To start off our very early day, we put our buddy system to use, calling our
buddy to wake them up on time. Everyone had to be at the airport around 8:00,
our plane leaving at 9:00, and to add to our already stressful morning, there
was a huge gate mix-up! Some students were in C1 while others were in C3 or
C7. When we were finally settled, we boarded our long-awaited flight and started
our journey to Miami Florida. While some students and our lovely instructors
have flown many times before, other students, such as LaParrish, were experiencing
their very first flight. But for all of us, landing safely in Miami was a relief.
As soon as we arrived at baggage claim, we were all excited to see our enthusiastic instructors waiting for us. We left the airport, bags intact, and boarded a luxurious limo-bus together. Our short limo-bus ride provided us with some time to enjoy the beautiful and tropical Miami scenery.
Not too long after leaving the airport, we reached the shipyard where we boarded
the Coral Reef II, our cozy home for the next week. Upon boarding, we learned
a little about where everything was located, including the Salon (dining area),
the head (bathroom area), the Galley (kitchen), and the sleeping quarters. Following
this, we unpacked, stored our snorkel gear dive wells (heavy-weight bins on
the deck of the boat), and learned how to use the bright yellow vests that we
will wear while snorkeling. They inflate and deflate as needed, so if we want
to dive down, we can. Finally, we ate a much-awaited lunch of delicious sandwiches.
After lunch, we continued learning our way around the boat. It really made us
feel like a real crew. Everyone has their daily duties, such as getting the
weather from the captain and kitchen duty, as well as our research project and
daily projects for wilderness classroom, such as notes from the trail. We also
learned how to swim with our buddy when snorkeling. Each of us has a different
buddy everyday, which really helps us to get to know each other even better.
Finally, we ate a good dinner and waited for Captain John to arrive. It was
really fun to meet him. He had a lot of really interesting stories to tell,
taught us what was and was not appropriate for the ship. We're all so excited
that we will be able to get to know him better---he's a really cool guy.
For our final boat adventure of the day, we all tried on the orange emergency
life vests. When all was said and done, we had some down time to call home one
more time before we set out on our journey and we wrote in our journals. Although
we had not even left the shipyard yet, we were all happy and, as LaParrish would
say, we are all "fantabulous!"
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