Location: Palau
For today, we were split into two groups. Those who started the day with their first dives needed for their certifications (either advanced open water or rescue diver), and those who already completed their desired certifications, who started their day with free time to explore Palau (“shore time”). As a diver, I got to go on three separate dives throughout the day. Out of the three, most people’s favorite dive was the last. We were able to see a crashed seaplane that failed to take off and now sits about 30 feet below the surface. Although I didn’t have an underwater camera, many did and graciously shared their photos with me, so I can share them with you all. Once we were back on Vela, around 3 pm, we began to prepare for shore time. Where the other group had been all day. The first thing we did on shore was walk to the nearest convenience store and get snacks/necessities, with some leaving the store with two plastic bags full. We then walked to a nearby restaurant, Kramers, which is beloved by us and locals alike. We ate dinner, played a bit of pool, and then went on a 30-minute walk to a convenience store, as some were on a mission to find hammocks to sleep in. A few bunks have developed an unpleasant odor, so sleeping in hammocks on the deck is a more appealing alternative. Once we arrived, they informed us they didn’t have hammocks, but if we rushed, a store that was a 25-minute walk away had hammocks, but they closed in 35 mins. Twenty-five minutes later, we arrive at our third store, just for them to tell us that the part of the store that had hammocks had closed 30 minutes ago. Now I’m not sure what Lawrence said to the cashier who worked there, but somehow he convinced them to let him and Josh L. go into the closed store a level above and buy hammocks. Mission successful. We then met up with the rest of the people that had been on shore all, and enjoyed live music at a restuarant downtown, where some of the first 40 day people were also hanging out. We ended the shore time with a taxi ride to a pier, and got on a water taxi back to Vela around 11:00 pm.