Location: Petit Piton, St. Lucia
After a relaxing night on bow watch without having to worry about dragging anchor, the crew awoke to banana pancakes made by Rob and the rest of the galley crew. Students got a head start on the day by pulling up dive gear before breakfast in anticipation of the biology class of snorkeling. People were eager to help, which was a good sign for the rest of the trip. The class went well, with some people staying in the water for a solid two hours, practicing their diving skills and documenting marine life. The rest of the day was free time with students napping, finishing up projects and homework, and enjoying life in the Caribbean. In mid-afternoon, a group of men from the SMMA (Soufriere Marine Management Association) came aboard to talk about what they do and how they run the marine-protected environments located around the island. Tomorrow, they’ll be running a dive along “Superman’s Flight.” After the gentlemen disembarked, the students went back to homework and relaxed with Smudge and Bryant banging out pushups on the TRX. A couple of water salesmen stopped by offering wooden carvings and volcano stone sculptures. Overall, the relaxed day on the water and boat to finish up things and settle in here at Saint Lucia was much needed, and everyone’s now ready for the next couple of days of diving and exploring.