Arriving at DFW airport at 6:00 A.M. was brutal, but we knew it would be well worth it because of the exciting trip ahead of us. As a group, we went through security, hung out, which included riding the Skylink and losing a wallet, and then boarded our American Airlines plane to Miami. Once in Miami, we were rushed to our next gate where the plane to San Juan was. The flight flew by because of the lower altitude and the ability to look outside of the window at all the islands and ships below. In San Juan, we had a three hour layover, then took our plane from there to Tortola, and from Tortola to Virgin Gorda, via the Sea Dragon. It was a “straight to bed” kind of night because everyone was tired from the long journey from Dallas to Virgin Gorda and we all wanted to be well rested for the busy first day ahead of us.
It was an early morning and we woke up around 7:00 A.M. We met at the cattle guard to meet our driver, Glenn, for the week and then walked down to the Wifi room to meet Tina, the manager/owner of Guavaberry. After, we met our dive instructors for the week and talked with them about different specis of fish and other organisms on the sea floor. We categorized the fish into groups such as big-eyed, big lip, oval, and tapered. On top of the fish, we discussed plant life and the different types of sponges and corals on the ocean floor. The corals are a group of Polyps in symbiotic relationship and they work together to thrive. After the class time, we ate a quick lunch and headed to the marina to board our boats for the dive. I was apart of the Sea Monkey and the other one was the Sea Dragon. We headed out to Dogs Island and learned about the history of it. The name originated from early explorers who thought they heard dogs barking on the island and they wanted nothing to do with dogs because of fear of rabies. It turned out to be Monk Seals that were making the noises. We then began our thirty minute dive, called The Chimney, which began with practicing some of the skills we learned in certification. Throughout the dive, I saw a variety of fish including a Queen Angel Fish, multiple Parrot Fish, and Squirrel Fish and different coral like the Elkhorn and Sea Fan. We finished off the dive going through the thin Chimney and exploring the boulders on the floor. The diving part of the day was very fun and exciting, but we still had some day left which meant other activity were planned,
Back on shore, we headed back up to our cabins, cleaned up, and headed straight to church. After church, we headed to the beach for a tasty dinner of Lasagna and cookies. We then messed around on the beach and played frisbee until the day came to an end. I look forward to an exciting tomorrow and an amazing rest of the week.
