Location: Roseau, Dominica
Today could not be a more thrilling and adventurous part of our Seamester voyage. We started our day with Banana chocolate chip bread for the second time this week, and now I think we are all taking a break from sweet breakfasts. We were supposed to start our day with two dives, but unfortunately, they got pushed to the afternoon, so we had to change up our schedule a little bit and switch our afternoon and morning plans. We began our morning with another navigation class with Allie and learned how to dead reckon a chart. While everyone was still tired and hot, we got some good practice in. I still need to go over some of the logistics to understand it, but Mani and Rihanna showed me they’ve mastered it.
We then went to shore for about two hours and broke up into small groups to explore the town. Robert and I checked out the markets and got some coconut water. Jaxson and his group indulged in a rotisserie chicken, and others got mangos. After shore time, we had lunch and got ready for a whole afternoon of diving.
Since everyone was now certified, we got to dive as a big group, which was cool since we got to take even more photos. The dozens of fish and countless corals were a sight to see. Just when we were cruising around a typical reef at 30ft, we descended to the drop-off that lay at the edge of the reef, which was a shivering view. The colors fading away and the fish getting less abundant was unique but also somewhat frightening. Never before have I not seen the bottom of the sea floor while diving. Descending deeper into this abyss, we looked up at the 50 ft wall of the reef, which was like an underwater tapestry that stretched forever. One of our PADI tests Was to reach a maximum depth of 70 ft, but we went a little deeper than that since everyone was in complete awe of our surroundings.
I maintain that diving below the reef where the sun isn’t shining, and you don’t know what lurks below, is nothing short of an act of bravery and courage. As we made our way back to the boat, we still couldn’t believe what we just did. Just when we did our deepest dive yet, we still had another dive to do. We got some water, switched our tanks, and then made our way to Champagne Reef, which was known for its underwater bubbles. We once agin jumped off the boat into the salty and refreshing Caribbean water, ready for more. This dive, in particular, might have topped them all so far, I’d say. The amount of fish we collectively saw could’ve reached the thousands. Not kidding, this reef would make an aquarium look like a fish bowl. We also saw two huge sea turtles underwater and a baby at the surface. However, what really stole the show was the shark, yes, a shark. We saw a 4ft nurse shark swim into a cave. I saw a 4ft nurse shark swim under my legs into a cave. I was a bit afraid, not going to lie. Out of all the sharks I’ve seen from my days of fishing, I never saw one that wouldn’t want to take a bite out of me, so seeing a docile shark as close as this one was a relief.
As we headed back up, all the students could not stop commenting on the shark, not to mention Will’s amazing pictures, which he snagged on his GoPro. We wrapped up this amazing day with a nice ocean shower, and all enjoyed Katherine’s delicious pad Thai for dinner. Last but not least, as skipper, my question to everyone was what was their favorite family vacation. I told the group mine was London, but clearly, I have to start traveling more because the places everyone else has been to me feel like I’ve never even gotten on a plane. Well that is a wrap on today’s blog, I enjoyed being skipper and will be skipper one more time later on in our trip. I can tell that everyone is having a great time because I see everyone smile more than once every day.
Until then,
Yours truly,
Max F.