Location: Galleon Bay, Antigua
Pure joy is an understatement in describing the general sentiments of everyone on the boat. Though, there was one exception last night when we woke up to Zac’s blood-curdling scream. He woke up from a nightmare, and we all thought we were getting taken over by pirates. However, he was okay and fell right back asleep, and we were all happy to realize that pirates were not taking over. Jodie was on watch around 12am when it started raining, and the winds picked up a bit, but the rain and wind passed quite quickly.
This morning, Ben, Zoe, Luke, and Julia did yoga with me under a breathtaking Antiguan sunrise. After breakfast, the open water divers went on their first deep dive below the boat. We practiced skills and experienced breathing deep underwater for the first time, right alongside some stingrays and lionfish. The certified divers took dinghy school, learning how to drive Exy, one of the two dinghies we’ve got here. Her pull start is a bit tricky to get going, but everyone eventually managed after throwing their entire body weight into it. There were many excited shrieks as her speed picked up.
Lunch was delicious but short-lived, and we moved into the afternoon’s activities. The open water divers had their dinghy school, and the certified divers took Irv around the corner for a dive. Whilst waiting for our turn on the dinghy, Julia, Riley, and I set up our hammocks and relaxed for a bit on deck. In the salon, we all studied for the PADI quizzes we took this evening. Then during our dinghy lesson, Riley, Lennox, and I saw some wild goats on the coastline.
In the evening, open water divers took their quizzes, and certified divers had some time to relax. Some people took showers today, which consists of a jump in the ocean and a bit of soap. We all gathered in the cockpit for a fantastic dinner and did our squeeze, where we talk about what we appreciate and a question of the day. Today’s was: who would you want to meet most in the world? Many of the appreciations were about the conversations at dinner. Finally, we had our first introduction to the leadership class and are now relaxing under the clear, starry sky. The day ends as it began, with lots of smiles, laughter, and moments of pure joy. (Miss you, mom and Nico <3).
Picture 1 – Will, Riley, Isabel, and Calum in the galley preparing breakfast
Picture 2 – Ash looking at his pruney hands
Picture 3 – Julia, Will, Margeaux, Zoe, and Ash on their first deep open water dive
Picture 4 – Lennox, Mike, Me, Adelaide, Riley, Isabel
Picture 5 – Julia and Zoe diving
Picture 6 – Ben, Sophie, Calum, Luke, and Zac doing dinghy school
Picture 7 – Kiara, Jodie, Pearse, and Calum doing dinghy school
Picture 8 – Zoe and Julia on deck helping get breakfast out
Picture 9 – Lennox on gopher duty in the galley
Picture 10 – Julia, Lennox, Isabel, Sophie, Adelaide, Ben, Luke, Jodie, Pierce, and Mike gathered in the cockpit
Picture 11 – Isabel and Calum prepping lunch in the galley
Picture 12 – Isabel helping Julia with her equipment, and Margeaux, Zoe, and Ash prepping gear in the back
Picture 13 – Zoe sitting on deck
Picture 14 – The group eating lunch
Picture 15 – Clean up time after lunch
Picture 16 – Sophie, Riley, Me, and Julia relaxing in the hammocks
Picture 17 – Everyone hanging out in the Salon
Picture 18 – Riley and I in our hammocks