Friday night after vespers I went night diving with the Crystal and Ken at Lau Lau Beach from 9-11pm. I really wanted to catch the coral spawning. We went just beyond the reef and stayed pretty shallow. We saw plenty of eggs on the surface of the ocean but I didn't get a chance to actually see the coral release the eggs. I waited around some coral a bit but I saw no action. I think I saw the pink eggs on the coral but heck I'm not an expert so I'm not sure! I think it was suppose to look like this video clip that I found on Youtube.
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Visibility was poor and there was a bit of a surge that night. I ended up feeling sea sick on the way back to shore. To top it off my batteries died in my flashlight and I forgot to bring a back up one. But still, night diving is exciting! Sure you still have a creepy feeling in the back of your mind that something scary may be lurking in the darkness but that's what makes the experience worth it-finding something unexpected.
Showing posts with label Coral spawning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coral spawning. Show all posts
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Friday, July 06, 2007
Egg and Sperm Party
Summer means different things to different groups. For students and teachers, its vacation time, for the corals of Micronesia, its time to spawn!
Corals are animals, and like all other life forms, must reproduce. I found out that some coral colonies die each year from both natural and man-made causes, including typhoons, crown-of-thorns starfish, coastal runoff, sedimentation, anchor damage, and sewage impact. Unless these corals are replaced through successful reproduction the reef goes into decline, and the important functions and benefits of the coral reef are lost.
Last night Greg invited me and John to meet up with some other people to check out the Egg and Sperm Party at Lau Lau Beach! We opted to snorkel instead of dive since we were staying pretty shallow along the reef line.
I've done a night dive before so I wasn't scared at all about the darkness or being in the ocean with all the freakish animals that come out at night. We geared up and headed out with our fins and flashlights in search of the Egg and Sperm Parties!
Mtn. Tapachou and Harry's strobe light served as a beacon back to shore. The water was a perfect temperature and the ocean was pretty calm. Our flashlights illuminated the coral underwater. We swam to the left and right of the reef in search of coral spawning. But unfortunately nothing egg and nothing sperm! Grrrrr. We are going back tonight to see if we can find some. We were out snorkeling from 8pm to 10 pm. How cool is that? Snorkeling underneath the stars.
There was a point that I was just floating on my back in open sea water . . . just stargazing at over hundreds of stars and hearing the waves gently crash on the reef! He's an amazing creator! I can't believe where God has brought me!
Corals are animals, and like all other life forms, must reproduce. I found out that some coral colonies die each year from both natural and man-made causes, including typhoons, crown-of-thorns starfish, coastal runoff, sedimentation, anchor damage, and sewage impact. Unless these corals are replaced through successful reproduction the reef goes into decline, and the important functions and benefits of the coral reef are lost.
Last night Greg invited me and John to meet up with some other people to check out the Egg and Sperm Party at Lau Lau Beach! We opted to snorkel instead of dive since we were staying pretty shallow along the reef line.
I've done a night dive before so I wasn't scared at all about the darkness or being in the ocean with all the freakish animals that come out at night. We geared up and headed out with our fins and flashlights in search of the Egg and Sperm Parties!
Mtn. Tapachou and Harry's strobe light served as a beacon back to shore. The water was a perfect temperature and the ocean was pretty calm. Our flashlights illuminated the coral underwater. We swam to the left and right of the reef in search of coral spawning. But unfortunately nothing egg and nothing sperm! Grrrrr. We are going back tonight to see if we can find some. We were out snorkeling from 8pm to 10 pm. How cool is that? Snorkeling underneath the stars.
There was a point that I was just floating on my back in open sea water . . . just stargazing at over hundreds of stars and hearing the waves gently crash on the reef! He's an amazing creator! I can't believe where God has brought me!
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