Times of the Islands Fall 2021

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my mask and nuzzled it with her head and then went back to her den and watched me. I could not explain the overwhelming emotion that rushed through me; I was leveled to tears. In the eight months I had been visiting this family this was the first time they had shown this intimate form of communication. Had I actually earned so much trust that they would visibly show me affection? Was it possible? I went and checked on Peep, but she was still in her burrow with only her face peeking out as usual, but she did not retreat and this was a subtle, but notable, difference. As I swam away from this encounter, I could not explain the full effect of the experience I had just had. I surfaced and told my captain and fellow crewmate that I wanted them to come with me to see my babies. They geared up, we stepped in, and off we went. Once we were there I demonstrated that I wanted them to extend their hand or a shell to Ollie, and one at a time they did. Ollie came out and shared a moment with each of them—now the feeling was more overwhelming. Did he trust me enough to understand that I would never bring danger to him? Is this why he demonstrated the behavior with them? Had I inadvertently made him trust all humans or was he simply communicating some sort of message to us? The next week I was going to go see Ollie and his girls between dives so I could get some video of them without distractions, so my crewmate led divers to see them. It was always a stressful time for me waiting for them to come back and assure me that Ollie was fine, so I waited, pacing the deck. My crewmate barely had her face clear of the water when her eyes told me what I did not want to hear. She told me she could not find them. The months Kelly Currington spent with “Ollie” and his family of jawfish inspired powerful emotions and this underwater tribute. As I’m typing this, that lump in my throat is huge, my chest tightens, and the tears flow as if it were that day again. I quickly climbed into my gear, grabbed my camera and swam as fast as I could to his burrow. I knew from organize my thoughts. quite a distance that my heart was about to be broken, and my mask filled with tears. Peering out of Ollie’s burrow was little Peep, with no sign of Ollie. So I went and looked for Sapphire; she was gone as well. I swam all over the area looking for them— nothing. They were gone. It took more than 20 minutes for me to gather myself. I hovered above his burrow crying. What had happened? How had something gotten both of them and not Peep? How? Why? I could not Then I saw something, and it gave me some hope. Sapphire’s burrow was filled in with sand and rubble, the same as Emerald’s had been when he left. This told me that most likely they were not taken by a predator, but probably left of their own accord. As a mating pair it made sense that they would go together and this would also explain why Peep was still there. It was the only explanation that made any sense, or at least the only one my mind and heart would accept. Had their behavior with me on my last visit been their way of saying good-bye? Did they know? My heart believes that this special little soul and his beautiful lady were somehow communicating that we had a connection. I spent the next half hour gathering all the broken coral and shells from their burrows and creating a tribute to the most amazing little creature who had taught me so much, who had allowed me to share a small piece of his world, and who showed me exactly how much one’s heart could connect to another species. Remember to slow down and look at all the creatures we encounter, because they are all living beings and they can touch your soul in ways you can’t even imagine. You never know, you might come across one of Ollie and Sapphire’s offspring—they are definitely out there! a 36 www.timespub.tc
green pages Newsletter of the Department of Environment & Coastal Resources Head office: Church Folly, Grand Turk, tel 649 946 2801 • fax 649 946 1895 • Astwood Street, South Caicos, tel 649 946 3306 • fax 946 3710 • National Environmental Centre, Lower Bight Road, Providenciales Parks Division, tel 649 941 5122 • fax 649 946 4793 Fisheries Division, tel 649 946 4017 • fax 649 946 4793 email environment@gov.tc or dema.tci@gmail.com • web https://www.gov.tc/decr/ Although lionfish are visually stunning creatures, they are unfortunately hurting the coral reefs of the Turks & Caicos Islands. CARMEN HOYT Here with a Roar! A tenacious invader that now calls the Turks & Caicos home. By Ben Farmer, Waterfront Assistant, The School for Field Studies I was on a drift-dive in southern Florida when I speared my first lionfish. There, I began to understand the difficulty of controlling this species which is invasive to the tropical Atlantic and devastates reef fish populations. Drift dives are perfect for seeing a lot of the reef without having to expend much energy. By the end of the dive, I was able to spear two lionfish after several attempts and a bit of determination. As exhilarating as the experience was, it became clear to me how many resources—be they dive gear, boat time or trained volunteers—are required to keep lionfish populations in check. Times of the Islands Fall 2021 37
Page 1 and 2: TIMES OF THE SAMPLING THE SOUL OF T
Page 3 and 4: JAMAICA’S ULTIMATE VOTED WORLD’
Page 5 and 6: TurksAndCaicosProperty.com 5 Acre M
Page 7: WHEN OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS TWICE . . .
Page 11: LEADING THE INDUSTRY IN HEALTH AND
Page 16 and 17: TIMES OF THE ISLANDS MANAGING EDITO
Page 18 and 19: Author/illustrator Katherine Orr ha
Page 20 and 21: SHUTTERSTOCK Live and in the flesh
Page 22 and 23: SHUTTERSTOCK
Page 24 and 25: People were living in the Caribbean
Page 26 and 27: BILL KEEGAN Discovered at this site
Page 28 and 29: small effigy bowls brought from His
Page 31 and 32: feature Author Kelly Currington fel
Page 33 and 34: nection with the largest one of the
Page 35: in all the months I’d been monito
Page 39 and 40: green pages newsletter of the depar
Page 47 and 48: poetry Summer in the Turks & Caicos
Page 49 and 50: feature Opposite page: This photo o
Page 51 and 52: RICHARD MCGHIE of the masts from th
Page 53 and 54: financial help from his prominent f
Page 55 and 56: British ships to sink or capture (a
Page 57 and 58: Finding the cannon We only have two
Page 59 and 60: This summer, a crew of residents in
Page 61 and 62: Professor Cashin’s summary and th
Page 64 and 65: SHUTTERSTOCK
Page 66 and 67: Response to COVID is gold standard
Page 68 and 69: on June 22. Amenities include a Clu
Page 70 and 71: astrolabe newsletter of the Turks &
Page 78 and 79: The TCI has expanded COVID-19 testi
Page 80 and 81: Taxes There are currently no direct
Page 82 and 83: classified ads R E J O U V E N A N
Page 84: Your next move can be next level .

Times of the Islands Fall 2021

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