I woke up today extremely fatigued from the busy day before but I was still very enthusiastic for the activities planned. We ate a quick and tasty breakfast with particularly tasty croissants, before loading the boat and heading to our first dive site. The first dive sadly held no wonders for me as I saw most of the same creatures from the previous dives before. These included parrotfish, butterflyfish, and many other interesting species. On the other hand, the second dive captivated me because of the deep valleys and trenches formed by the coral walls. I was able to weave my way between corals of all shapes and sizes and explore throughout the entire reef. Towards the end of my dive I stumbled upon an interesting discovery within a narrow coral tunnel. A thick slab of stone covered in debris caught my eye. I carefully dusted off the sand and coral fragments to discover a bronze engraving in a slab of granite. It read the name Paul Meng Jr and two dates were written underneath. This slab of stone was not some accident, it was a grave stone hidden at the bottom of the ocean. This discovery although surprising was actually quite fascinating. After reloading the boat and heading back in we enjoyed a savory latin lunch consisting of chicken fajitas and quesadillas. We then headed right back onto the boat to start our voyage to stingray city. The boat ride was roughly 45 minutes long because we had to travle to the tourist side of the island to visit the stingrays habitat. Once we arrived, we quickly threw on our gear and descended 12 ft to our knees and waited for the stingrays to arrive. I felt something soft and silky brush through my hair as a large female sting ray flew right over top me. Soon, around ten sting rays began swarming our tight circle attracted by the squid in our divemasters hands. For about thirty minutes I was mesmorized by these graceful creatures and their captivating movements. This experience helped me more appreciate the natural habitat these animals have and how we are singlehandedly destroying their homes. We then rode the boat back to our hotel, enjoyed another fantastic meal, before heading to bed for an early night. Tomorrow we are scubadiving the kittiwake wreck, a famous 5 story shipwreck located under the Atlantic. I am very excited and look forward for tomorrow.
Sam Levis
