My name is Denise and I got involved with the Sea TURTLE through a program called "Dive Kulture." I met last year's Sea TURTLES while working at the MIT pool distributing scuba gear. I'm honored to be part of this program and working with other people who love the ocean as much as I do. I've met some great instructors and reached a higher potential and a greater sense of the world.

Denise and Josh with their Sea TURTLE game faces on.

Tonight was our first Sea TURTLE class session together as a group! With the help of Sunnye, who organizes the Aquarium Lecture Series, we learned lots about the history, culture and conservation of the Bahamas. I have to admit I learned so much about Bahamas that I wish I would have visited there a long time ago.







The Bahamian flag! Tonight we learned that the black represents the strength of the people, the blue is for the waters of the Caribbean and the yellow is the sandy beaches!

Sunnye made things so much easier to understand by giving us a little head start on what we will be experiencing in Bahamas. We learned that we need to always be respectful when visiting other cultures. One thing that I always found interesting was when Sunnye told us that the first people to live in the Bahamas were called the "Lucayans."  Her lecture really made me realize I got a lot of learning to do.

Another favorite from her slideshow was when she told us about "Junkanoo." 

For those who don't know, Junkanoo is an annual Bahamian celebration involving masks, costumes, cowbells, whistles and drums. It also includes lots of delicious food! I found it pretty interesting that I haven't learned about this culture in school.

Sunnye also talked about plastic pollution in the Bahamas and showed us her "nurdles."

 Nurdles are small beads of plastic that wash up on pretty much every beach in the world or accidentally get eaten by animals.

We really appreciate all the information that we learned in class tonight. Thank you, Sunnye!

-Denise