Location: Raja Ampat
I wear my headphones to bed every night. This morning at 0730, I heard my music cut out, my fan turn off. I want to open my eyes, but every ounce in my body is telling me not to. I hear the words “3 cheers to Captain Anda, HAZZAH, HAZZAH, HAZZAH”. I open my eyes to see Garrett and Josephine. The two loudest and most outgoing individuals on board are put together on a watch team. Regardless of the noise, I love them from the bottom of my heart, and it’s always pleasant waking up to such bright smiles.
We had spent the previous night sitting in the open ocean to avoid any potential hazards caused by the tsunami caused by the recent earthquake, and I was very happy to wake up knowing we were headed back to the islands of Raja Ampat . I proceed to spend 2 hours with Kat on bow watch, then another 2 with Joshua listening to music, having a good time.
Towards the end of our 8-12 watch, we are anchored in this sick lagoon(total saltwater croc territory). We go back to our usual routine, lunch, then clean up. Ben Ten had a fun dive set up for us, except that the rescue guys had to work. Our fun dive ended up being really fun, we saw a buncha of mantas, a buncha of sharks, a buncha of lionfish, a buncha of sea turtles, and we were picking up trash and stuff.
We came back on board and had around 2 hours before dinner. A bunch of us could’ve studied for their fish ID quiz, written their essay, and studied tides. But we figured that wasn’t fun, so we spent that time doing flips, snorkeling, and playing chess. Eventually, dinner comes around. We eat a massive pot of stir-fry while watching the lightning storm in the back. Annnnd that’s it for the 18th episode of the second season on Vela.
Dear old 40days
Ryan- Wake-ups, flips, and dance parties aren’t the same without you, brother
Jason- I miss your Mohawk, your dumb jokes, and your Superman pose when it came to the camera work.
Drew- It’s so different now without your grandma persona every morning, and the laughter you would bring us.
Ansley- Your smile left a scar for all of us, and watch hasn’t been the sam.e
Maddy- I can go on and on about how much i miss dancing with you, I danced like I’ve never before when you were here.
Kayla- I miss the amount of Joy our guitar sessions would bring me. You’d be surprised how much better I am now.
Jill- Stargazing and jamming to music just isn’t the same without you, not just here on seamester but back at home as well
Ceci- Ohhhh, Ceci, no one ever wants to make whale noises with me anymore. Now I’ve been the target when it comes to Mac clowning around.
Celeste- Celeste, you’re the best. Get some rest. Tell Claire I said hey before I pull out a trey.
Charles- Charles, my go-to dive buddy. Deeply missing your enthusiasm when it came to storytelling and mafia games.
Isaac- I miss your unhinged humor and the food combos you would make
Ian – Your kindness, your tap dancing, and love for music are one to admire
We miss you guys; you will always have a special place in our hearts. Hopefully, we will see each other sooner rather than later