Location: Harbour Village Marina, Bonaire
The crew kicked off our day with an awesome introduction to coral reef conservation here on Bonaire. The reef restorers came and talked to us about how to grow coral and where their different nurseries are. The plan in the next few days is to go dive at one of the nurseries and see them growing on one of our Advanced Dives. So cool! Next, we started showing some love to the fine lady known as Argo after our multi-day passage. We split into crews with some cleaning bunks and the saloon and others on the deck, making the vessel look pretty for all to see. Sadly, around 2 PM, we showed off Veve, who had to return home early due to an injury. (I was tasked with taking over the blog due to her absence) Afterward, in groups of six or so, we went down to one of the local dive shops and performed our buoyancy tests to make sure we could keep the sensitive coral on the seafloor intact. (something all who hope to dive into Bonaire must complete). Due to a miscommunication with the shop, some will have to complete the test tomorrow morning. Afterward, we all returned to the boat for some much-needed showering and dressed up for our first sign-out night at a restaurant called Lighthouse next to the marina. We got a table probably 30 feet long to fit us all. Although the staff had their own table. After orders were placed, the festivities began. All through the restaurant, you could hear everyone laughing and conversing with one another. Food took a little while longer to get out, but that’s just how things work down here. While we waited, we all played musical chairs in order to talk with everyone. Once we ate, the dancing began, and everyone tagged along except for myself and a few others. Afterward, we all signed back in and returned to the boat to pull a dinghy out of the water and hang out for the remainder of the evening. Overall it was a fantastic day, we all had a blast and cannot wait to see what lies ahead!