Location: Pulau Sumbawa -> Bali, Indonesia
This morning, we awoke at 5:30 am and quickly got ready to jump off the boat and swim with whale sharks. As we swam over, I noticed the large, unruly crowds and the fish being thrown in the ocean to feed and attract the sharks. As promised, the whale sharks were indeed there, and it was amazing to be able to see such a creature up close. At first, the shock of being that close to the sharks was incredible. I was sitting at the surface as one brushed right past me and absolutely terrified mealthough I was never worried about being in danger. Then, slowly but surely, the scene turned kind of eerie. It was honestly kind of sad to look at the magnificent creatures being climbed on and touched by tourists. With every minute that passed, the crowds grew. You could barely swim without being kicked by a random man, and even worse, there was no room in the water to let the whale sharks live in peace. As I climbed into the dinghy, I was pleased to see that my fellow crew had similar reactions. Honestly, I am shocked that after everything we had been taughta love of the ocean, a care for the precious and fragile ecosystems, and most of all a newfound ethics systemthat we supported the provisioning of whale sharks. I dont wish to be a downer and be unappreciative of an opportunity that was given to us, but I think there are so many other amazing things we could have done that wouldnt have left us feeling so icky.
Whale sharks aside, we began our last passage today! I took a much needed nap and awoke to lunch, which was an asian rice noodle dish. After that we had our final leadership, although that was interrupted to put up the staysls and jib for the final time this program. During my 2-6 watch, Nacho opened a couple of coconuts and Emma and I spent a while discussing the survival of our crew if we were all plopped into the hunger games. Our conclusion was that hulio was first gone because she stepped off the platform and that either Emma or Nacho is the last one standing. After that, we ate dinner which was Amys cheesy broccoli (shoutout to Amy from 40Amiss ya diva). Then we all had to cram our leadership essays last minute, because this is faff-mester. Then began our last night of passage!!
Best,
Susie
PS> love you mom and dad!! Hope the dogs are doing well.!
PPS> started the guest book today and finally read all of the 40A entries. Miss yall a little extra today.