The visibility awaiting us for our first dive of the day was somewhat sub-optimal, returning to the 20 to 30 feet we had immediately following Gabrielle last week. However, having spent a great deal of time diving
in very low visibility conditions (think of sand paper taped to the outside of your mask while you sit in the bath tub), I could not complain.

The Aquanauts teams split up today, with Laddie and I heading back out to the northeast to continue our fish work, while Cathy and Billy headed southeast directly out from Aquarius to the "S-4" site (an S-4 is a
piece of equipment used to measure currents and other oceanographic parameters). Laddie and I needed to continue to collect data on fish abundance and foraging behavior at a depth of 60 feet, which is
comparable to the data we collected all week at other sites. Having completed their coral and benthic habitat surveys at the 60 feet depths, Cathy and Billy moved on to a depth of 90 feet to continue their surveys.

Cathy and Billy reported a similar array of coral species at the deeper site. A number of dead corals were observed from past events, however no active diseases had been observed thus far and significant recruitment had been observed. They also noted that majority of the observed coral damage was oriented into the current, suggesting some type of water-borne stressor.

Laddie concluded the first dive with a report of 132 species recorded during twenty-seven "Roving Diver" surveys he had conducted up to that point. While the number of species was not surprising, Laddie explained
that quite a few of the identified species were not expected (e.g., Three-line Blenny and Yellow Belly Hamlet).

The project I have been working on is designed to identify whether the rate at which social foraging occurs actually influences the diversity of fish at the local level. This is a joint effort with my colleague,
Dr. Peter Auster, from the National Undersea Research Center at the University of Connecticut. Scientists have studied and written about social foraging behavior among reef fish for several decades. Foraging
with other fish (conspecifics or mixed species) can increase the availability of prey to an individual fish, and it may reduce the threat of predation. To investigate the linkage between social foraging and local diversity, I have been collecting data from four distinct seafloor habitat types--Flat Sand/Rubble, Reef Edge, Continuous Reef, and Spur and Groove. While I will not have a chance to compare the data until I get back to the lab, I can say that thus far I have observed numerous social foraging bouts among multiple species.

During our mid-day interval in the habitat, we had the chance to respond to questions during a live web-chat with schools around the country. Each of the Aquanauts took a turn responding to some very interesting
questions. Also, we had a film crew down here with us for an hour to film interviews and tour the habitat.

Our late afternoon dives mirrored those in the morning, with the exception of a tidal change that brought in some nice cool water. Thankfully, a hot water shower was waiting for us when we returned.