Swimming with Sea Turtles in the Bahamas

For our 7th student expedition, we returned to where the journeys all began, The Bahamas!  We spent spring break 2015 studying the ecology of juvenile sea turtles and coral reefs.  The student spots for the Earthwatch expedition were filled within one week of the expedition registration opening.

We spent the week at the Cape Eleuthera Institute, assisting scientists with the capturing of juvenile sea turtles.  We used either seine nets in shallow sea grass beds or boats from which we jumped into the water to chase and catch the animals.  Once captured, the turtles were humanely measured, photographed, tagged and weighed before being released back into the water.  Of course, there was also time for snorkeling, exploring and playing games.

Our visit was highlighted in a Cape Eleuthera Institute blog post.

Many of the students used our time in the Bahamas towards their "CAS" (community, action, service) hour requirement for the International Baccalaureate Diploma.   They wrote:

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