Captain’s Log – Star Date July 15, 2012
Today was fairly tiring but rewarding. We started off meeting as usual around 8:15 am and had breakfast at the boat. We had great muffins and yogurt reminding me of my quick breakfasts back home. Aboard the Sea Dragon, we ventured onto our dive site off the shore of Salt Island, the Rhone Wreck.
El Capitan’s fun fact: the Rhone was one of two ships called “unsinkable”. Can you guess the other? Yup, the Titanic.
Ironically, both unsinkable ships were destroyed and sank, one from a huge iceberg the other by a jagged rock. Legends have it that theRhone carried only the wealthiest of guests and that in escaping a category 4 hurricane, it was destroyed from a large swell over the jagged rock. Instantly, the rooms exploded from the clash with steam and cold water and the ship broke into pieces. We visited those sights today, exploring how it was created into an artificial reef by accident and how it did not really help as much as it destroyed, but the arguments continue today. Full of life and treasure nonetheless, the wreck was awesome to explore and the strong current only made it a greater adventure.
Next we had lunch at Cooper Island, eating the best fish and chips in the world, the fish freshly caught blue tang. We also explored the amazing Eco friendly resort and how 75% of their energy is solar power and how new innovations are made everyday. We snorkeled in sea grass nearby afterwards and found a hawksbill turtle and a stingray, not to mention the hundreds of urchins on the ocean floor. While all this was impressive and fun, tomorrow awaits with creating a new coral reef in order to speed the recovery of coral growth from hurricane Katrina and stimulate new homes for more fish and benefit the island as well as marine life.
Capitan Out.
Francis Rey Hipolito, Capitan
