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Location: Great Barrier Reef
The day started early with a seven-thirty dive, where we got to see both nocturnal fish and day fish transitioning to sleeping or being awake. Afterward, we ate bacon, eggs, and fruit from the boat and enjoyed a smooth morning. We played a bunch of different card games, including solitaire and gin. We then moved to a new part of the Great Barrier Reef for the rest of the dives left in the day. Moving to different areas allowed us to expand our knowledge and understanding of the biodiversity at the GBR. On the second dive, we went down and saw turtles, pufferfish, trumpetfish, and stingrays, marking one of the best dives on the trip. For lunch, the chef, Joost, prepared or us mac and cheese with ham and salads. Finally came the night dive. It was very cold in the water, and putting on dive gear felt longer than on a normal day dive. As we descended into the depths, we turned on our flashlights and got ready to make our way around the reef. We saw tons of fish you wouldn’t usually see during the day, including but not limited to sharks, schools of parrotfish going to sleep, and big silverfish that were making their way around to hunt at night. As we kept moving through the water, we spotted a giant sea turtle sleeping under a ledge. Once we made our way back to the boat, we dried off and got ready to eat dessert, a pound cake that the chef was particularly excited about serving to us. Once we all ate, some of us made our way up to see the fish crowding around the boat and the stars in the sky.