Diving and Whale Sharks
Location: St. Helena
Hello again everyone,
Today was a great day, definitely one of my favorite days of the semester so far!
The day started out early at around 6:30 for the already certified divers among our crew (Camilla, Grant, Vittoria, Reed and Henry), where we were taken out by Craig for a dive! We loaded up in the dive boat, and set out for the first of our two dives (which only took about 10 minutes). This short dive was to refresh and remind the divers of proper diving techniques, and to give them a good feel for the ocean. Once this “check out” dive was complete, Craig took us to a wall further around the island. This dive was incredible and we followed the wall around for a good thirty minutes. We saw moray eels, tons of tropical fish and explored some caverns (all guided by our dive guide Chester). During our dive, the rest of the crew got to sleep in for a little, and then had an opportunity to go to shore for the morning. Once the morning activities were over, we had some delicious chicken and Mac n cheese prepared by Erin and Nashota. After lunch, Emma and I were sent on shore for a very special mission: Operation Secure Dinghy Fuel. It was a complicated journey, as we had to go to the petrol station, to the bank because they didn’t accept USD, and back to fill up all of our canisters. The mission was completed however, and the two of us made some time for a quick coffee break. During this mission, the students were taken out for a whale shark snorkel, and got to see one large 8+ meter whale shark! The day was capped off by three researchers from the NGO “Over the Swell” who work primarily with tagging whale sharks in the eastern Atlantic Ocean along the coast of Africa. They shared with us their methodologies and some upcoming conservation plans, and even joined us for dinner. The menu consisted of Pancakes and Potatoes, and I think they enjoyed our hospitality.
Thanks for reading!