The beginning of my day today was pretty similar to yesterday as I started the day off today at 6:30 A.M. before heading to breakfast at 7. After breakfast, my classmates and I headed out to our morning dives. However, because of heavy rain and thunderstorms, we were bussed to the other side of the island to do so. The two dives were very fun and exciting although in different ways. Specifically what made the first dive so exciting was the fact that I reached a depth of 106 ft. For me it was incredible to hit one hundred feet as I just recently started diving. The second dive was just as exciting however in a different way. What made this dive so exciting was the length of it (being our longest dive thus far) and the diversity in marine life we saw. A favorite animal that we saw for me was a type of eel that resembles grass but as you approach it, it sinks into the ground. After our dives, we headed back to the resort where we had lunch and some more down time. After this down time, the class was blessed with the opportunity to visit a sea turtle rehabilitation center on the island. This was easily one of the best experiences of the trip thus far for me. We were able to learn about the species of sea turtles in the Caymand Islands and were able to touch and hold juvenile green turtles. We also learned about the issues that we as humans were causing for the turtles. I connected this back to the class as a major priority for us is to understand the human impact on the ocean. After this amazing activity, we headed back to the resort where we had time to rest and relax until dinner. During this time, some of my classmates and I embarked on what had become our daily afternoon snorkel. During the snorkel today, we encounted species such as barracuda and lobster while covering much ground around the coast of the resort. After the snorkel, we enjoyed an amazing dinner before preparing for our night snorkel. During this snorkel, we used powerful flashlights to snorkel in total darkness in the water surrounding the resort. During this time, Alex and I encountered tarpon, barracuda, squid, plankton, and other marine life. This night dive was an amazing opportunity to see the ocean at a perspective that we do not usually see it in. I am looking forward to our dives and stingray city tommorow!
Till Tommorow,
Ben Levis
