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Location: Savanna Bay, Virgin Gorda
Hi guys! It was extremely hot in the boat last night, a complete 180 from the night before. It was a great segue into the events of the day.
Today was NOT a boring day in the British Virgin Islands. We began our morning watching videos on turtle tagging (they didn’t work last night) in preparation for later in the day. After changing into our bathing suits and applying sunscreen, we set out on the dinghy with our snorkel gear. Laden with goggles and flippers, we motored to the reef.
Unfortunately, a couple of minutes after the first group of snorkelers (Amelia, Annabelle, Maya, Coco) got into the water, we got a call that an injured turtle had been found by one of the waterski boats from the fleet. The turtle had been hit by a boat a couple of days ago, and its shell was cracked. It was not in good shape, and the only movement it managed was to lift its head to breathe every couple of minutes.
The turtle was taken to vets on Tortola and looked after. Ultimately, they decided to humanely euthanize the turtle due to its condition.
The rest of the group (Bella, Lia, and I) got to snorkel afterward to look for more turtles. We did not find any, but we did get to see many large jellyfish (that we were very scared of) and some fish that were residents of the reef.
The day wasn’t over yet! After a lunch of deli sandwiches and PB and J’s, we got ready to go ashore on Virgin Gorda for a beach cleanup. We participated in a treacherous walk across the island and ended up on a beach on the windward side. We easily filled two large trash bags in a short amount of time.
As a reward for our hard work, we got to swim on the clearest beach and then take an ocean shower. Our dinner of alfredo pasta and hotdogs was delicious. Bella is now preparing brookies for dessert while we watch Pirates of the Caribbean.
Question of the day – What is your biggest fear?
We miss you all on land! See you soon,
Skipper Ella