After a long day of travel, I had slept through the night like a baby. I woke up right around 6:30, got situated, and then decided that I would get some pictures of our view in the early morning. After a few minutes of taking pictures the roosters started to crow, which waked the remainder of my cabin (Andrew Suarez, Chandler Clarke, Garret Buckley, and David Davis). We all had a good night’s sleep and were ready and excited for the day to begin. I packed my clothes for the day along with my fins, snorkel, and mask and then I headed down to the cattle guard to await the taxi. At 7:30 our taxi driver Glenn arrived at Guavaberry. We then drove across the island to Old Yard, a hotel, where we held our orientation. We had breakfast (bacon, eggs, and fruit) and then went into orientation and discussion. But before we started talking we reintroduced ourselves and were given our underwater cameras and rash guards! Then we talked about issues pertaining to marine life and society (such as Sea World and captivity) then took a break. After our break we broke into fish identification. We reviewed fish identification and then did a fish identification game before we broke out for lunch. For lunch I had a ham & cheese sandwich which a large portion of French fries. When lunch was done we cleaned up and took a taxi down to the Marina. I was reunited with the majestic Sea Dragon as we began our adventure filled week. We completed two dives today: a dive to our old Jesuit reef site (ruined by illegal anchoring) and a second dive in our new reef location (where we will be placing that super expensive camera). Both dives were amazing! My dive partner, Riley, and I saw a couple of squid on our second dive that we chased until they inked in our faces. After our squid experience I stumbled across a rare fish known as the Briddle-Burr fish. My ears had a little bit of pressure, but nothing to worry about. After the dives, we came back to Guavaberry, cleaned up, and headed off to dinner. As of now, I have just finished dinner and now I am typing this blog to tell everyone about my first full day in paradise! In case you were wondering, I had spaghetti and salad for dinner, accompanied by ice cream for dessert (Neapolitan flavored). Overall a very successful day! I am very excited to make a lot of memories on this trip and strengthen my friendships with my friends. Thank you to the Dive BVI staff and our teachers for making today awesome!
