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Location: Dominica

We set sail for Dominica this morning, leaving Les Saintes before most of us were even awake. After breakfast, we had our last review session for seamanship before we started our nav Master exams. We made it to our mooring off Roseau, the capital of Dominica, in time for lunch at noon. The sun was blazing, the wind was minimal, and the scenery was beautiful. Dominica is known as the nature island of the Caribbean. The lush green mountains with pillars of steam evaporating from them like smoke from chimneys resembled that of a rainforest environment. The reason we left Les Saintes so early was to make it to our chartered dive with Dive Dominica at 14:00, following the usual lunchtime cleanup there was a mad dash of dive preparation while our Captain and program manager went off to clear us into the country. During this flurry of activity, a few people noticed a smoking speed boat not too far off our starboard bow. It was heading our way. Another realization came shortly after that there was nobody on this motoring boat because the driver had jumped overboard due to the engine igniting. During a momentary panic and consideration of getting the firehose ready, the boat slowed and turned away from us as the smoke turned to flame, and the flame grew larger as the boat drifted towards the horizon. Soon enough, the boat was engulfed in a ball of flames, and we had a good view of the action and the locals and coast guard putting it out. The driver was fine! Our program manager returned still on edge from the wave of panic that hit her when she saw a plume of black smoke coming from the direction of Vela.

After the fire calmed and the distraction waned, it was back to business and time to head off to the dive boat. A twenty-minute ride took us to our first dive destination, Pointe Guignard. It was a drop-off reef that went down to around 100 feet within 50 meters of the shallow waters we entered. The biodiversity was stunning, to say the least, with life covering every square inch of the massive reef ecosystem. Notably, this was our first dive together as a full group of 16+ people, which was a bit crowded, to say the least. After a fifty-minute surface interval, while the boat relocated to our next dive location, it was time to dive on Champagne Reef. It gets its name from the still active volcanic Island, causing the substrate to boil and releasing streams of bubbles from the soil. The same reason that Dominica is home to the boiling lake we plan to visit tomorrow. It was surreal to place my hand on the sand at the bottom and feel the heat, especially since I was fairly cold by the end of the dive. Then we headed back, grateful for the amazing experience we all just shared.

We got back to Vela just in time for dinner. My question as skipper was controversial: Would you rather be able to breathe underwater or fly? Although it was contentious, it seemed that flying took the popular vote with the main reason being that we already can breathe underwater thanks to scuba. Flying without machinery is a bit less accessible.

Lately, everyone has been more aware than ever of how limited the time we have left on the program is. Mixed feelings of homesickness and exhaustion battle with fears of returning to “real life” and saying goodbye to this unusual family and amazing shared experience. All of our paths led us here, which to some seems as much the work of fate as it does coincidence. What is certain is that we’re all more grateful, seasoned, salty, and knowledgable, perhaps even a bit closer to figuring out where our paths will lead from here.

Signing out for the last time,
Skipper Cooley