Location: Les Saintes
We’ve had a class on a ship, we’ve had class underwater, we’ve had class at night, on a beach, in a dingy, around a bonfire, and on a river. And now we have a class in a French cafe! Our morning began with a little Marine Bio lesson during a breakfast of baguettes, croissants, chocolate donuts, and cappuccinos. After we had filled both our minds and bellies, we headed off to the local race track for the 1-mile foot race we’d all been waiting forBoots vs. Matty. With Boots’ vastly superior athletic ability versus Matty’s outlandishly long legs, it was an excellent match-up. And while Boots ran with both the grace and speed of a cheetah, in the end, it was Matty Rob for the win! After the morning race, the group dispersed to enjoy free time as they pleased. Sam and I got our shopping fix and hit up all the cute local shops. She and I then spent the rest of the afternoon basking in the ocean on the gorgeous beach. Others used their free time to write their Marine Biology papers, explore other parts of the island, dive, and hang out. During the afternoon, we were greeted by a couple of dolphins swimming by. As the sunset, the most epic part of the day began. The tribe of Ocean Star turned into a tribe of fearsome underwater hunters. It was time to fill our aquarium onboard with marine critters, and so off we went for a night dive in search of Arthropods, Echinoderms, and Mollusks. My dive buddy Mollie and I were specifically in search of sea stars and red shrimp. And let me tell you, sea stars are tricky little fellas! They move swiftly and detach their own limbs to get away from predators. I’m embarrassed to admit that the first brittle star we came upon bested us.
Not to be outsmarted by a starfish twice, Mollie and I successfully captured our second victim. But those shrimp were completely elusive and had no intention of being caught by anyone, not even Matty. So, instead of bringing up a red shrimp, we brought up a little red hermit crab. Team Samoah (Sam and Moah) scored and brought up an amazing Giant Basket Star, as well as a common sea star. Jon, Boots, and Brando added to our collection a sea cucumber, a spiny lobster, and a helmet shell. Megan contributed with a Red Heart Urchin. After a successful dive, we enjoyed some hot chocolate and concluded another perfect Caribbean day!