Today, our last day of Cayman, began like all of the other days of the week with a 6:30 alarm before heading to breakfast at 7. After breakfast, we headed out to our last two dives of the trip. During these last couple of dives, I tried not to expect much, instead I tried to let whatever happened happen and see whatever I was meant to see. This turned out to be amazing because on these dives I was able to see two hawksbill sea turtles. Going into this trip, seeing a sea turtle was a goal of mine and it actually happening was a highlight of the week for me and it was surreal. Furthermore, we saw one of the sea turtles feeding and it helped me further connect the ideas we learned back in the classroom on our dives today. If we as humans keep on polluting the ocean and harming marine life such as the turtles, the entire ecosystem as a whole could fall apart. For example, if the sea turtles theoretically died out, then their predators, let’s say sharks would begin to decline due to a lack of an adequate food source. On the other hand, whatever the sea turtles ate, for example sea sponges would eventually grow in population to the point where they would either not have enough food, space, or other limiting factor. In seeing these turtles on the dives, I am able to see how the loss of a single animal species can change the world as a whole. This experience in this week as a whole has allowed me to connect this idea of a connected ecosystem with countless others that we learned in the class such as how we as humans can affect it. In addition to the turtles, I was able to see a number of fish species such as lionfish and pufferfish and coral and plants. These dives, I believe, were an excellent way to end this amazing week of scuba diving in Grand Cayman. After our last two amazing dives, we headed back to the resort for our last lunch which was just as amazing as all of the other meals this week. The food here has been fantastic with many different flavors and choices. After this amazing lunch, we had a pretty free, laid back afternoon in which we chilled in the pool and relaxed as an unwind to all the activity from the previous days. After this down time, we had a bbq dinner with food right off the grill. Finally, after this dinner, we headed up to the ‘conference room’ to conclude this week with a prayer service. During this service, we reflected upon all of the amazing experiences this week like the sea turtle conservation center, and the diving as a whole. We did this by thinking about a number of key questions and searching in our memories for where we found God this week. Overall, this week has exceeded my expectations in every which way possible. I was able to experience an environment I never thought I’d be able to, grow closer to my brothers and teachers, and find God in ways I did not think I could. Thank you to Jesuit for a brilliant marine biology class of 2019.
Ben Levis
