Starting with last night, we finished day five with a night snorkel in the bay of the hotel beach. I partnered up with Mr. Marr, and, with flashlights, we scanned the sea floor, finding a lobster, several tarpon, a crab, and a sleeping parrot fish camouflaged in its mucus wrap. However, my favorite part of the snorkel was when the dive instructors told everyone to cover there flashlights and move their limbs about in the water. Once the water was pitch black, I could see hundreds of tiny phytoplankton that lit up with bioluminescence when disturbed in the water. After the snorkel, everyone went up to bed, tomorrow would be our last day.
Because we would not be doing any sort of water activity, we were granted an extra hour of sleep, which I utilized quite efficiently. After a quick breakfast, we travelled to Soldier Bay to perform our service project of the trip, cleaning up the beach. After two and a half very interesting hours of five-minute tropical storms and finding bumpers, five-foot tall propane tanks, and tires, we returned to the main docks for souvenir shopping and our final lunch.
Once we were back at the resort, we were strictly business. Every group was presenting their research to the dive staff and teachers. We presented our final data and explained how it supported our initial hypothesis. After we finished, I cleaned up and we all went to church. The church was beautifully located on the top of a hill, overlooking most of the island. For our final dinner, we feasted at The Top of the a Baths. We dined and recalled inside jokes and hilarious diving moments from the trip as the sun set behind the sea. Casey played an excellent video of our trip, and then we all thanked her and the dive staff for their support and willingness to help us have the best experience possible. My dive group, Team Eagle Rays, came together one last time each of us thanking the other for the unforgettable memories. After seven days on Virgin Gorda, the constant exposure to marine life, friendship, and brotherhood, the Jesuit marine biology class taught a personal responsibility I will never forget. Thank you.
