Natural history field studies - Bahamas

The Trip

We will meet in Miami, Florida on 26 December where we will spend the night before flying to The Bahamas. We'll use this time to get to know each other and go through some last minute details. On 27 December we'll fly from Miami to our final destination of San Salvador Island. We'll spend 27 December through 5 January on the island. We'll spend one more night in Miami before our return flights home.

What We Will Do

We will spend a lot of time snorkeling. In salt water we'll visit at least 12 different coral reef areas, a turtle grass flat, sand flats, and a tidal creek surrounded by mangroves. In fresh water we'll see ancient bacterial colonies visible in only a few places on earth and swim in a brackish water blue hole where we'll see a very rare species of pupfish. On land we'll get up close and personal with the San Salvador rock iguana, we'll climb up a lighthouse and descend into a tidal cave. We'll also hike to see coastal dune ecosystems and rocky uplands and the birds and insects associated with those systems. Finally, we'll explore some of the cultural offerings of the island.

The Field Station

While on San Salvador, we'll stay at the Gerace Research Centre on the north side of the island. This facility is a former US Naval base. It's not a resort, but it's clean, the beds are comfortable, the showers are hot, and the food is great. The station also provides our vehicle, classroom and laboratory space, live wells for specimens we collect, a library with computer lab and wireless internet, laundry facilities, a snack and souvenir shop, and a meeting space for listening to seminars from visiting scientists. Lunches are eaten on a different beach each day.

Equipment

The equipment list seems long, but you likely already have most of the items on it. There are a few things you'll likely need to buy if you've never been snorkeling before. If you're planning on going on this trip, feel free to talk to me before you buy anything. I also created an identical list with notes for most of the listed items.

Credits and Syllabus

The class is worth 2 credit hours and those hours are counted as part of your spring semester class load. The syllabus from the last time I taught this class can be found here.

Other Information

Keep in mind that you will need a passport for travel to and from The Bahamas. If you are a U.S. citizen, click here to find information about getting a passport. It can take up to 6 weeks to complete this process, so don't leave this until the last minute!

Occasionally scholarships are available for this trip. You should check with me if you are interested in applying. In this class we will spend a lot of time in the water, so knowing how to swim is definitely preferred. However, you don't need to be able to qualify for the Olympics to qualify for this trip. The class is open to all students, including non-biology, non-ESU, and non-degree seeking students. Email me if you have any questions.