The Aquarius Project: A SCUBA Diving Studio 2BSM destination

By Karen, 15

Karen is one of six Girl Scouts selected to journey to underwater laboratories, coral reefs, and the Aquarius habitat. Few people other than the scientists who work in Aquarius are invited inside and it was an honor and privilege for a Girl Scout to be offered this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Read below to learn about Karen's incredible journey to the depths of the sea.

The Adventure Begins
Wednesday 7-13-05
I'm so excited to finally be here at the marine lab for the Aquarius Project! I'm with five other girls and three leaders to spend a week SCUBA diving and learning about various science subjects.

The marine lab is right on the water. A floating classroom sits in front of the parking lot and behind the classroom is a locker where we stow our gear. Through the pavilion and around the fence is a small lagoon beneath which is the Jule's Undersea Lodge.

Jump Right In
Thursday 7-14-05
Our first lecturer, Billy Causey, is the superintendent of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. He talked to us about how the sanctuary was formed, its function, and the major issues facing the reefs in the area today.

We then gathered our gear, suited up, and did a giant-stride entry into the warm waters of the lagoon. We descended about 20 feet to a platform and saw several kinds of fish, bright white flatworms, and upside-down jellyfish called Cassiopeia Jellyfish. We then went to Sexton Cove to snorkel and saw schools of small greenish fish and a few small barracuda.

After dinner, Sharon, our guide, talked about the coral reefs in the area. We then conducted a lab called Invertebrate Diversity, during which we were given a rock to flip over and shake into a few inches of water. Ruthie and I found a brittle star, two decorator crabs, a stone crab, a round worm, a stick isopod, and several other organisms. As a group we found 16 different species, including flatworm, common shrimp, gribble, and sea spiders.

Hidden Treasures
Friday 7-15-05
After breakfast, Nancy Dearsing of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary spoke to us about shipwrecks in the area and two people from REEF (Reef Environmental Education Foundation) taught us how to identify dozens of species of fish on the reef.

We then gathered our dive gear and got onto the boat. We'd already attached our tanks, BCs (buoyancy compensators, or vests with straps to hold a tank and attachment hooks for various hoses), and regulators. We put on wetsuits, flippers, and masks, strapped on our weight belts and did a giant-stride into the water.

We were surrounded by a school of yellow-tailed snappers and saw a queen angelfish, bicolor damselfish, blue tangs, stoplight parrotfish, and a scorpion fish. The coolest thing we saw was a grouper which we estimated was five feet long, three feet wide, and one foot thick.

This first dive was to the wreck of the City of Washington, a merchant marine vessel from WWII. This was my first dive on the open ocean and there were more fish that I could have imagined!

That evening was my first night dive and we were given dive lights and glow sticks to tie to our tanks. We dove to the wreck of the Benwood, which was another WWII merchant marine vessel, but unlike the City of Washington, which was intentionally sunk, the Benwood sank when it collided with another ship because both were sailing with their lights off to avoid German U-Boats. We saw tons of stoplight parrotfish and spotted eel on the Benwood reef.

The Adventure Continues
Tomorrow we are off to Jule's Undersea Lodge and then to Aquarius on Saturday—I can't wait! So be sure to check back here next month to find out more about my adventure.