Snorkelling in the Eelgrass

I don't even know where to begin. So I will start by giving a bit of background. Last year, when I was in Newfoundland, I connected with an organization, called Atlantic Healthy Oceans Initiative (AHOI). They are a wonderful organization. Check them out, here.  Founder and Executive Director, Rebecca Brushett and I had some very good discussions and AHOI has contributed a lot to the development of my current works. They were also instrumental in making it possible for me to return to Newfoundland a third time. The first 10 days of this visit involves collaboration with AHOI. Today, they invited me to join them on the water. They were doing some fieldwork with eelgrass beds. I am delighted to report that CBC wrote an article on this particular work back in 2023 so instead of trying to clumsily explain what they were doing, I can direct you to this link:

Why a Gros Morne sea grass study is so important to the fishing industry

As always, I am thrilled to be offered the opportunity to witness science in action and to see the conservation work that so many people are dedicating their lives to doing.

Sydney and Jordan working hard doing eelgrass transects.

Plus, I got to go snorkelling.

Just to get to go out on a boat is an exciting activity to me. But to be given the opportunity to go snorkelling in the eelgrass beds of Bonne Bay is the stuff my dreams are made of!

No one who knows me will be surprised that I was a super clumsy snorkeller. To use fins/flippers requires muscles I haven't used since the last time I donned flippers about 50 years ago. And that was the last time I used a snorkel, too. I have to say it is not like riding a bike. But it wasn't difficult to relearn. I didn't choke on too much seawater.

courtesy of Rebecca Brushett

I took some underwater shots. I don't think any of them were very good because I couldn't wear my glasses so I really couldn't see what I was doing, but that didn't matter. It was more about the experience than the photographs. For two years, my work has centred around Bonne Bay and the organisms that live there. Today, I was swimming in the bay itself, feeling the variations in the water temperature (the shallow salt water of the eelgrass beds was very warm, and the fresh water that moves through the same eelgrass from nearby rivers was very cold) and watching the life that was unfolding beneath me (I even followed a lobster for a while). It was an experience of a lifetime.

Here are some other photos I took today. I haven't had a look at my underwater shots, yet. If they are good, I will share some tomorrow,

Eelgrass in the foreground

Rebecca

Rebecca took this pic of me celebrating my snorkelling experience.