Outback Dave and Professor Keppel venturing the high seas....CROIKEE!

The squad at the pool.

Professor Keppel and Outback Dave here to bring you the best blog of the century. Well, we started off with our usual breakfast of watermelon and pancakes (Professor Kep) and eggs, bacon, and ham (Outback).  Then, we ventured to the classroom for an amazing lecture on the many Mangrove areas within the Caribbean. After the lecture, we were on the boat again to see the Mangroves with our own eyes at Man O’ War Key. Despite being a little murky, it was a very unique experience to see all of the juvenile fish just chilling in shallow waters fit for their size; but the snorkeling didn’t end there. We took the boat a whole 50 feet out of the Mangroves into Blue Harbor, one of the most beautiful spots in the entire Caribbean. There, we not only got to look at the diverse selection of organisms, we were fortunate enough to collect them with our fancy nets. Upon our snorkel, we spotted the wild Miss Palmer doing the classic “King of the World” pose off of the front of the boat. Also we spotted an eagle ray and a flounder. Some things we collected are the mighty Queen Conch, Milk Conch, a Sea Biscuit, and Jenna caught a fish called the slippery-dick…she was the master fish catcher because no one else could do the hearty task. Within some of the empty conch shells and encrusted algae, little fish, baby octopi, baby shrimp, a flatworm, a segmented worm called the thing, and Mr. Krabs, straight from the krusty algae (a.k.a. The Krusty Krab). Then, we safely released all of these critters back into the wild, and returned for lunch. On the menu was a beef tenderloin sandwich, an entire fish (including the eyes), and a nice B.L.T. sammich (Dad we can serve these at Keppies’ Sammiches). We then played cards on the girls’ deck, and spotted the wild iguana. Carl decided to fight a bee on the way to the gear shack. The bee got some good shots in (Carl’s okay), but you shoulda seen the bee;).

                Our afternoon snorkel took place off of the back of Anthony’s Key, where we saw many urchins, a large barracuda the size of Manhattan, and a large variety of juvenile fish. On the way back in, Outback Dave and Chris had a memorable encounter with fire coral, while Professor Keppel, Jade, and Aurora watched from a safe, unfirey distance. Vinegar turned out to be a great cure, and we headed for the pool for some fun in the sun. Then, Outback Dave and Professor Keppel reunited as the volleymaster duo in some classic beach volleyball once more. Yesterday they fell short to the hometown boys by a mere two points, but that was not the story today… THEY DESTROYED, bringing their overall record to 2-1. All of this fun made us all hungry, and we headed for dinner, with great chicken parm, and Grilled Mahi Mahi (it’s a fish).  To top the day off Professor Keppel and Outback Dave gave the greatest presentations this side of the Hudson on reef health and climate change. Now we will finish the blog and upload everything so we can get some sleep. This is Outback Dave and Professor Keppel signing off. Have a swell night.

P.S. Hey Dad amd Mom, Jenna here. I miss you guys and hope you are having a fun time doing nothing in a quite house with the dog. Garbear, I hope your arm feels better. Love you guys!!

The Professor and Outback Dave

Lionfish at the mangroves.

Zach holding Donkey Dung Sea Cucumber

Chillin on the boat deck.

CORAL

Searching for critters in the algae.

"Jack I'm flying!"