It was a different learning experience for the students as they were taken on a field trip from the beach, opposite the YMCA, to the one behind the VUDA Park to see and observe the marine living organisms and plants on Friday.
The students, both boys and girls, were from Oakridge (Vizag and Bengaluru), Vikas and SFS School attending and on a field trip organised as part of the three-day ‘Ocean Conservation Conference’, which began at Oakridge International School at Tagarapuvalasa on Thursday.
The children seemed excited as Dolphin Nature and Conservation Society (DNCS) founder and president M. Ramamurthy showed them the plant and animal species, which he and his team members, secretary S. Pavani and joint secretary STPL Ushashri collected from the shallow waters along the coast.
Some of the students jotted down the points as Dr. Ramamurthy explained the salient features of each of the species collected and its significance.
The species collected included: sea lily, sea urchin, sea feather, sea star, red algae, green algae, asteria, red-coloured star fish, a rare species, and a hermit crab. They were also shown the rock barnacles, which attach themselves to the rocks present in the shallow waters.
The students, included two foreign students, a girl from Italy and a boy from France, and a girl from the North East, whose parents were living in Dubai.
The children were excited to see the star fishes, especially the red-coloured star fish, the sea lily, which looked like a plant but moved when placed in a tray of water.
Some of the children wanted to touch and feel the marine organisms as Ms. Pavani and Ms. Ushashri placed them in the tray water.
They were allowed to gently touch and feel them.
A sea lily in the water and sand amidst the rocks on the shore and some ornamental fishes were a treat to watch. The students seemed a bit disappointed that they were not allowed to go close to the shoreline in view of safety concerns.
Some, however, felt that they could have at least been allowed to go near the shallow rocks behind the lighthouse where there were no waves.
