Location: Horta, Azores
At twilight last night, eight of us (Shelby, Mac, Zoe, Joey, Will, Lucie, Runyan & Anda) prepared to go on our first night dive of the voyage, and many people’s first night dive ever! Due to being docked in the marina, we loaded up our dive tanks into a dinghy and walked with the rest of our gear to the nearest beach, where we would be making our shore entry into the water. This required us to walk through the main part of town in our wetsuits and carry our masks, fins, and snorkel (we were a sight to behold)! The moon was rising, and the energy of the group was off the charts. There was a lot of laughter and nervous giggling as we prepared to venture into the dark waters below. As we descended, we were surrounded by huge schools of fish and saw eel after eel after eel (one of my favorite sea creatures :)). Everyone did an incredible job diving, and we came out of the water high on life. I’m sure the second group of divers going tonight will have an equally amazing time.
After a late night of diving, the group of night divers were rewarded by getting to sleep in this morning, as the rest of the students went on a morning dolphin snorkel and whale watching trip. Everyone returned from the trip smiling ear to ear and recounting stories of swimming with a pod of Spotted Atlantic Dolphins and getting up close and personal with a beautiful Sei Whale. Once the morning snorkelers returned, the second group of snorkelers headed off with high hopes of seeing incredible marine wildlife on their tour (and boy, did we…)
The afternoon snorkelers were immediately welcomed by a pod of dolphins, and everyone got a chance to get in the water, hang on to a tow line, and swim alongside them. While the dolphins were so much fun and absolutely majestic, the true treat of the afternoon was being able to encounter a Bryde Whale, who we named Phoebe. Phoebe graced us with her presence while Mac and Joey were in the water snorkeling. We were made aware of her presence by Mac squealing with glee like the Pillsbury Doughboy through his snorkel, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard a noise so full of joy and excitement before in my life. For almost two hours, Phoebe swam alongside our boat, underneath our boat, and playfully sprayed us with water. For someone from an island in Alaska, where I see whales almost every day, this was by far one of the most unique whale experiences I have ever had in my life. Phoebe seemed to be having just as much fun as the rest of us on the boat, and this day was definitely filed as a core memory in my mind.
I ended dinner tonight with a squeeze question in honor of the Summer Olympics: “If you were to compete in the Summer Olympics, what sport would you compete in, and which country would you represent?” Answers ranged from archery to break dancing to sailing and even pole vaulting. As the night winds down, I am looking forward to going to bed early after an exciting day, and the second group of night divers is preparing to dive as we speak.
As always, we miss you, we love you, and we will talk to you all soon!