Coral Reef Ecology Course Swims Home from Belize

Just kidding, we flew! But everyone had a terrific time on the MesoAmerican reef of Belize, the second longest barrier reef in the world. There, on the remote Glovers Reef Atoll, 15 students carried out underwater research projects as part of Ceiba’s 2024 Coral Reef Ecology course. Every day, we’d board our boat, and courtesy of Captain Nolen, cruise out to one of the 800 patch reefs on the atoll.

One group examined the aggressiveness of damselfishes, diminutive undersea algae farmers, while others looked at fire coral, fish diseases, feeding behavior of parrotfishes, and the interactions between urchins and algae. Our rustic lodging for 10 days was a remote island known as Middle Caye, where hermit crabs, iguanas, and a group of pelicans and frigatebirds were our main above-water companions. Below the waves, however, we saw so much more: spotted eagle rays, sea turtles, three kinds of sharks, and over 100 species of reef fishes and corals.

If you want to study marine biology, and spend your days snorkeling on a Caribbean coral reef, consider signing up for the 2025 program (details here). Or contact Ceiba with any questions you might have. See you under the waves!