On Saturday we drove out to Holyrood, hopped on a boat, and learned more about life under the sea!
We're on a boat
In honour of World Oceans Day on June 8th, there were a variety of activities going on all over the world this weekend. Luckily, we didn't have to venture too far from home to partake in a fun, educational, activity! We drove out to Holyrood at noon on Saturday so that we could board the 1 pm boat tour put off by Coastal Connections. They were running 1 hour tours for $10 per person which was very reasonable.
When we arrived in Holyrood, the sun was shining, and we were ready for an aquatic adventure. We climbed up the ladder to the upper deck and enjoyed the views as well as the slight ocean breeze. A few minutes later, it was time to catch some plankton!
When we arrived in Holyrood, the sun was shining, and we were ready for an aquatic adventure. We climbed up the ladder to the upper deck and enjoyed the views as well as the slight ocean breeze. A few minutes later, it was time to catch some plankton!
 |  |
Plankton are small organisms (plants, animals, or bacteria) who live in the top 10-15 metres of the water. To catch the plankton, the boat drove in circles for 5 minutes with the nets trailing behind. The nets have a very, very, fine mesh so that water can go through but the tiny organisms are trapped and collect in the bottom.
Plankton are food for many larger species, but they are also the initial life stages of some more familiar creatures such as starfish and crabs. We were all given Discovery Microscopes to look at the plankton. The amazing thing was that most of them could be seen with the naked eye! They were much larger than we were expecting.
Plankton are food for many larger species, but they are also the initial life stages of some more familiar creatures such as starfish and crabs. We were all given Discovery Microscopes to look at the plankton. The amazing thing was that most of them could be seen with the naked eye! They were much larger than we were expecting.
We learned how to identify the different types of phytoplankton (plants) and zooplankton (animals), as the guide projected a microscope onto a big screen and showed us images in a book. The most mind-blowing fact we learned was that phytoplankton produce half of the world's oxygen! If phytoplankton didn't exist, or something happened to them, it would not only directly impact creatures in the ocean but also everything on land. They seem to be pretty important little guys.
The adventure didn't end there. On our way back to shore, our guide caught a flounder for everyone to see as well as some seaweed that contained brittle stars and other small animals. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience, we learned a lot, and the weather was perfect for it!
The adventure didn't end there. On our way back to shore, our guide caught a flounder for everyone to see as well as some seaweed that contained brittle stars and other small animals. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience, we learned a lot, and the weather was perfect for it!
After we disembarked the boat, we drove for 15 more minutes along the coast (on the same route that we took while tracing Elizabeth's ancestry), to a pig roast with Elizabeth's office-mates. It was a fun afternoon, full of some slightly inappropriate games and some tasty grub.
Here are some more photos from our boat tour in Holyrood:
Here are some more photos from our boat tour in Holyrood:
