This trip has been nothing shy of incredible. Building new relationships with an amazing group of people has really helped me become more comfortable and more open with others, which has made this trip an extra special opportunity. I really like this group of people, both the teachers and the students. Each person has unique and special characteristics. Hanging out by the pool and on the beach, playing games and telling jokes, and spending time in one of my favorite places in the world, under the sea, with a group of now good friends has made my trip a once in a lifetime experience.
Our first dive of the day trumped all our previous dives, in my opinion. As we swam towards the USS Kittiwake, it revealed itself from the point just outside our range of visibility, appearing like a skyscraper in a cloud of fog. We passed through under the deck, through the engine room, and through dark tunnels of rusted metal. Because the ship was turned sideways from hurricane, the walls gave the optical illusion that I was spinning. I could not stop flailing in excitement, and because of a bit of poor buoyancy. The 251 foot sunken ship blew my mind, leaving me in awe at every moment of my exploration. Weaving in and out of each room was the most exciting part of the excursion for me. There is something about being in a confined space underwater, such as inside the Kittiwake or the Doc Poulson, or inside a tunnel or trench, that brings such an adrenaline rush and a thrill. I was able to get a photo of me “steering” the ship and video of the adventure inside the ship. After our amazing trip down to the mysterious USS Kittiwake, we boarded the boat and were off to our next dive sight, another exhilarating exploration around the shipwreck, the Doc Poulson.
The Doc Poulson was another amazing dive. Getting to explore not only the ship but the reef around it was amazing. Lucy pointed out a juvenile queen angelfish to me. Also, I saw a sea cucumber which looks similar to a giant, spiky slug. The sea cucumber was sitting calming in the middle of a pasture of sand, surrounded by thousands of garden eels, which peek up out of the ground, and as I would pass by, they would shoot back into their wholes. The were quite cute with their large eyes that don’t particularly fit their bodies. After exploring the reef around the Doc Poulson and seeing some sea anemone, some more angelfish, parrotfish, and squirrelfish, we searched around the actual ship. That is were Lucy pointed out the juvenile queen angelfish, around the front of the ship. Unlike the Kittiwake, this ship had plenty of sea fans and other corals sprouting up everywhere. Dozens of fish circled around inside the ship and air bubbles seeped through the cracks and small wholes, giving the sunken boat an lively appearance. However, we could only stay down at the wreck for so long before having to come up to the surface. We once again hoped aboard the “Twin Sister” and headed back to the resort, just to head back out for our next adventure.
After about a 10-15 minute drive, we reached our destination. Trash bags were passed out for our beach cleanup. Henry and I, along with Michael P., Michael C., Ms. Matthews, Mr. Von, and Mr. Allen, took a right, and headed on up the coast, picking up whatever trash, plastic, glass, styrofoam, that we could find. The rest of the group headed to the left, which was probably good for them because they didn’t have to smell the horrible stench that filled up half the beach. After picking up a mysterious bag, the smell went everywhere, following us back as we scrammed quickly from the area. We filled many trash bags, threw them in the back of the vans, and were on our way back to the resort in no time. The beach cleanup flew by, and I had a lot of fun working with my piers to make even the slightest difference.
Today was a good day of diving and building relationships. The sunken ships and the beach cleanup couldn’t have been better in exciting us all and preparing us for another great day tomorrow. I hope tomorrow Ill get be able to spot a nurse shark and an eagle ray or a manta ray, but those are high hopes and I really just look forward to another day of diving, my last day of diving. I’m going to try to take in every moment of it, not take a single second for granted, and be excited about this opportunity and what I’m able to see, not sulk over the things I don’t get to see or do. Nothing could diminish how fantastic this trip has already been, and how great the rest of it will be.
