Today, we saw first-hand the dangers of the ocean that we might encounter any given day on a job site. While on the boat, monitoring divers and recording data sets, a distressed snorkeler came crying out of the water on the Brick Site. Luis, one of the local boat captains, brought the woman and her husband to our boat. When they arrived, I overheard the boat captains speaking in Spanish, saying that a sea urchin had stung her hand. The woman showed many signs of distress, including quivering hands and a quivering lower lip as she fought the approaching tears. To assist the woman, I asked for her name and what had happened to her. I immediately noticed that her hand was covered with sea urchin spines.
She told me that she had been snorkeling when she misplaced her hand and accidentally palmed an urchin. Sea urchins are known for their long, sharp spines, that when touched, break off. Because of their brittle nature, the spines of sea urchins are tremendously difficult and dangerous to human skin.
After sometime, and extreme patience from both Jason, our Dive Safety Officer (DSO), and the woman, whose hand must have hurt terribly, it was decided that she would have to travel to the local clinic in order to have all of the spines removed. If left untreated, she risked infection surrounding each barb. After all that excitement, we quickly and diligently returned to our work on the boat.
Today, we also discovered a potential new site! A pair of snorkelers decided to swim to shore so that they could take distances and compass bearings with the datasope. Along the way, they discovered bricks previously undocumented in the town. During this field school, we only plan to map and tag this sight to determine what work can be done on it in the future.
-Kelsey