I woke up today to the rushing waves at around 6:30 A.M. I then followed my usual schedule of preparing all equipment I would need for the morning dives before heading down for breakfast. After enjoying a short simple meal, we all filled into the dive boat and headed out to our first sight of the day. The dive site was called Sandy Hole and consisted of a sandy ocean bottom surrounded by coral walls. My buddy and I descended slowly and observed the blossoming life around us. We followed our divemaster, Bernie, over the unique types of coral and the countless types of fish. As I slowly made my way around a bend of coral I spied my brother waving me over. I quickly sped to his side when I saw this magnificant creature flying over the elkhorn coral. This creature that Ben had called me over for was a juvenile hawksbill turtle. I recognized it as a hawksbill based on information that I had learned from the sea turtle rehabilitation center previously this week as well as information I had researched during class. I specifically identified the turtle based on its sharp and large bill. Farther along in the dive I also identified a trumpetfish expressing an interesting behavior in the wild. I spied the thin fish at the front of a blue tang school but instead of being a pale beige color, it flashed bright purple. My mind raced back to something Bernie had told us earlier this week. He had explained that the trumpetfish surround themselves with other fish to be better equipped against predators, an interesting symbiotic relationship that I had previously not seen. After about 30 more minutes of exploration we loaded back onto the boat and traveled to our second and final diving spot of the week. This diving spot was very close to Cobalt Coast and consisted of large miniwalls of coral and boulders. On this dive I really focused on attempting to find God in the creatures and environment. I roamed through the beautiful tunnels of coral and began to notice just how complex of an ecosystem a coral reef truly is. The amount of individual components required to create the relationship between all of the individual creatures are endless. This dive was a chance to experience God in a new environment and I believe that I was able to achieve this goal. After our dives we returned back to the hotel to relax and rest for the rest of the afternoon. In the evening, we held a closing prayer service to discuss how this week has affected us. I personally could not have imagined a better experience than the one that I have had this week. From the endless care of our divemasters to the constant teachings of our teachers I have learned many things about the environment and about myself. My number one goal as I go back to Dallas is to share the information I was given with my own community. I have been provided with experiences that people dream of completing and I am extremely grateful. I would just like to thank my family, classmates, and teachers for making this a Jesuit experience I will never forget.
Sam Levis
