How are Lionfish harmful to Humans?

I was asked in my blog how a lionfish can be harmful to humans; well first off, a lionfish is a venomous marine animal. They are actually one of the most venomous fish in the ocean. They have dorsal spines which are used for defense but contain the venom. When they feel as though they are being challenged or threatened, they they will face us in an upside stance and bear its spines. The sting itself is not deadly to humans, but it is extremely painful. You will feel sick as a dog; headaches, vomiting, and even shortness of breath. All we can do at the center is soak the wound in hot water, and the hospitals here do not carry treatments for it. You should go to the hospital in case you have a bad reaction to the venom if you even encounter one! However, here on the island we have on general hospital, which has very little medications. If it is something very serious, it is a 20 minute flight to Provo, but they need a 24 hour notice. So pretty much we should not touch anything, and we have to rough it if we get stuck. I have not gotten too hurt, i have all these bites all over me from sand fleas, red aunts, and mo-skeets! the salt water works wonders though!!! alrighty, take care, and thanks for the question!!!

Just an Update!

Dear followers,

I have been on the island for one week and the time just flew! I have made friends with all 28 students and staff. We have so much work already. We will get assigned a paper in class on a Monday and it is due Wednesday, we have quizzes every day, and my first identification exam is this Thursday! We need to know over 50 species for the exam; coral, mangroves, fishes, jellies, etc. we need to know their taxonomic group, Latin and English name. For instance, a barracuda is not just a barracuda, it is Sphyraena barracuda, the great barracuda from the Sphyraenidae group- and that was an easy one. How the test will be run is by breaking up into groups of three or four and going out with a staff member and our slates, when they see something they point to it and we have to know everything about it. It is a little nerve racking but I will learn it, I have no choice. Besides that, classes are wonderful! The professors here are amazing and energetic. We have about 4 hours of lecture a day then we go in the field after our 12:30 lunch. We are allowed to go in the ocean whenever we want, we just have to remember to sign out, bring a dive buddy, and the dive flag so the locals (or belongers) know we are swimming around. It is ridiculous how often we are in the water. I have a new appreciation for the water as well. By that I mean that when I used to go to the beach I would go in the water, but never very far out, and I would get nervous if I couldn’t touch the bottom. I feel as though the movie Jaws really had an impact on things. However, now we go out and flop around for hours on end, swim next to rays and sharks and I am not scared. There is a beauty behind being educated; it can have one of two effects on you (1) it can end up freaking you out even more because you are aware of all the things that can go wrong and hurt you, but (2) you are aware of them, cautious and more respectable. The first few days I was nervous to reach down and touch things and hold things, but I have been warming up and grabbing things left and right. Today I was holding onto a sea urchin (West Indian Sea Egg) and they look extremely spikey, and they really could hurt you if you weren’t gentle with them. However, when you lightly pick em up and just hold them under the water you can feel their little suckers just latching onto your skin for balance and support. If you flip them over you can even see their “beaks” where their teeth are located. They go along the bottom of the ocean and suck things up. I have also seen my first ever shark! It was a nurse shark and he was sleeping when I saw him, but it was fascinating. My impressions of sharks have always been to stay away and they all want a piece of me, but nurse sharks don’t actually attack. If anything, they can only give me a nasty suck, because they don’t really have teeth either. My friend Aubrey went out in the boat after mine and she saw a hammerhead! She was so lucky, she was the only one who spotted it, and she was able to snap a pic! When I saw the nurse shark I also saw a lion fish, otherwise referred to as the “devil.” They are an invasive fish, and very harmful to fish populations and humans. They are dangerous and you should never touch them. One of our research projects are to go hunting for them, spear them, and bring them in for dissection to see what they have been thriving on and where. I saw a little baby though, and kept it hush hush.

Other than that, it has been wonderful weather, today was the coldest day, but I am still in capris! I did wear my 3MM wet suit today though, because the water was freezing! Just to give you an idea on the wet suits; a shorty means it is a one piece suit that looks as if you are wearing a t-shirt and shorts (hence shorty). Meanwhile, a full body is pretty self explanatory, but you can get several different long ones depending on how thick they are. Mine is one of the lightest suits being only 3MM. They can go 3, 5, etc. The thicker you go the more buoyant you will be. If you were to be a SCUBA diver you definitely want a thicker suit because you will be further down where the sun does not really reach you. They are hard to get on if you or the suit is wet, so tomorrow will be interesting when I try to get it on again!

So far my gear has been treating me really well. My goggles have not fogged up, and my snorkel is working great! I figured out how to free dive down into the water and then surface without having to bring my head out of the water to breathe again. Every day I get a little stronger and much better at navigating. I can even mermaid swim in which your legs are together and moving along. I am still a little clumsy- I have knocked my sunglasses and towel into the water twice and then had to get back in (after I was already dry) to retrieve them. It is so crazy getting back into the water without your fins on and trying to swim!

As for the island itself, the people are so nice! I have to remind myself I am in a very safe and friendly area, because I am not used to walking around at night and talking to strangers. Everyone that you pass wants to introduce themselves and tell you their story. Every single person here has an island name too!!! I have met a Sweet Papa, Big Papa, Gucci, Rooster Hill, 007, etc. The food here is delicious and they make the best fried chicken and conch fritters! I have also been working on my Spanish, and it slowly coming back to me. When I have spare time, which is not very often, I try to look up new words so I can have a convo. There is a worker here named Daniel and he is Hispanic, and does not speak English really at all. So I have been practicing a lot on him, and he is so patient with all of us! I don’t know what it is about Americans and using hand gestures to try and explain something when we cannot think of the word.

This week I was already “student of the day” which means I have to restock the food and keep everything clean. I have to be at meals 15 minutes early to set up, but I do get first dibs on the meal because I put it out! So that is a perk. I feel like I am not going to lose any weight here because they feed us so well; conch chowder, chicken, tofu, fruit salad, salad, burgers, hot dog, etc.

When I am done at dinner time I usually go out to my wild and scruffy friends and feed them, although we are not supposed to. There are dozens of wild dogs here on the island. I have found 2 liters of puppies too that have to be only about 3 months old. I bring them peanut butter every day. They are so skiddish, but I don’t blame them. When the cars of driving down the road they never slow down or swerve, in fact they speed up and don’t care if the dogs are in the way. We get barked at occasionally, and they walk in hords of 5-10! All you have to do it bend down and act as if you are about to pick up a stone and they run away, but I would never do that. The students call me the dog whisperer, because the dogs just come right up to me and escort me to where I need to go. There is a “center dog” who always lingers outside, his name is Bruno. He is super shaggy and very old. He loves chicken. (haha speak of the Devil I just saw him walk by!)

Alrighty troops, I have to get going. The super bowl is on and we are going to the bar to watch it on one of the only TVs on the island! Go Colts! (always and forever will be a bills fan, but for tonight…)

Sting Ray swimming away. I have also seen an Eagle ray which was about 6 foot at least in width! It had little baby rays following it. These guys above love to hide in the sand, and when you dive down and sometimes don't see them, all you see are their little eyes poking through .

This is a lionfish, they are invasive and dangerous. As a research project we are going to hunt them and dissect them to see where they have been and what they have been consuming. This little one was a baby, so the professors let him be. We have not learned how to go about hunting them yet, we are still just observing.

This is a spiney lobster we saw hiding under a bolder. In order to see him it was a pretty deep free dive. A free dive is where you take as much oxygen as you can into your lungs and just dive into the water. As you go down you release air bubbles. He was maybe 15 feet down. He was also enormous! maybe 2-3 foot.

a photo for your viewing

Hey guys!!!

I am currently on a break from class, early start today- 6am! We have a curfew at eleven which forces me to go to bed early! We are currently learning about the decline of marine ecosystems. As far as the blogs go, i have a few "backed up" because i type them on my computer in the hopes i can load them onto here, of course my windows is not compatible with this one... fantastic. so i will get them up in due time i promise!

First 2 Days on the Island

Hey followers!
I dont have too much time before i go to bed, so let me just jot down a real quick list of what has happened these past 2 days...
Day 1- Travel Day
- Plane ride from Charlotte to Provos (great ride, passed out for an hour)
-Filled out my temp. customs paperwork and was accepted into the country
-Had my first taste of Conch in the Provos airport... conch burger, delicious!
- Puddle jumper to south caicos only took 20 minutes, and fit 35 people at most
- The water is a beautiful blue. All different color blues in fact, and so clear! I swear i could see things moving in the water below as we flew over
- Landing on south caicos... one runway, and a building with one room is the equivalent to their airport. There are wild cats, dogs, horses, cows and donkeys running all around.
-The drive on the opposite side of the street, but it really doesnt matter because they drive in the middle anyways.
-The SFS center is GORGEOUS! we are right on the cliff and surrounded by mangroves, sea grass beds and reefs, and the conch national reserve is right at the waters edge.
- i have 4 roommates and we get along great! i still have yet to unpack, but there has been no time!
Day2
-First day of classes, introductions to them, a little nervous because they seem difficult. I am going to just try and stay on top of them!
-Went snorkeling with friends and checked out the area around the docks and pier, then had the opportunity to go out and snorkel at a designated location in the ocean!
-i saw the most amazing fish, and an eagle ray! he was huge, at least 6 foot and had little eagle ray followers
-then i had to get back in the boat without a ladder... i really need upper body strength, but i got in... i was pulled in:)
-I took a sea bath, they are amazing and refreshing!!! i am going to need to get more soap! it great just looking down and seeing that you are showering with fish!!!
-We all got dinner then headed into town to a place called Dillon's bar. It is the smallest bar UC and you Yorkers have ever seen! only 3 people were there, but they had everything you could imagine for liquor and beer. i had my first beer in a bar!!! i asked for a tequila sunrise and they gave me a cup full of patrone with a little orange juice... redic!
- I learned how to play dominos with the locals, and eve beat them twice!! they are so friendly and now i see them all over town, they are the nicest people here
Bed time... to be continued!

First Ever Blog!

Dear Followers,

I am currently sitting in my hotel room watching the minutes on the clock tick slowly by- In less than 5 hours I will be waking up in a US bed for the last time in a long time! I will be unloading our rental car bundled up like a pack-mule with a book bag, carry on, and suite case that has to weigh at least 150 pounds. I have not weight trained enough for this! One of the things I am nervous about is being pulled aside when I try to get through security. For some reason I look like trouble or a possible drug dealer. If they pull me aside tomorrow and unpack my bag, I will never be able to fit it all back in. I did not do the packing, my mother did, and if you knew this woman, you would know she could pack a whole circus and the peanuts in the trunk of a car. It is truly a skill that I did not inherit. Regardless, I have everything a girl could need for three months of survival on an underdeveloped island; my leopard print sunglasses (compliments of MR), an updated iPod with over 1000 songs, and enough medications to sustain a small population of 30 for a year. I have two snorkel lessons under my belt, and know how to free dive into the water, clear water from my mask, and most importantly "escape sharks nippin at my fanny," (scuba instructor Joe). After I have safely made it in, I get to sit around for a good 3 hours before boarding the plane. I will probably meander around checking out the shops and maybe purchasing a magazine for my viewing pleasure, but I will just be waiting for the other students to arrive. I will not be fully calm until I have landed on South Caicos at 2:30. I hate flying, turbulence is the worst, and I always get some crying child behind me. But you take what is given to you, and I am going on this trip completely open to any and everything that is new; food, music, customs, etc. I already know going down there that I do not appreciate the little things in life enough. For instance, a cold glass of milk, toilet paper, and drinkable fresh water from the tap. I am allowed a cold shower once in a while, but for the most part will be hand washing all my clothes and bathing in the ocean. Some people really have the wrong idea of what will be happening when I am down there... it is not well populated, there are only 1200 residents, and it is a 2 mile island at most. There are no palm trees, and beach resorts... there are cacti, local markets, and deadly animals. First thing is first when I get down there... setting up my mosquito net. I have a feeling I will probably poke more holes in this net trying to secure it to the ceiling than ensuring the safety of my skin! Oh well, I will learn quickly. I will never leave the comfort of the room, shared by 5 other girls, without a layer of SPF 80 (thanks Santa). I cannot afford to get burned. Its going on to 1:30 am, and I know come wake up call at 6am, I am going to wish I got to bed earlier. G'night followers, and write to you from the island!