I kinda blew it in college. The reason I went to Southampton College for a Marine Biology degree was for their Seamester Program - a semester of classes taken while aboard a historic sailing ship. Some poor planning and guidance ruled out that possibility (finishing in four years was all the rage in my day) so as a second option, in 1982, I took a travel class in tropical marine biology with ports-of-call in Tahiti, Rarotonga (Cook Islands), New Zealand, and Australia's Great Barrier Reef. OK, not too shabby. At the end of the month-long adventure, I also planned to connect with a semester-long internship conducting aquaculture in Hawaii - combining my farming roots with my love for marine biology.
I shot slide film back then and don't even remember what land camera I used, but I did also have an early model Nikonos underwater camera to document life beneath the sea. I recently had some of those slides digitized and will try to use them the eave together what I remember of that tip some 37+ years ago.
As I recall, our first stop was Tahiti. I don't remember how we got there from the East Coast of the US, but when we landed we got some apartment-style accommodations with some sweet Lanai views!
What I recall is that we arrived on a Sunday and all the shops in town were closed, so we walked around and saw as many sights as our feet would carry us to. I remember seeing these ladies in their Sunday finest and wanted to remember this scene.
We wandered around the harbor and I do remember snorkling in the shallows. With my nifty Nikonos camera, I took a photo of a coke can on the bottom and wondered who would be so stupid as to sully this beautiful place.
Below is a photo looking past the harbor in Pape'ete to Mo'orea...
Also docked in the harbor was the French Navy ship the Jean D'Arc. Quite impressive!
I recall we didn't stay long in Tahiti, just long enough to pick up our next flight to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands.
Flying into Rarotonga, this is the scene that awaited us - a gem in the Pacific!
Our accommodations were pretty basic, but they did come with a pool which came in handy rinsing off the saltwater after some snorkeling sessions.
Wally and I snorkeled out beyond the fringing reef and got caught by the falling tide. We decided we would have to catch a wave to ride over the top of the exposed fire coral. As the selected wave approached, I know I panicked, but it was too late. The wave sucked us up and we were helplessly within its surge. I rolled up in a ball waiting to be slashed to bits by the sharp stinging coral, but through some miracle, we both made it over the ope unscathed. Unfortunately, in the process, the wave forced my fancy Scuba Pro mask off my face - never to be found. A sacrifice to the gods. So I was forced to purchase a new mask and found one in the local general store. It's served me long and well over the past 38 years and I still have it today!
Traveling around the island, I was struck by the beauty of this little church.
We made our way to the harbor and watched the local fishermen landing the catch of the day.
A group of young boys decided to put on a show and were diving and doing flips off the bulkhead. This is one of my favorite images from the whole trip!
One of the activities that was arranged for us was a hike to summit Te Rua Manga, aka the Needle. The hike started off easy enough on solid paved roads. We carried a magnum of champagne to celebrate our feat.
As we climbed, the pavement turned to dirt roads back in the country. The vegetation was lush!
Continuing on, we started to question the trail we were on. Was it a walking trail, a goat path, or a runoff channel?
And then it disappeared all together...
Curt, climbed up into a tree to survey the area and get our bearings.
And then he saw it, our destination, Te Rua Manga, starring at us from another ridge across a deep ravine. Where did we go wrong and how were we going to get home?
After some discussion, and after stumbling across a small stream, we surmised that if we followed the water downhill, it would eventually lead us to the ocean and safety of our beds. Instead of popping the cork on our magnum of champagne we now conserved it for survival.
The stream turned into a waterfall and so we lowered ourselves down on some thick vines covering the side walls.
At the bottom of the waterfall, Wally and Joe decided to take a break and a dip to revitalize our spirits.
As we carried on, the stream got bigger and bigger and, although beaten, we felt like we were making progress. Clearly though, we seemed over it. 
Miraculously, we crossed paths with the exact location where we went awry. We zigged when we should have zagged. Next time, follow the big white arrow boys!
We were saved! We made it back to the place we were staying, changed clothes and then celebrated with a proper beach feast.
Roast chicken, Steinlager beer, and peas and rice steamed in a banana leaf. Yum!
Later we were treated to an"ori Tahiti" - a dance like a hula, but specific to the Cook Islands. The skirts for both the men and women are called "more" and are made from the leaves, fibers, and bark of the hibiscus plant.
It was so nice to see this traditional Pacific islander dance as opposed to the made for Kodak moment I would witness tourists flocking to in Hawai'i.
Before long, sadly, we had to leave Rarotonga behind as we ventured on the next leg of our journey. As we headed towards New Zealand, we flew over many more islands that sparked our imagination and made us wonder, what if....
We touched down in Auckland, New Zealand and again, we only stayed for a couple of days. I didn't take too many pictures, but I remember the City being spotless and everyone we met being super friendly. Later, when I returned to Southampton College, I remember speaking to one of my professors about trying to work in NZ I was so struck by the country.
We did take some time to visit the Auckland Botanical Gardens which made their way into my viewfinder.
We also spent an afternoon traipsing around Devonport - a peninsula across the harbor from Auckland.
There were battlements at Devonport to protect the harbor during WWII. Here's a view from the ramparts looking back at Auckland.
Before returning to Auckland on the ferry, we stopped in a pub to see how the locals spend their time. Bottom's up granny!
From Auckland, New Zealand, we made our way to Brisbane Australia...
...and spent a day in Surfer's Paradise. Not yet a surfer myself, I didn't fully appreciate my surroundings or take advantage of the tasty waves laid out before me.
After a brief respite, we boarded a bus and traveled through the countryside from Brisbane to Gladstone where we would pick up our ride to the Great Barrier Reef. Australia's pastoral countryside was verdant and lovely.
Once we got to Gladstone, we found the harbor and loaded our gear onto the ferry that would take us to Heron Island where we would learn about tropical marine biology and conduct a study project for course credit.
The ferry was the proverbial slow boat and it too us most of the day to get to Heron Island. At last it appeared on the horizon aka "A Drop in the Ocean".
After unloading all our stuff and provisions for the island, the Calypso Kristie whirled around in the channel and headed back to Gladstone.
Below is an aerial of the island. We were staying at the University of Queensland Heron Island Research Station. The north half of the island was occupied by the Heron Island Resort. You could walk the perimeter of the island in about 20 minutes!
The vibe around the Research Station was super casual and we were pretty free to manage our time, swimming, snorkeling, and walking around the island. There were guided dives and we talked with our professors about potential topics for our individual research Dr. Larry Liddle below).
Sleeping quarters were pretty basic - bunk beds. One morning I woke up with a dead shark in my bed! Let the pranks commence!
Walking around the compound, the paths lead us under trees covered with the nests of noddy terns. It became a game to see who could last the longest without getting shit on. I don't think anyone lasted more than a full day.
Just one of the many hazards of island life.
Walking the perimeter of the island, one gets this view of the shipwreck that protects the channel that connect the dock with the deep ocean. One afternoon we saw giant manta rays leaping out of the water here. Some say they do this to ride their sleek bodies of parasites.
Heron Island's flats go on for days, and it was fun to explore the tidepools when the tide was low.
Snorkeling in the shallow water, we were exposed to marine life we couldn't have imagined before. Like this pin cushion starfish...
... or these purple tipped corals.
Pipe organ coral, busted up, but still with its beautiful green polyps sifting the water for food particles.
...or these purple tipped staghorn corals.
Damselfish ventured out in the open but close enough to jagged shelter if threatened.
One of the main attractions on Heron Island was the nesting sea turtles. They would emerge from the sea late at night and, if we wanted to stay up, each night we could've witnessed females digging nests, laying eggs, burying and hiding the nests, and returning to the sea. Here's a green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas, after arriving onshore.
Once these females were in egg-laying mode, they could not be dissuaded with flash photography.
Once she labored up the beach face and found her spot, this female burrowed out a nest with her hind flippers, then set about the slow process of laying perhaps 40 soft, rubbery eggs one and two at a time.
After she was done, she would fill the hole, tamp the sand down and return to the sea, letting the eggs develop on their own with the temperature of the nest determining the sex of her offspring.
On other morning walks we would encounter females returning from their nesting activities. 
No matter how often we saw them, they were always amazing!
We did help staff from the ranger station monitor nests on hatching days, helping the little hatchlings avoid being predated upon by crabs or birds, and counting the number of those strong enough to emerge from the buried nest vs. those that perished in the nest.
The diving on Heron Island also opened up a whole new world. Previous diving trips on the east coast of the US, in MA, or NY, were murky affairs with little visibility. On the Great Barrier Reef, visibility often extended 80-100 feet!
There was some construction happening around the compound and startled, to avoid stepping on a nail, I hopped in another direction, and landed forcefully on another one! No doctors on the island, and unsure about when I'd had my last tetnus shot, I was told by the island's medic I could pay for a helicopter to take me back to Brisbane, or see if lock-jaw didn't kill me by the next morning. I rolled the dice.
In warm tropical water, bacteria is everywhere so I was advised to stay out of the water for a few days to allow the hole in my foot to heal. Eventually, I couldn't take it and went on a group snorkel but I didn't wear flippers so as not to open the healing wound.
At some point, someone shouted SHARK and I totally wet myself. As others thrust for the shore, I flailed with my "come eat me" spasms. Turns out the shark was a baby and I was saved. We did frequently see much larger sharks like this harmless guitarfish.
The giant clam, Tridacna, with it's neon mantle, was one fo the trademarks of the reef habitat.
Amazing Parrotfish were everywhere!
Diving deep!
With the aid of a flash, colors could be captured at the deeper depths. Here is a shot of a honeycomb grouper and a black feather star.
Butterfly fish...
While on Heron Island, I did my research on the zonation of calcareous algae on the reef flat. Here's my research playground. 
Here's our crew with our beloved Southampton College professors - Larry Liddle and Howard Riesman.
We had an amazing couple of weeks on Heron Island and
what a great finish to our Tropical Marine Biology course in the Pacific
Ocean.
We made our way back to Gladstone, and then to the airport, but my odyssey was not quite over. As the plane landed in Hawi'i to refuel, I disembarked for a six month aquaculture internship with the University of Hawai'i - but that's another blog post!
Peace!
