… week to where were we would be moving sea urchins and documenting certain things. None of us has ever done this and just want to know what to expect. Obviously its our vacation so we want to have fun and unwind from work etc. Is it a stressful week? I get it that its still better then being at work!
Such trips are designed to fill berths on a cruise and make some money for the sponsoring scientific Organization.
You can do as much or as little as you wish. They may rightfully assume you’re in for the “full experience”, so if you grow tired or disinterested, quietly advise the leadership. Your diving will be restricted to the specific locales dictated by the educational aspects of the trip, but nobody will force you into the water or perform any function which you do not wish to be involved.
You will likely not be making an earth shattering contribution to this organization’s research or science in general, but it will increase your awareness, it will increase public awareness of the Organization, and again- the Organization will garner a few dollars due to their draw factor, likely 10+% of your trip cost. (The minimum std. discount that trip-leaders get for booking larger groups.)
It’s all up to you. You can stay onboard and sunbathe or go poke around nearby while others do “the science stuff”. They will likely have worthwhile evening presentations that explain what you are seeing.
I do not understand the efficacy of “
moving Sea Urchins”. I can only imagine that it’s being done to ’fix a problem’ which is a perferct tribute to the grand hubris of man. I may be missing the science, but it sounds to me like Lionfish hunting/eradication.
The Bahamas does have one underwater man made structure that will be a long lasting tribute to just that level of hubris- it’s a startlingly huge concrete u/w parabolic dish shape, strung with netting, that was to be a fish-farm containment. “Cobra cage”. Man proposes, God disposes.
Enjoy the education, and the assumably youthful energy of the leadership of the program.
