Location: Soufriere, St. Lucia
Today, we started by going to shore for an SMMA briefing and introduction. The SMMA ( Soufriere Marine Management Area ) exists to protect the marine life and reefs in the Soufriere area of St Lucia. After the intro from Nancy, the crew got started learning about the reef check process in which they would survey a section of reef in SCUBA gear and record their findings. After lunch, everyone geared up and headed to the Trou Diable dive site and got wet. Since the majority of our divers are newly certified, it was a challenge to not only pay attention to their diving but also to care for the research being done. The tremendous amount of rainfall on the island over the past few days decreased visibility, substantially adding to the adventure. The practice run was a success and was followed by a debriefing. The quiche was feasted upon this evening down below due to the rain, and the tank pumping continued into the evening to prepare us for the actual reef check tomorrowanother good day here on Near Enough.