The
trip we had all been waiting for years to take was finally upon us. We
had heard for years how much fun the class trip to Catalina Island was,
and now we were there. We knew we were going to have fun and learn a lot
about the ocean and all the life below the surface.
While we were on Catalina we collected data on fish, depth, and water
temperature, in order to make a map for a program on our computers. During
our trip we did four snorkels, three during the day and one at night.
Each snorkel was different, and we were able to see leopard sharks, horn
sharks, bat rays, eels and many exotic fish that were beautiful to look
at. We didn’t learn all of their names. At one time there were over
thirty sharks swimming below our group. Ashley was able to get a picture
of them. During the night snorkel we saw some tickle fish. Our flashlights
woke them up and they would start swimming around and bump into you, and
some of them actually got into the wet suits. We also went kayaking over
to Emerald Bay. There we recorded the depth and water temperature.
Besides swimming we also worked a lot on land. Ashley’s favorite
part was the rope course. Part or the course was called the Eagle’s
Perch. It is a narrow wooden pole and after climbing to the top you have
to stand up and then jump off.
The question that we were investigation is “What type of fish are
found in Emerald Bay and Howlands Landing?” we collected data during
our snorkels. We counted the fish in a specific area and then recorded
our data. When we got back to school we compared our data. The initial
findings show that the fish in Emerald Bay were more abundant than the
fish in Howlands Landing. We also noticed that most of the fish were found
near kelp forests.
We did not have any trouble finding our data. If we were able to return
to Catalina Island we would spend more time in the water learning about
the plant and fish life. During our trip Ashley never dove under the water.
She stayed on top and watched the fish below. However, if she were able
to get any closer to the sharks her mom would have a heart attack.
