In preparation for my trip to Puerto Penasco, I got my scuba certification. This was easily one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life as it allowed me to experience the ocean at a whole new level. There is no feeling comparable to being completely submerged under and engulfed with water for an entire hour. The feeling of breathing underwater is absolutely amazing and just being in an environment that is not meant for humans is what makes it so memorable.  While I was on my dive at Bird Island, I encountered many different species of animals ranging across all the phyla we learned about on the trip. Many crustaceans and echinoderms layered the sea floor and lurked under rocks in all sorts of places. Platyhelminthes such as the flatworms, were freely swimming about and riding the currents. My favorite thing that I found was an echinoderm known as the pencil slate urchin. Luckily I was able to get a picture with the remains of this fascinating creature.  The diving at Bird Island was by far my favorite part of the trip and I will definitely be trying to dive as much as I can for the rest of my life.

Justice