|
||||
|
||||
| The night before I left for the Grenadines, I couldn’t help but be nervous. I could hardly sleep because thoughts of the trip kept me up. Would the kids be cool? Would the trip be fun? So many other questions crossed my mind that night as I lay in my bed. On the first day of the trip I soon found out that the answer to these questions was YES. My first memory of the trip is at the airport in St. Louis. I boarded the plane wearing my green Broadreach t-shirt and stumbled through the aisle nervously trying to find my seat, 7B. When I found it, I climbed over the person sitting in 7A and pushed my bag under the seat. The boy next to me looked over at my shirt and said, “Are you going on Broadreach?” “Yeah man! Are you?” I responded. It turns out that we would be on the same boat together. We ended up talking for the entire flight to Miami, and the flight to San Juan. In San Juan, we basically met the entire boat with the exception of a few people. One by one, people wearing their Broadreach t-shirts joined the huddled group of people trying to learn names. Ali, Caitlin, Kai, Mike, Sam, Dan and I waited together, all excited for the trip, while the others had already arrived in Saint Lucia. When we got on the boat a few hours later, we met the counselors, Jordan, Alex and Garret, and the rest of the campers, Alex, Emily, Clara, Steve and the dive master intern, Caroline. That first night we played name games, learned about the boat, and prepared for our first day in the beautiful Caribbean. Within the first few hours on the boat we had already started quoting movies and having inside jokes. I knew that the trip was going to be one amazing, life changing adventure. Going to sleep under the stars, with a cool breeze, and hearing the soft noises of the ocean is something that can never fully be described. Waking up at seven o’clock every morning, on the other hand, took some getting used to. After a tiring day, all we wanted was some sleep, but sleeping was just a waste of time in the Caribbean. When you woke up and saw where you were, the beautiful local, filled with lush mountains, beautiful sparkling water surrounding you and a bright sun shining on you, you wouldn’t want to be sleeping anymore. Besides, most of the time we were blessed by some surprisingly delicious breakfast cooked by one of the campers. Each day was filled with intense action, beautiful dives, relaxing sails and eye opening learning experiences. I remember our first real dive; we all slowly got our gear set up and brought it to the port and starboard sides of the boat. One by one we jumped into the water, and then struggled to find our dive buddy. Below the surface, we bunched up, sucked up air and kicked up sand. By the end of our trip, we were all amazing divers with good buoyancy, air consumption, and many certifications and specialties under our belt. The diving in the Caribbean was great. Every dive was a treat. Each dive had a unique sighting, whether it was a spotted eel, a nurse shark or even a sea turtle, each time we came up and excitedly conversed about the dive. At the surface, we sailed across beautiful landscapes. Being the Captain of the day and sailing the forty five foot yacht was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Most the time we ran the motor along with the sails, but the few times we sailed with nothing but the power of the wind were amazing. As we sailed along, we just listened to the sails in the wind and the sound of the hulls cutting through the water. Before the trip, I hadn’t sailed before and was worried that I wouldn’t enjoy it. Within the first couple days, we learned sailing terms and many procedures and I soon found I liked it as much as diving. On the Islands, we saw the incredible Caribbean culture. The locals were very friendly and I had a blast talking to all of them. The coconuts and bananas I would buy at the local markets for incredibly little money were delicious. The night I came home from the trip, I had been hungry from a whole day of flying and found a banana. The banana wasn’t as yellow as they had been in the Caribbean, and when I bit into it, the flavor wasn’t nearly as bursting as the ones I had on the trip. I missed the trip so much then. I now look back on the trip and realize how lucky I was to experience it. I miss the Caribbean, the boat, and the friends I made. I also wish I could be diving again. The closest to finding the feeling during the trip is sticking my arm out the window of the car and feel the wind or sink to the bottom of the pool and imagine I’m diving. Every night I lay in my bed and think about the stars I saw every night and try to imagine the sound of the ocean. I’ve learned so much about the sea, my life and who I am and made amazing friends a long the way. I can’t wait till next year. - Dylan Schmitter, St. Louis, MO |
||||
|
||||
