Swimming With Stingrays

Location: English Harbour, Antigua

This morning was a test in crew efficiency as we had to be packed and ready to go to Stingray City by 8:15. We almost made it but were grateful for our taxi driver, Eric, and his patience while we scrambled to get ready for our next adventure. By 9:30, we were in the ocean swimming with stingrays. Although we get to do amazing things every day on this trip, there doesn’t seem to be a limit to our awe. We discovered that stingrays are surprisingly friendly when you’re holding a squid in your hand and surprisingly soft, for lack of a better word, when they brush past you in the water.

After Stingray City, we spent the afternoon studying for our Seamanship midterm, relaxing, and enjoying a long lunch out at the dockyard restaurant. We met for dinner (chicken parmesan, hard living on Ocean Star), then took our exam and turned in to rest before the next crazy adventure.