Day 4


Rain, rain go away.... we woke up to some light showers with a few peeks of sun through the dawn clouds. Just as we headed in for breakfast, a quick deluge came through making us all head indoors to eat (which is far from the norm). French toast, sausage, eggs, and fresh fruit can always get the day off to a much better start. Immediately following breakfast, we joined Kyla and our craft driver Kenny for a scenic ride out to Warwick Long Bay. Once we arrived, it appeared the showers may stay just to the south so we disembarked and headed to Jobson's Cove. The first thing we noticed was the three horses being slowly ridden on the beach. Looking down we saw remarkable pink sand and then Kyla shared the reasons why the sand is pink and we took some samples for closer viewing. The Kiskadees were flying through the coves as we slowly navigated the dense sand. Right when we began to head up towards the trail, a few families of roosters and hens with their little chicks came to greet us. Heading up the cliffs, we saw the first squall line and the rain hit us quickly even coming in sideways and loosening up a few contact lenses. Taking shelter under the bay grapes, shielded by the towering palms, and palmettos took some of the water away from us but no question many were already soaked. The rain let up a bit and we decided to continue on our jaunt heading to they famous Horseshoe Bay all the while making a few pit stops for information gathering purposes. We put our bags under a cliff overhang and headed into the warm water... much warmer than the rain. Minutes later, the rain let up and we began to slowly find ourselves under a brilliant blue sky. Several were body surfing and a couple were snorkeling around the larger rocks where the snappers were congregating. Next we sauntered over to the next cove, which was well protected and as calm as a mill pond. In that shallow(er) cove, there was lots to do and see and one of our students saw a juvenile octopus and shared the viewing with Kyla and the others that were close by. The fish viewing in this cove was simply fantastic and the clarity made it easy to get up close with many parrotfish, grunts, damsels, sergeant majors, chubs, doctor fish, and more without even grabbing a mask and snorkel. Some climbing and swimming after trudging through the rain led to a few sitting in the late morning sun for a short rest.



After a nourishing lunch of chicken and basmati rice and vindaloo, it was off to Nonsuch Island (a fan favorite). Although the morning started off with some wet and windy weather the rain subsided but we forged through the wind and headed over through some choppy seas. Upon arrival, our fantastic guide Kyla took us on a great hike all the while explaining the master plan of the island and the beautiful story of the Cahow. The Cahow (aka. Bermuda Petrel) was thought to be extinct for over 300 hundred years and in the early 1950's the bird was re-discovered. Scientist named Dr. David Wingate began to push the species back into existence from less than 18 pair in the early sixties to over 115 pairs as of 2015. Wingate spurred Dr. Jeremy Madeiros to continue his work from Nonsuch along with a restoration project aimed at bringing the island back to its' state from hundreds of years ago when there were only endemic and native species. There is even an Olivewood nursery that provides BIOS with saplings to plant in places such as Cooper Island. As the hike finished we then swam back to the boat and also got a chance to do some snorkeling along the wreck that used to be used as a dock. An easier trip back to BIOS and getting ready for dinner and a much needed quiet evening! Stay tuned as Friday has a forecast of 20 mph northerlies, which may modify our schedule.

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