Ms. I
The Mini had the opportunity to visit the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre this spring break for the first time since pre-COVID. A bus to the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal, a ferry to Departure Bay in Nanaimo, and a three-hour winding bus ride later – we arrived on the “wet” coast. Notable memories on the journey include the students clapping for our bus driver Muktar for expertly getting through a narrow car-lined neighborhood street (in reverse!) and the rollercoaster sensation of Bamfield Road in a coach bus, seatbelts mandatory.
With over 200 mm of rain over our four days here, waterproof clothing was a must. The Minis were sporting a range of rain gear: from Kalyna’s floral rain boots and all-pink Barbie fit to Nathan’s three rain jackets, one of which was part of a bright red matching set. Bruno wore a teal North Face jacket with a big smile and thumbs up as accessories, and Maddie a lavender/purple combo with the hood up (Ms. I, do I look bald?). Some had rain pants tucked into their boots, some didn't. No matter how prepared you thought you were, it started to seem like getting soaked was a rite of passage on a trip like this.
The next few days were a blur. I present to you, in no particular order, a series of disjointed memories over our four days at BMSC (a typical writing style for me, I think).
Red PFDs (iconic). Crouching together at the shoreline to look at the teeniest tiniest crabs. Shrieks of pure joy while skipping rope with a piece of bull kelp found on Brady’s Beach. Trick jumps in the puddles. Seasick from being too preoccupied with the urchins and sea cukes to look up at the horizon. The giant gas bladder Sophie found. Temporary tattoos as a reward for an Oscar-worthy skit involving phrases such as, If it feels like mucus, it’s a fucus and if it tastes like a**, it must be sea grass. A squirmy river otter on the dock, spotted by a lucky few. Turkish towel, feather boa, hold it up and say, I love learning! The Gen Alpha response to seeing plankton under the microscope: That’s low-key aura. Bruno sticks his finger into the mouth/anus of a sea anemone in the touch tank (alas this is something I can’t unsee). Shivering on the oceanography boat, trying to smile through clattering teeth and cold hands but dreaming of a warm shower and dry clothes. Cutus patutus. Bananagrams in the common area. Unexpected experimental results; a sea urchin, for instance, opting to wear a piece of seaweed as a hat rather than consuming it. Maddy’s intricate plankton drawings. The way Amy says gorgeous. Sea lions bobbing past the docks. Kaiya's shrieks while trying to extract the massive sea urchins from the saltwater bath. The collective “???" when shown a picture of a barreleye fish, a freaky lil thing with internal orbs for eyes and a see-through skull. Raindrop beach art filled with Velella velella. Macey the dog – but we mustn’t pet her even though she is quite possibly the cutest golden retriever in West Bamfield. Haris’s gratitude for the rain (it makes this more memorable, he says). A late-night walk to the docks to see the bioluminescence, like glitter and sparkles in the sea. Waffles for breakfast with blueberry compote and homemade whip. John the bus driver. A signed baby blue BMSC t-shirt, presented by Chris and Ben at the start of our long journey home. Chris’s mom was waiting for me to cry. Joke’s on you, Ms. Jay, that’s for when I get home.
On the ferry, I stood on the sun deck thinking about the glass sponge reef we were passing over, a hundred meters below. Eden told us that these silica sponges were thought to have been extinct for 40 million years. Finding them in the 80s was the equivalent of seeing a T-rex cross the street today, she says. With so much of the ocean still unexplored, it’s dizzying to imagine what else there could be. A new species of sponge, perhaps. Or maybe even a corkscrew worm. There is no easy way to grasp the vastness of the marine world, but this trip was a good start.
Thank you, Bamfield. What a privilege it was to learn from you.
(Swipe right!)
Most photos are taken on a Fujifilm X-T30 II, some on an iPhone 13, and a few are taken by Mr. Jay on his DSLR with a ~colossal~ telephoto lens.
