Location: Pain de Sucre, Les Saints, Guadeloupe
Today started pretty slowly, with a leisurely breakfast and a very short trip from the main harbor in Terre-de-Haut to Pain de Sucre, a smaller bay just to the South. The mooring procedure was a new experience for all of us- we went stern to a rock right up against the North wall of the bay, with an anchor set off the bow to keep us from drifting into the wall. A couple of shipmates went out to secure the polar bear- a huge white line- around the rock. Apart from class, we had most of the day free, and people used the time to do a combination of sleeping, working, swimming, and snorkeling over the site for our adventure of the day: Our first night dive! After an early dinner, Dive Team Kappa Alpha (Casey) set off for the depths, flashlights in hand, and Team Faloon (Kristine) followed shortly. I can only speak for Team Faloon first-hand, but it seems like everyone had an amazing time. The reef came truly alive at night, full of color and waving polyps, and between the two dives, people sighted squid, eels, and large lobsters, as well as an assortment of colorful reef fish. (Still no sharks, unfortunately.) Our good ship is now gradually falling into quiet as people go to sleep in anticipation of a 6:30 hike to Le Chameau tomorrow morning, whether they are in their bunks or joining the growing cluster of hammocks on the foredeck!