Diving and collecting samples on Ilha Grande had a special flavor, as it was the project's first field trip. Located on the southern coast of Rio de Janeiro, the island has a great diversity of marine life and offers perfect conditions for diving and photography. At this point, we went with a larger group of researchers and, just like every first time, it helped us to understand that we were on the right track and to point out how we could improve.
Part of the team was already in Angra while the rest took to the road from Rio de Janeiro. Our first collection was on Jorge Grego Island, which is opposite Lopes Mendes Cove and Dois Rios. It is undoubtedly one of the best diving spots on the island. That day, however, the sea was rough. We dived into a crevice full of sun coral, predominantly of the Tubastraea tagusensis species, which stretched along walls of more than 20 meters.
All the colonies were collected and refrigerated properly on the boat, because the next day we had another field trip. This time, the team went to Laje Branca, a place with a great diversity of fish, gorgonians and, of course, sun coral. Visibility can vary between 6 and 15 meters and the maximum depth is 14 meters. It was a quieter dive, with better visibility and this time we found more species of Tubastraea coccinea, as well as recording biological interactions between corals and invertebrates and sponges and other corals.
After all the samples had been collected, the group spotted a huge crab trapped in the fishing gear. With the help of a knife and a lot of care, he was saved, and we finished two very productive days. We returned to Rio to our laboratory to store all the samples collected correctly with a sense of accomplishment.
Karine Venegas Macieira
