Location: Galleon, Antigua
Day 8 began with a gorgeous sunny morning accompanied by a nutritious yogurt and granola meal. Students then journeyed down below deck for an engaging lesson in oceanography that, while educational, was toasty. Luckily though, however, later, the crew of Ocean Star seemed to catch a break and were blessed with their first cool day. The break from the unrelenting sun was a refreshing experience. The now certified divers were able to have a comfortable class above deck without having to suffer under the hot, Caribbean sun.
A hot savory pasta bake was the perfect meal for a perfect day, and as lunch came to an end, the sound of music drifted through the mid-day air, and as the crew sang and danced through clean up, it seemed we had all known each other for much longer than just a measly 8 days. After lunch, the divers went out to, once again, explore the gorgeous, see-through, blue water around the boat as they started the Advanced PADI course and began with Navigation, which resulted in varied stages of hilarity as random people would pop up here and there much similar to a game of Whack a Mole. The few who stayed behind for the dive were not left bored as there were studious activities to attend to as well as Zac’s homemade magnet dartboard.
For dinner, we finished off with a beautifully cooked dinner of Toad in a Hole. For those that aren’t aware, this is a dish consisting of sausages inside a Yorkshire pudding, served with veggies, gravy, and mashed potato. Leadership was after dinner, where Julia lead us in discussion on Chapter 1 of our leadership book. After this, everyone scurried away to either study, chat, or get some sleep before the night’s anchor watches started.
Picture 1- Mike jumping off the boat to begin his dive
Picture 2- Advanced divers getting ready to dive
Picture 3- Deckies cleaning up after breakfast
Picture 4- Advanced divers being briefed before their first advanced dive
Picture 5- Pre diving preparation
Picture 6- Isabel L. jumping off the boat to dive
Picture 7- Adelaide’s diving group
Picture 8- Ash’s diving group