Location: Statia
Yet another day in paradise. To wake up in a different place just about every day and get to jump overboard and test the waters has been a sigh of joy. As day 13 finishes as I write this, I get emotional as I feel I’ve spent the best days of my life with an even more amazing group of people. One of the busiest days today, it started with the daily routine of a deep breath of fresh air, then breakfast, followed by COVID testing. To no surprise, everyone was negative. On the way to the test site, we got to see some goats crossing the roads while chickens would rest under shady trees.
As we made our way back to the boat, I began to feel the trembling on my body due to the excitement of scuba diving, and this time we would explore the remains of a purposeful wreck. We went down around 80 feet, and with strong currents, we made it all the way down. We dove with the local scuba shop, which also acted as instructors and was extremely efficient at looking for sea creatures. We got to see a ray and, most importantly, a sea turtle. There is a sense of accomplishment when seeing an animal that is so majestic and calm. It’s the fact of looking around and seeing all your peers experiencing this moment together that makes this experience so great. Eventually, we made our way up and talked with the local shop instructors and cracked some jokes as we took our heavy equipment, rested, and do it all over again in an hour at a different place.
On the surface, I remember talking to Daniel and Aidan, who saw a reef shark. Jake and Zack always manage to find the coolest things. The rest of the group had happy faces from the dive. We prepared for the second dive and the second time is always easier. Today had been the first day that we all dove together. It was a bit messy during the first dive, but on the second one, things were manageable. I got to see lots of animals as we had an exercise looking for two plants and four vertebrates. And four invertebrates. I am not sure the names of the creatures I saw, but some were scary spider-looking while others were cleaning shrimp-like in Nemo.
After diving for a couple of hours, we made our way to land once again. This time we had time to walk by the dock where there was a small restaurant with a specialty in chocolate cake. I personally didn’t buy one but did not need to. Everyone offered me food and sips of their smoothies and sodas. Drinking or eating something so sweet is almost an overload of neurotransmitters and taste buds going off, even if it’s only been 13 days. Amanda, Oliver, Miranda, Skylar, Daniel, Oliver, and Kristy were all hanging out, and together we ate and enjoyed the rest of our afternoon.
After, we came back to the boat and took showers in the ocean. It was a perfect temperature, and as I came up to the deck, the wind would dry me. The cooks had a special treat of hamburgers today. I helped by playing some Reggeaton and organizing a fluid dinner.
After dinner, during squeeze, my question was, “Is true love the meaning of life”? There were many thoughtful answers, and I loved hearing everyone’s opinions. We are tidying the deck in preparation for an early morning departure for Nevis tomorrow.