Today was the first day I slept in. Mr. Kirby woke my whole cabin up at 7:20 this morning. We headed down to the marina for breakfast by a taxi ride from our favorite Virgin Gorda taxi driver, Glenn. After breakfast, we set out on our boat the “Sea Monkey” towards Long Bay for coral transplanting. We snorkeled for 40 minutes before diving and we spotted a good sized stingray. During the first dive, my dive buddy Drew and I collected three elkhorn coral fragments and three staghorn coral fragments. Our mission was to find healthy coral and break off a small piece and replant them in a new spot to give them a chance to grow. After 45 minutes of diving, we surfaced for about an hour and a half for lunch. When we went back down, we planted the fragments we collected in suitable spots using zip ties and epoxy putty. After diving, we went back to our huts and showered for Mass. The ride to the Church was fantastic, but the view from inside the church was unbelievable. Our priest was hard to understand, but we all got the big picture. It was an experience I will never forget; the hairs on my arms stood up when we all sang on top of the hill at Virgin Gorda, the only ones in the church. After Mass, we headed to Mad Dog’s for lasagna, project videos, and ice cream sundaes, and finishing our log books I am so wiped and ready to get to bed.
