Today, we had the opportunity to educate ourselves about Polynesian culture through experiences that connected history, science, land, and ocean. We visited the Te Pu Atiti‘a Cultural Center on Moorea, a place that holds and shares knowledge passed down from many elders of the island. At the cultural center, we learned how to make tapas, a traditional cloth made for every child born on the island. A tapa is created by beating fibers from the bark of a breadfruit tree until th

Hi blog, this is Avery! I am a 2nd year marine science major. I am currently sitting next to the ocean while the sunsets after a long day of sampling from all the different teams. Many people participated in collecting sampling in a long transect in the reef we are staying next too, while some others collected samples at Cook’s Bay and ‘Ōpūnohu Bay. Collecting all the samples has been so dope, but the experience of swimming through the coral reef and driving along the perimet

Our first excursion was today! We took a boat out on the most breathtaking crystal waters to a snorkeling site where we got to swim with sharks, manta rays, and more kinds of fish than I’ve ever seen before. Then, we went to an island where we played volleyball with locals, got a ceviche tutorial, and ate delicious chicken and fresh fish. After another swim with more rays, we got to watch a coconut competition and fire dance! The boat ride back was another one of those moment