and oxygen content of the water. However, the station that really stood out to me was the third and final one I partook in: the snorkeling and fish counting station. Although I've snorkeled before, both during this trip and on family vacations, this experience was unique because I got to see a much wider variety of ocean wildlife than I'd ever dreamed of experiencing. After making my way down the rocky shore, I eagerly donned my snorkeling gear while listening to a safety lecture from James, the instructor of the station. As I stepped into the ocean, I felt the cool water lapping at my feet. Glancing around, I became entranced by the shapes of the rocks and coral that were refracted by rays of sunlight. As Cheyenne led the way into the water, I submerged my head and follo...

Day 7- Kiholo Bay

Day 7: Kristina Dvorak All of a sudden, I was jolted across my seat and in that moment I realized that minivans are definitely not meant to go off-roading. The road from highway 19 to Kiholo Bay was a treacherous one and it marked only the beginning of today’s adventure. We parked on the side of the dirt path and continued our day with observations of our environment, testing the salinity of the water, and transporting rocks that will soon be used to complete the wall around the fish ponds. The most memorable part of the day for me was when we went swimming with the honu (green sea turtle) in the fishponds. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to swim this closely to turtles in the wild. I put my snorkeling goggles on and walked into the water. I was shocked how cold it was, but then I remembered freshwater is colder than salt water, therefore the fishponds are colder than the ocean, being fed water...