Meg’s Private Island Experience

Posted by: Meg P.

I had a great adventure on this island! The work, staff and food were all amazing!

Primarily, we helped cull the invasive lionfish population, and we collected data daily on our catches including size, weight, sex, and stomach contents. (Delicious!) We also collected data on and measured Caribbean lobsters, and the queen conch, both species in danger of overfishing.
We logged 12 dives in one week!  The coral reefs were beautiful, even though some types are experiencing bleaching.. One afternoon, I snorkeled just off the island in what seems like a brain coral nursery and saw so many fish, including a huge school of surgeonfish. All of the dives were minutes away from the island, and the crew was incredibly professional, efficient, safety-focused, and kind. Kudos to staff members, Willie, Pete, Matilda, Carlos, Alex, and JR – they all made the week memorable and fun.

Marine life I saw: spotted moray, green moray eel, sharp-tailed eel, banded coral cleaner shrimp, Pederson cleaner shrimp, flamingo tongue cowrie, giant hermit, yellow stingray, Caribbean spiny lobster, arrow crabs, balloon fish, nurse shark, jackknife drumfish, hogfish, turtle, angelfish, surgeonfish, wrasse, and lots more fish.

We had a spectacular experience, and I hope to return again in the future.