Penguin Spit

Yesterday we completed two dives for a total of 75 samples of coral reef sediment. Most of the collecting was done at 65 feet. The first dive was a little tough due to a strong current and the use of collecting tubes rather then collecting bags. The second dive on Penguin spit was perfect with little to no current and only 12 tubes to fill as opposed to the usual 25 bags. Note Penguin spit is named for one of the original ships to discover Palmyra. You might think collecting sand is easy work but getting 25 samples of sand at 60 feet turns out to be very time consuming and most of the dive is usually spent hunting for the perfect sediment. It is especially hard to find good sediment on these coral reefs because the hard coral and algae cover is so high. Most of the sand we find are in patches, under ledges and sometimes deep in holes on the reef. Anyway posted are pictures of Paul collecting sediment (note mostly composed of halimeda chips) and other pretty pictures that I took.