I enrolled in a marine science course this semester and we went on a field trip and diving expedition last month to collect different kinds of sponge and mollusk specimens that would be studied for their antimicrobial activity. Some species of sponges and mollusks can produce peptides which can be turned into useful drugs, and we are aiming to isolate such peptides in the laboratory. We took off early in the morning, and arrived at the dive site just as the sun was starting to rise. The weather was perfect, and we were all excited to go underwater.

In a marine science course, an underwater camcorder is a necessity. How else can you record the behavior of different wildlife such as mating and reproduction and predatory activities, not to mention the exquisite and different world under the sea without a camcorder?

My professor brought his Oregon Scientific Ultimate ATC3K waterproof action camera and took a video of the colorful corals, sponges, and fishes in the diving site that we were working at. While we were busy collecting specimens, he was capturing the life under the sea – from the clown fishes hiding inside sea anemones to the schools of fishes swimming in perfect synchrony. Underwater wildlife was such a beautiful sight to behold, and our underwater camcorder captured it all.