Well I have finally left the last port and am on my way back home. The time has flown by. It feels just like yesterday I was leaving Halifax on my way to Ireland! This voyage has been absolutely incredible. The people I have met and the cultures I have experienced will have impacted me for my whole life. I am excited to be coming home so I can see all my friends and family though!
The ship was only in Dominica for two days and it most definitely was not enough time to see everything this tiny 27 miles island had to offer. The people were wonderful (except for some wackos we ran into on the streets) they were so friendly and happy to have us there. The day we arrived me and some friends woke up early to see the sunrise. It was the most beautiful thing ever! Once we were able to get off the ship we walked into town and did some shopping and site seeing. Some friends had to leave to go on a SAS trip so me and another girl decided to go to the beach and snorkel. We went to what is known as Champagne Reef. It is an active underwater volcano and there are hole that create bubbles that are similar to when you open a champagne bottle. It was a spectacular site to see. We were there for hours snorkeling around looking at all the fish and coral. The water was crystal clear and almost as warm as a bath! After snorkeling we decided to head to the waterfalls. It was short detour but way worth it. They were located in a tropical jungle and it was just so beautiful. The picture below is the bubbles from the volcano.
The second day I was lucky enough to go diving. I was able to make two dives that day. The first one was at Champagne Reef. It was amazing to be under the water this time instead of at the surface. When you put your hand on the sea floor or a rock you were able to feel the heat from the volcano. It was almost as hot as an oven! I think that diving in Dominica is one of the best places that I have dove so far. During the dive I saw a turtle, octopus, and I made a puffer fish puff.. it was funny! I also held a sea horse (which was probably a very bad thing to do but it was handed to me so I had to take the opportunity). After the dive I went back to the ship and relaxed. The picture below is the little down of Roseau.
Dominica was so wonderful. Unfortunately not everyone was able to experience a wonderful time. A student, Casey, had a terrible accident on the first day that ended up being fatal. This shook up the whole SAS community. She was such a bright, positive, wonderful girl. It is horrible that she was taken away from all her friends and family in such an instant. I can't imagine what her parents are going through at this time.. there daughter is so close to coming home and now they will never get the chance to see her again or hear her stories. Please take a moment to say a prayer for Mr. and Mrs. Schulman during this time of unimaginable sadness. Every individual will get the chance to debark the ship in Ft. Lauderdale on the 7th and reunite with their friends and family very soon after that.. we are lucky individuals and we should be thankful every minute of every single day we are here on this earth.
