On my previous trips to Bermuda with this class, I had begun to dread and nearly despise the trip to the South Shore of the island. The South Shore has spectacular vistas and quintessential views of crystal blue water. However, on mopeds, the journey can be tiresome, especially if you are at the rear of the “moped slinky” (i.e. 10+ students and instructors trying to navigate narrow Bermuda roads and traffic). And, on most of the trips, the water along the South Shore has been too rough to snorkel (we have had a few good bodysurfing days, if only we could incorporate some physics into the curriculum). The trips in the past occurred towards the end of the trip and I was beginning to think that since we weren’t able to get into the water, maybe we should spend the time on more academic endeavors. However, as I write today, I have been converted to one who is willing to take a chance that the water might be calm enough to see the spectacular beauty of the area.
One of the striking features of the South Shore are Cup Reefs, which are in the narrow band of reefs along the south side of the island. These reefs are often referred to as “boilers” as they are very shallow and waves “boil” over them almost continuously. They can be treacherous to boats as well as unsuspecting snorkelers who finds themselves deposited belly first onto the sharp surfaces of the boiler by wave action. The Cup Reefs are not coral reefs, but rather structures that are produced by coralline algae and immobile snails that produce a tube-like shell (termed Algal-Vermetid Reefs). The reefs have an unusual shape, rather like a wine glass, being broadest at the top and narrow at the bottom as the result of erosion. As we planned our departure from the Bio Station this morning (after a quick trip by my colleague to the moped shop for two helmets that had been “borrowed” yesterday from the back of his moped) the weather looked promising, but we never anticipated what we saw when we arrived at Church Bay on the south side of the island. Calm waters, as calmer than I or my colleague had ever seen (photo at top). The water was also warmer than yesterday and everyone enjoyed a nice long snorkel. We were able to get in and around the “boilers” with ease. Hopefully the picture above and this short video provides you with a sense of the water action at the top of the wine glass. In addition, I’ve included a couple pictures of sea rods, corals, and fishes.
After finishing up at Church Bay, we headed to Astwood Park for lunch and another snorkel. The view from Astwood Park is one of my favorites. After a quick snorkel at John Smith's Bay, we headed back to the station for desalting and dinner. I think everyone will sleep well tonight. Of course no day to date is free from moped incidents but so far the everything has been happening at relatively slow speeds. Yesterday we sent one moped to the moped-hospital and today’s was a little bit like the old Laugh-In skits (picture Artie Johnson (was that his name?) on a motorized tricycle).
On my previous trips to Bermuda with this class, I had begun to dread and nearly despise the trip to the South Shore of the island. The South Shore has spectacular vistas and quintessential views of crystal blue water. However, on mopeds, the journey can be tiresome, especially if you are at the rear of the “moped slinky” (i.e. 10+ students and instructors trying to navigate narrow Bermuda roads and traffic). And, on most of the trips, the water along the South Shore has been too rough to snorkel (we have had a few good bodysurfing days, if only we could incorporate some physics into the curriculum). The trips in the past occurred towards the end of the trip and I was beginning to think that since we weren’t able to get into the water, maybe we should spend the time on more academic endeavors. However, as I write today, I have been converted to one who is willing to take a chance that the water might be calm enough to see the spectacular beauty of the area. 
One of the striking features of the South Shore are Cup Reefs, which are in the narrow band of reefs along the south side of the island. These reefs are often referred to as “boilers” as they are very shallow and waves “boil” over them almost continuously. They can be treacherous to boats as well as unsuspecting snorkelers who finds themselves deposited belly first onto the sharp surfaces of the boiler by wave action. The Cup Reefs are not coral reefs, but rather structures that are produced by coralline algae and immobile snails that produce a tube-like shell (termed Algal-Vermetid Reefs). The reefs have an unusual shape, rather like a wine glass, being broadest at the top and narrow at the bottom as the result of erosion. As we planned our departure from the Bio Station this morning (after a quick trip by my colleague to the moped shop for two helmets that had been “borrowed” yesterday from the back of his moped) the weather looked promising, but we never anticipated what we saw when we arrived at Church Bay on the south side of the island. Calm waters, as calmer than I or my colleague had ever seen (photo at top). The water was also warmer than yesterday and everyone enjoyed a nice long snorkel. We were able to get in and around the “boilers” with ease. Hopefully the picture above and this short video provides you with a sense of the water action at the top of the wine glass. In addition, I’ve included a couple pictures of sea rods, corals, and fishes.
After finishing up at Church Bay, we headed to Astwood Park for lunch and another snorkel. The view from Astwood Park is one of my favorites. After a quick snorkel at John Smith's Bay, we headed back to the station for desalting and dinner. I think everyone will sleep well tonight. Of course no day to date is free from moped incidents but so far the everything has been happening at relatively slow speeds. Yesterday we sent one moped to the moped-hospital and today’s was a little bit like the old Laugh-In skits (picture Artie Johnson (was that his name?) on a motorized tricycle). 
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