We recently caught up with one of the teens who went on an Oceans Adventures trip in the Caribbean last summer. Here’s what he told us:
On our Oceans Adventures experience, every day is different depending on who is on board and what they’re interested in. What kind of adventures did you have?
One day we boated out to a small island a mile or so away from the main island of Grenada, using our little speedboat (dinghy), and we went snorkeling. The water was very shallow, only three or four feet deep, with tons of fish and coral in various colors from pale pink to blue. We explored the two islands out there, one very small, approximately 70×100 feet which had only a beach with some tourist shops, and the other was uninhabited, with just trees, grass & flowers. 
Another cool place where we went snorkeling, the water was so incredibly clear, we could see 30 feet down to the bottom of the ocean. We were able to feed and observe both the colorful tropical fish and also jackfish.
Another time we just went to the beach and relaxed all day in hammocks, went swimming, read books, visited a cafe with Internet & coffee. I loved all the swimming we did…amazingly clear ocean waters. Nothing like in America.
We also explored the island of San Andres on foot, seeing the neighborhoods, schools, military base, etc.
On my birthday, the Captain asked me what I wanted to do, and I asked to go spear fishing. So we woke up at 6 am, went out on the dingy to a place they had seen a bunch of fish earlier, and I speared a jackfish as long as a football, and we ate it later that day—tasted really good!
My favorite adventure was visiting an area where there was a diving board we could dive 20 feet into the ocean water from. That was really fun!
What are some of the things you do regularly on the trip?
Well, our daily routine was to wake up around 8 am and go for a morning swim right off the boat in the super-clean and clear water for about half hour. Then we’d get breakfast – something simple like oatmeal or bacon and eggs – and decide what to do that day and go off and do that, sometimes packing lunches to take with us. Then after our adventures of the day, we normally ate dinner out somewhere on shore; the food was really good, such as soups, steaks, fish, really good rice, spicy food. At night we’d watch our choice of the various movies they had available on the boat, before going to bed.
Of course, we did the Co-Eco™ course which covered things such as how to minimize waste, and about pollution. [Co-Eco = Cooperative Ecology™, is the study of the interdependency of all life and the vital partnership for survival that mankind has with the natural world.)
Unfortunately, because of the rough weather caused by Hurricane Irma nearby, we all agreed we didn’t have the right conditions to attempt learning how to sail. But we did help another ship dock that was having trouble. We pulled it in, tied it to our ship and helped it get properly stationed.
What did you hope to gain by participating in the Oceans Adventure program?
To learn more about the culture of the island and see what other countries are like, and we did. We found that the people of Grenada were incredibly friendly. People would wave from the shops as we went by. Everyone knew each other as the island is just a few square miles. Communication with the non-English speaking people was sometimes a challenge. We saw the tourist parts of Grenada but also saw the ghetto areas with dirt roads, and broken-down houses made of clay, without even running water; I was a bit shocked about by this. But the people were so friendly…even to the many stray dogs, which people would pet and feed!
Would you like to go again?
Yes, definitely! It was a really fun experience with all those adventures, and a chance to travel and see the world. The people on the island we were on were so nice and I learned a lot about that country. The Captain and his wife were amazing, and Captain Scott made sure we had a good time!
If you’re interested in finding out more about our Oceans Adventures programs for summer and fall, call 818 330 9528 or email virginia@theearthorganization.org.
