Hi friends :) I’m back with another blog post for you all!

First off, Hurricane Beryl didn’t touch the island. Thank you, sweet souls, for reaching out to make sure I was okay. We got maybe 10 minutes of rain, and I cherished every minute. Everyone sing it with me: IF YOU LIKE PINA COLADAS AND GETTING CAUGHT IN THE RAIN, BUM BUM!!!

Second, as promised, here’s some diving content for you all! After my last post, my immune system gave me the middle finger, and I had to live without diving for nine whole days because my ears couldn’t equalize. I nearly died. And I am not being dramatic. Working at a dive shop on a beautiful island and not being able to dive is like trapping a kid in a candy store and refusing him candy…cruel if you ask me.

Anyway, Tristan and I did some coral restoration work the other morning. (Here’s some information on what exactly coral restoration is and why we do it). This dive was just to clean the algae growth off the coral nursery trees to promote healthy coral growth before planting the coral on the reef. And yes, Tristan (funny I know) is my new friend/coworker/subpar Dutch tutor featured in the photos below.

With so many factors working against the coral, it sometimes feels pointless to keep trying. But giving up would be like not feeding the hungry just because there will always be people without food. We do what we can, take comfort in our efforts, and set a good example.

After I started feeling better, I made the most of my above-water activities by hanging out with new friends, finding new sunset spots, exploring different restaurants and bars, and practicing my Dutch!

I finally made it to the famous De Vissari and inhaled the sesame-seared tuna (shout out to my instructor Michael for the menu recommendation). I also did the Christoffel Hike, which offers the best view on the island, even though I nearly drowned in my own sweat, haha. So worth it.

I also joined a sand volleyball team and plan to take up lionfish hunting in my free time. And before you get all “fish are friends, not food,” check out this article on how lionfish suck, or don’t. Your call!

Even though I wasn’t in America for the 4th of July celebration, I still got to enjoy multiple firework shows! It turns out that on July 1st, 1863, the slaves on the island gained their independence, so there's plenty to celebrate here too!

And here is some miscellaneous content from the past two weeks, enjoy :)

Once again, thanks for reading! I miss each of your beautiful faces, and I love your comments. It means so much to have your support. My offer to be the best tour guide you’ve ever had still stands, sooo no pressure on coming to visit or anything ;)

Next post, I’ll hopefully have some fun content from my first volleyball tournament and my first lionfish hunt. If there are other things you want to see or hear about, let me know in the comments :)