field day

most of my work here in la paz involves sitting in front of a computer and reading and writing articles. to be perfectly honest, i do not handle a desk for 40 hours/week well - i need movement, diversity, etc. and so i occasionally invite myself along or take advantage of and perhaps beg for opportunities to join in field work. two weeks ago, some guys were down in cabo pulmo diving and searching for spawning aggregations and invited me along for a day of diving. who could turn down diving in the world's most successful MPA?

la mayoría de mi trabajo en la paz involucra sentando en frente de mi computadora, leyendo y escribiendo artículos. ser honesta, no manejo un escritorio 40 horas la semana bien - necesito moverme, diversidad, etc. entonces me invito o aprovechar o pedir oportunidades a juntar a mis compañeros en su trabajo del campo. hace dos semanas, algunos chavos estuvieron buceando en cabo pulmo en busca de agregaciones reproductivas y me invitaron por un día de buceo. ¿quien puede decir no a un día buceando en la AMP con lo mas éxito del mundo?

news release and video
comunicado de prensa y video en español
link to the recent paper / el articulo

cabo pulmo is about a two hour drive from here, so i headed down there wednesday night and went diving with them thursday. they "worked" and i dove for fun. searching for spawning aggregations involves swimming around with an underwater camera attached to a pole and if you see groups of fish together, filming them, to later review and look for specific behaviors. what this meant for me was a relaxing dive in "el bajo", following them around, taking pictures (for myself), and having a completely wonderful dive.

cabo pulmo esta ubicado algunos dos horas desde aquí y me fui por allá por un día. ellos "trabajaron" y yo buceé por diversión. la busca de agregaciones reproductivas involucra nadando con una camera sumergible, asociado a un polo. cuando vean a peces juntos, los capturan en video parar revisarlos después y buscar comportamientos específicos. para mi, significo un buceo relajado en "el bajo", siguiendo a ellos, tomando fotos (para mi misma), y disfrutando completamente.



[map / mapa]


[leaving the village of cabo pulmo / saliendo del pueblo de cabo pulmo]


[paired jacks - pre spawning behavior / una pareja de jureles - comportamiento previo al deshove]


the water was about 86 degrees, meaning that all i used was my rash guard, which after diving in la jolla in a seven-milimeter wetsuit with a vest on top and a hood and seven-mil gloves, is completely freeing. clear blue water. absolutely perfect.

diving here is wonderful - and pictures (especially my amateur ones) don't even begin to capture it, but hopefully you can enjoy them anyways :)

el agua estuvo de 30 degrados, entonces solo usé mi rash guard, lo que, despues de bucear en la jolla en mi neopreno de siete-milimetros con un chaleco, capilla, y guantes, es mi libremente. agua clara y azul. perfecta.

el buceo en cabo pulmo es espactacular - y fotos (especialmente mis aficionadas) ni empiezan a capturarlo, but espero que puedan disfrutarlas :)



[reef scene / el arrecife]


[a crowd / muchedumbre de peces]


[Prionurus punctatus / yellowtail surgeonfish / cirujano cochinito]


[Arothron meleagris / guineafowl puffers / botete negro]


[fish butts / traseros de peces]


[grunt / burrito]


[smiling parrotfish / perico sonriendo]


[surgeonfish with eel in background / peces con morena]


[garden eels / morenitas arenosas]


great dive. great times. lovely place. these things keep me sane :)



[cabo pulmo beach / playa de cabo pulmo]