Location: Galleon Beach, Antigua
Today started off with a very fun morning out diving (for the students already certified) while the Open Water dive students finished the last bit of their work and set up their scuba kits. Despite staying decently shallow, we saw some pretty cool things on this dive, including two different rays, a couple of puffer fish, and a whole bunch of other critters scampering across the ocean floor and through the water. We also saw a pretty cool coral farm that looked to be doing very well. Back on the boat, we had a delicious lunch prepared by our captain, Gabe, followed by the scuba groups swapping places: dive students go do another one of their practice dives, while the rest of us are free to do as we please. As a reward for our hard work floating around with some fish, we decided to swim all the way to shore to buy some of the best virgin Pina Coladas Ive ever had. Once we were all gathered together again in the afternoon, we went over the syllabi for the classes we will be taking: Nautical Sciences and Intro to Oceanography, where the crew explained the types of things well be learning for the next 30-odd days, including, but not limited to, how to sail the Ocean Star, charting and navigation, a whole bunch of different types of knots, what every single rope on board does, the movement of the ocean floor, marine animals, and so much more. It sounds like a lot of work, but I think most of us are pretty excited for it. After our little class session, we all packed up some gear and went on a beautiful, but steep, hike up the side of the mountain to get to Shirley Heights, a restaurant and bar overlooking the entire harbor. The view, the food, and the music all made the night unforgettable. After a long day of work, we returned to the Ocean Star, exhausted, but ready for another day of adventure.