2018

(Manta Ray) I am most excited about the night dive as it will push me out of my comfort zone. I am comfortable with lots of light while this dive will is in the dark ocean at night. This will bring new opportunities as I always wanted to swim with a real life manta ray.

I had rough start this morning with an early wake up at 6am to eat a quick breakfast before heading to the docks to get on the dive boat. These dives were to ensure we knew all the fundamentals of diving as well familiarize us with the Hawaiian marine ecosystem. After all squeezing into our ill fitting wetsuits, we...

Today we woke up bright and early to some Einstein Bros Bagels. We were then given a short amount of time to eat and pack up for our first dives. Quickly I packed up my fins, mask, booties, and my personal items into two separate bags and got back as fast I could to the vans. Loading up as...

So today we had a fun day of adventures. In the morning, groups traveled to NELHA, the home of one of the OTEC stations. OTEC means Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion, and it is used to produce clean energy that doesn't pollute the air. Using OTEC, Hawaii has been able to reduce the amount of energy imports. One other interesting...

Yesterday we traversed 14,000 feet high to the top of Mauna Kea. We didn't hike the volcano like the original settlers, however I still felt the effects of the high altitude on my body. We started our journey in Kona where the van picked us up. Jeff, our driver and teacher, educated us about the origins of the islands...

Today we did a beach restoration service project and we went to the summit of Mauna Kea. At the service project, we started by cleaning up trash off the beach for around 30 minutes. This helps make sure that the trash can't wash into the ocean and harm marine life. It is also good just because it helps make...

I am very excited for the manta ray dive and harp seal rescue efforts. I love interacting with and observing animals, especially sea life.

Like any other morning I woke up to an amazing breakfast and prepared for the day. I put on swimming shorts and packed my scuba gear. We began the day by heading to captain zodiac. My first specific topic is over the zodiac boat which can hit 90 mph. The boat is said to be as "untippable" as a...

Today is my first day on the island of Kona and I am extremely excited for the days to come. Tomorrow my group, the Pyrosome group, will be heading to the summit of Mauna Kea. While I am very excited to hike up a mountain for the first time, I am definitely not ready for the 30 degree weather...