Location: Port Louis, Mauritius
Today, Vela was split into two groups for our events. Group one woke up bright and early to get over to the north side of the island for the last dives of the trip. While I may not have been there, I heard they were some of the best of the trip. Massive turtles and pufferfish that were sized about as big as arms can make a circle above a head were seen, as well as many species of big starfish and nudibranchs (Steph’s favorite). Two dives were had, one of which being a colorful coral reef (where Zoey was able to equalize!), apparently quite different from the ones seen in Indonesia and Australia. Fish were the friendliest they’ve been, meaning they either really liked us or were conditioned to divers in the area. The second dive was a wreck that housed tons of species of fish and corals, including moray eels. Safe to say Vela’s crew is getting quite comfortable with the underwater world.
Back on board during all this, those of us left woke up mistakably thinking we were ready for the NavMaster practice test. We originally expected a quick hour or two practice to gauge our knowledge and then another long shore day, which ended up being far from correct. After grueling over charts for 5 HOURS, we quickly realized more practice was needed. The practice wasn’t all bad, though. We shared some laughs, eliminating a problem that didn’t ask a question. And after we pooled together trying to figure opus question 10, Tom came in and relieved us, saying, “Oh yeah, I haven’t taught you that, let’s do that later”. Luckily, we have til South Africa for the real test. We licked our wounds with ice cream, gelato, and any other sweet treats we could find around Port Louis and otherwise had a somewhat relaxing day.
In other news, we moved Vela across the port to a more visibly attractive and safer feeling area, which was fun to help with the docking procedures again.
We end another crazy, chaotic day on Vela, and while it may bring stress, I think I speak for us all when I say we wouldn’t change a thing. This crew/family has successfully crossed most of the Indian Ocean and consistently had a great time doing so, supporting each other at every bend or turn. I’d like to thank them all personally, and I look forward to the exciting and short-seeming future that lies ahead.
Miss and Love ya family