SCUBA Diving and Biology Class
16 October 2008 | A perfect example of how learning can be fun.
Capt Rich
After finishing up some math, reading, and spelling I took Amy and Jason SCUBA diving for Biology class. While Lori got a much deserved nap, we went over to an area of the anchorage with crystal clear water about 3-6ft deep and class was in session. First on the agenda was getting Amy acquainted with the SCUBA gear again, since it's been some time since she last had it on. This was easy considering we were standing on the white sand in water up to her shoulders and she could easily slip beneath the water to work on her bouncy and breathing while admitting the fish and exotic live all around her. After about 30 minutes, Jason donned my gear and the two of them swam around in 4-6ft of water together with me following close in the dingy. They would bring up a marine specimen and I would tell them all about it (a definite advantage of having a biology degree focusing on Marine Invertebrates). After a hour of class, we headed back to the boat for a dissection lab! A sea scallop that was found was to be our subject to help us identify the key aspects of the bivalve: mantle, umbo, Tensellium, incurrent and excurrent siphons, gonads, and of course the adductor muscle that many of us have seen sauteed with butter and garlic served over pasta! Lori awoke from her nap just in time to see the scallop gut mess in the cockpit.
All-in-all, it was another good day aboard the sea gypsy ship THIRD DAY and to make it even better, nothing that I know of broke, stopped working, or was lost overboard! And since tonight's pizza night, I may not be able to resist the temptation of having a few scallop pieces on my slices of pizza, all in the name of Science and education!