Location: Antigua
We started off the morning bright and early for a breakfast of champions of French Toast with fresh fruit. The people with Open Water diving certification loaded up and headed out for a dive before 8:30. We spent roughly a half-hour underwater and got to see a lobster and lots of fish! We were still relaxing in Nelson’s Dockyard, so we found our land legs again and went ashore searching for seafood, internet, and smoothies. I’m pretty sure everyone found just what they were looking for throughout town and especially enjoyed our shore lunch. Some of us participated in an optional hike to the Gates of Hercules and Shirley Heights. It was far less intense than our previous hike on Nevis, which I’m still convinced was really mountain climbing. We got to see tide pools, wild goats, and different ‘century plants’ in various stages of bloom. There were several lookout points where we could enjoy uninterrupted views of the whole island or miles of open ocean with crystal visibility. After the hike, we all met back on Ocean Star for a fantastic dinner of pasta and salad, during which we enjoyed watching dolphins play by the boat. The Advanced Water divers headed out for a night dive as soon as clean-up was done, while the Open Water divers watched our final videos for certification. We set sail tomorrow morning for St. Barts, and we are all looking forward to starting a passage in the day!