Location: Prince Robert Bay, Dominica
NO COVID! Thankfully, we are no longer in quarantine. We have all have tested negative and can finally enjoy the island! We are all super excited to explore the lushness of Dominica during the various tours Sam has organized for us. While waiting for our covid test results today, we got a snippet of the clear waters and rustling palm trees… Later on in the day, almost everyone got to take their first jump off the boat with their scuba gear, which was kind of slippery and awkward but funny. I wasn’t able to dive because of my sinus, but my mates got to do their first PPB (Peak Performance Buoyancy) dive as we aim for our Advanced Open Water certifications. Aboard O Star, we are all slowly establishing our routines, balancing school work with alone time, and understanding the importance of sleep. For example, I think that we don’t want to interrupt our late-night conversations because we really get to bond through them but then feel burnt out with our anchor watches and early mornings. I am sure we’ll find a way to compensate for both. During squeeze after dinner, I asked what everyone’s biggest pet peeve was, and it turned out to be a sort of liberation of everyone’s pet peeves of things that happen on the boat, like not picking up after yourself, picky eaters, etc., which I think helped relieve some frustration in a humorous way. The staff was also very supportive. We all talked about what food we wanted and how to deal with different standards of almost everything: how yellow the potato is, vegetarian and GF and DF options, and much more. Overall, I think we are a pretty understanding group as we try to accommodate everyone. Now, I’m going to try and get a good night’s rest for our first tour of the island tomorrow!
Photo 1: Our beautiful OStar
Photo 2: Sam showing her pro giant stride
Photo 3: Amanda with our swim through for PPB
Photo 4: Post COVID test dinghy (Yay, negatives!)