Today, I woke up at 7 and got ready for breakfast at 7:30 at the teacher’s cabin. Breakfast was light, consisting of cereal and a roll with juice. After breakfast, I walked to the main office of the hotel, where the owner gave us a brief welcome and orientation about the hotel’s policies, including using the commissary and the wifi room. After that, I rode to the marina, and was oriented on the boat we were riding. At this time, I also met my dive instructors, Gaz and Becca. Then, I boarded the Sea Dragon, and once everyone set up their dive gear, we rode to our first dive site at the Dog Islands. Once there, I donned my scuba gear and dove into the ocean. The first thing I did underwater was a skills test to get everyone to speed on our diving skills. I practiced regulator recovery, mask fills, sharing air, and hovering. After that, I explored the reef with the rest of my group, with Becca as the leader. I saw many different organisms like parrotfish, blue tang, feather duster worms, and a type of sea snail. After that dive, I had a snack and took a break before riding to our next dive site, called the Coral Gardens. There, I explored the wreck of a plane and the boundaries of a thick reef. I saw many similar organisms as the previous dive, but also some new, like jacks and hermit crabs. After that dive, I rode back to the marina and had a lunch or a delicious pulled pork wrap. Then, I went back to the hotel and hiked to the Baths, a huge natural formation of granite boulders. I explored the huge rock caves formed from stacked rocks, a precarious hike because many of the rocks were steep and slippery. Then, I arrived at a beach, but not before getting lost in the rocks. I changed into my snorkeling gear and swam from that beach to the hotel’s beach, a distance of about a third to a half a mile. I took an hour break after returning, taking a much needed shower, and then went to the wifi room of the hotel, where I met with Becca and discussed my projects to make amendments. We decided to make dark areas defined by depth as well has the presence of overhangs, and simplified defining the search area. Then, I had a lasagna dinner at the beach. I also picked some mangoes from nearby trees, but they were unripe. After dark, we returned from the beach and met at the wifi room again.
