Island Times Blog

Day 4 / June 19 – Today I realized that our FATHOMS crew has what it takes. After a very full day of hiking and snorkeling yesterday, they were ready to get going with more hiking, snorkeling, exploring, learning and FUN! We got an early start to beat the heat by hiking the Ram’s Head Trail at Salt Pond Bay, St. John, USVI. This hike took us along the gorgeous beach of the bay and then past a salt pond and then up and over the hill to Ram’s Head Point. While atop the mountain we enjoyed the cooling easterly tradewinds as we took some quiet time to reflect and be awed by the nature that surrounded us. We got a ton of gorgeous photos so be sure to check out our Facebook album! After our hike, we headed farther east to snorkel in Hurricane Hole where the lack of development has helped to keep the mangroves, seagrass and patch reef habitats relatively pristine and full of life. We could have snorkeled for hours, as the students are already realizing just how much they are learning – and how much they can already identify. Their snorkel skills are also improving greatly. On the way back to camp we stopped at a roadside fruit stand where we enjoyed watermelon, pineapple, mango, and papaya…and some homemade ice cream of course! Back at camp we enjoyed some recreation time and then a discussion of coral reef ecology and monitoring. Our academic credit students began work on their projects and we ended a near-perfect day with a moonlit walk to the beach….truly awesome! Tomorrow we’ll head to Tortola and settle into our new and permanent home on Outta Space, our SeaTrek catamaran that will transport us all over the BVIs.