Location: Roseau, Dominica
The crew woke up early this morning to go to Dominica’s best dive spot known as Champagne Reef. We got on the charter boat and went down the coast to our first dive spot. The dive spot was in a beautiful cove, and we got our gear on, ready to see all the wildlife that Dominica has to offer. There were schools of fish, coral, sponges, and all sorts of marine life. As we followed the guide deeper into the ocean, bigger creatures began to appear. We saw a giant crab almost as big as the lead guide, and in a small cave, a nurse shark popped its head out to say hello. There were lionfish, trumpet fish, flounder, squid, an eel, and even a sea turtle. It felt like we had been dropped in the middle of the ocean, far from human civilization. After a quick break on the boat, we headed to the Champagne Reef. As we soon found out, the reef gets its name because of the bubbles that rise from the ground beneath the sand. Rather than the cold non-carbonated water of the ocean, the water here was bubbly and warm like a jacuzzi. Then, we made our way back to the charter boat and recapped the coolest animals we saw during the dive. We came back to Ocean Star and had a nice lunch of bagel sandwiches. Following lunch, Nick taught Seamanship class, where we learned about rules regarding radio communication. Finally, we prepared the boat for passage to Les Saintes tomorrow, so we will be saying goodbye to Dominica.