I had so much fun today and its only going to get better and better! When I arrived at the Outpost the water was so warm and inviting; it was so cool! At the beginning of this trip, I didn’t really want to go because I was scared, unsure, and unprepared, but now, that I’m down here I wish I could move down here. This place is amazing! The people are so nice and like to have fun just like all the kids! We played a fun game by the beach and there was a lessen to go with it. The lessen was to teach us about life and how the environment is impacted!

Even though most of us only got a little bit to sleep, no one is grumpy or grouchy.  We all just seem to get along great. The trip has been long and this whole time we have been hanging out with each other even sleeping on a hard floor in the airport. No matter what were all together even if that person isn’t in your click at school he or she is going to be included in every thing because this is a group trip, so were all making a group effort!               

Taylor Rose

Craig, CO

Hello Nebraskans!!  We are having a wonderful time here in the Bahamas. J Today, we snorkeled at the Outpost Reef which the people here said is usually too choppy and wavy to do so.  I got a little sea sick, but the views were awesome.  We saw Yellowtail Damselfish, a huge lobster, fire coral (not a good animal to touch…ouch!), and Parrotfish.  Before lunch, we got to walk along the beach and pick up shells.  Some people found some truly unique ones that I’m sure they’ll show you when they get back.  We have 3 more days of swimming/snorkeling and then it’s all over. L  The food is great, and, no mom, it’s not healthy, but it sure tastes good!  Oh, and Liv told me to tell you, Mr. and Mrs. Walter, that her dream of touching a jellyfish came true!  It did storm a little today, but not bad.  I’m so sorry you guys can’t be here with us.  I love you dad, mom, Christi, and Tucker! 

Abi

McCook, Nebraska

Today was the day of search and seek. Searching through new seas and seeking out all different kinds of shells. Each day is a new adventure with excitement around every corner. Our first snorkel site was the home beach of outpost Eleuthera. The waves are intense, but the coral reefs make up for it. Then we enjoyed a delicious BBQ at James Cistern. Unfortunately, not everything went according to plan. After 5 seconds of swimming at Shipwreck Beach after lunch, lightning and thunder snapped us out of the water, forcing a detour to the opposite side of the island.  Cupid's Cay, the supposed first site of Columbus' landing, was where we ended up for artifact hunting instead of Shipwreck Beach.

The grub is not too shabby, except for the fact that it's too good to stop eating...tehehe :D. I'm having a dandy time soaking up the sun and using up the sunscreen, but don't you fret mom, I have plenty to spare. Quick shout out to my parentals, Danten, and all the boys since they seem to be lacking those on this island. Miss and love you all, talk to you all when I get home. Only five more days!!!!

Love much,

Hailey

McCook, Nebraska 

Today I realized that this is not a dream anymore. When I woke up and I could hear the waves on the beach.  We were supposed to wake up at 7 o’clock but I woke up at about 6 and watched the sunrise a little bit. Our wake up call was the coolest conch shell and the dogs went crazy and it was so cool. After we had breakfast, which was amazingly good pancakes, we got our snorkel gear and got in the ocean for a test run. And just let me say, SNORKELING IS AMAZING!!!!! I didn’t think all the fish would be so easily seen, we were just in the shallow water and we had all these little fishes swimming all around us. It was so cool!!  Then we went deeper (well further it didn’t really get deeper) and we saw all of this algae and coral and all kinds of sweet stuff. Then we took a water break and had lunch and just chilled out for a little bit. We had this crazy beach activity that had us tie up in knows and it was crazy. Speaking of crazy, my teachers and instructors are bonkers but so much fun and they make this so funny. They are just a blast. Anyway after our crazy knot we went back out and snorkeled some more. Oh my gosh there was this huge fish!!! Like seriously I think it was as long as me and fat, we thought it was a shark at first. So cool but none of our teachers saw it so they probably think were crazy or something. Me and Haley (my dive buddy and regular buddy) were so goofy. You’re not supposed to laugh when your snorkeling because it lets water in your mask. Every time we would see a jelly we poke its back and go, “boing boing boing” and just start cracking up and get water in our mask. So I have a lot of salt water in my nose!!  I told my teacher that I may hide on the day we have to leave this wonderful place. But I probably won’t because I am already starting to miss my little bro.

-Kayla Fahrenbruch

Mccook, NE

    Today we woke at 7:00 a.m. For breakfast we had pancakes, baked apples, cranberry juice, and grape juice! Everyone enjoyed lessons in snorkeling and gear. We received our gear and met in the circle in front of the main house.  From the outpost, we trucked to Alabaster Bay where we got in the water at roughly 9:20. We applied the sunscreen ALL the time! We entered the water and tried on our gear and learned how to swim and snorkel with fins and masks. It was very cool! After that we went and explored with our instructors. At noon we departed the bay for lunch at the outpost! We had delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato! After lunch we chilled at the beach and made a human knot which taught us about importance of everything in the environment. Then we took a beach survey of all the trash and found the most abundant was plastic and found where it all came from. I found a shampoo bottle with Spanish writing that had a bite taken out of it. It made you think a lot about your personal role in the environment and keeping it healthy. After that we went back to Alabaster bay and snorkeled on a more with our buddy! It was an amazing day and I am looking forward to so much more!

Kaleb

Cambridge, NE

July 24^th, 2008

            Talk about a long and tiring day!  We spent from 4:00am to about 4:00pm traveling.  We took 3 different planes to get here!  It’s about time!  It was really weird being in Georgia and Florida in the same day.  Our plane from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale was huge!  It was like 44 rows and 6 seats to a row!  Half of the McCook group landed in North Eleuthera, so we had to drive about 50 miles to get to the Outpost.   It was pretty crazy.  It’s really weird that they drive on the opposite side of the road here; I think it about gave some people a heart attack!  On the plane ride to Eleuthera we flew through a spot of the Bermuda Triangle, which was pretty cool.  Also, on the way to the Outpost, we drove over this bridge that is considered one of the most interesting places in the world because on one side is the Atlantic Ocean and on the other side the Caribbean.  It was really neat to see the different colors contrasting each other.

            Once we got to the Outpost, the instructors showed us around and we immediately headed down to the beach.  Gorgeous!  White sand beach, clear blue water, perfect water temperature, it can’t get any better than this!  We had a class tonight to go over different marine animals and dive signs and signals.  We finally get to go snorkeling tomorrow!  Can’t wait, so excited!

            Talk to you later,

                        Madison

                                    McCook, Nebraska   

Today, we arrived at the airport around 5:30 this evening.  This was my first time going through customs and I got my first stamp in my passport.  We traveled to the Outpost and drove on the wrong side of the road!  That was pretty crazy because we came around a curve, met a car, and I freaked out for a minute thinking we were going to run into the car.  When we arrived at the Outpost we got to choose our bunks and then eat supper!  We were all hungry from flying all day and not really eating very much.

For supper we had spaghetti, salad, bread, and delicious cake.  After supper we got to do what I had been waiting for all day…SWIM IN THE OCEAN. Swimming in the ocean was definitely my favorite part of the day.  The ocean was delightfully warm and refreshing!  After swimming in the ocean we had a meeting.  Krispen gave us the general guidelines for the Outpost and respect is the #1 rule. Then we learned some snorkeling signs and a few of the sea creatures we will see while snorkeling.  Then we went to our cabins to shower and get ready for bed.

Julia

Holbrook, NE

Nobody knew how this week would go for my son Jason and me. Jason has a genetic disorder called Prader Willi syndrome, and it presents us with a number of challenges in everyday life. Imagine how challenging this week has been for Jason (and his sidekick)! But the staff and his fellow travelers have helped make this once-in-a-lifetime dream come true for Jason. They were not only his supporters, but his champions, as he hiked and snorkeled and explored this amazing island and its ecosystem.

In Jason’s words: “I had a lot of fun. I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun on a trip! I loved being able to explore the island and snorkel in its oceans. It really gave me a good idea of how hard it would be to go into this line of work. My favorite dives were Ocean Hole on Friday, and Alabaster Bay and James Cistern beach on Sunday. I also loved the cave on Monday. I would definitely recommend this trip to kids with special needs and anyone who is willing to push themselves to the limit to see what they can do in this kind of work.”

Joleen and Jason

Omaha, NE

Today, on our last snorkel adventure, we had our most fabulous discovery.  While searching for shells I came across a small broken conch shell that had some sort of goo inside.  “Its odd that we’re all looking for the tiny shells,” I thought.  Then, I realized that the goo had eyes…and legs…eight legs.   Yes, it was an octopus.  While about twenty-five people tried to see the tiny thing, another was discovered.  And a few minutes later, another.  Yes, three octopuses.  What a wonderful end to our last dive, huh?

Well, it has come time for the Wild Adventurers to turn in their gear, pack up their bags and reflect on the last few amazing days.  As week look back, we’ve been to seven or eight dives in the last five days.  We’ve been through smashing waves, very wet caves, rainstorms, conch shell horns, and so much more.  We’ve had the opportunity to meet thirty-five people from five different states.  We’ve learned everything from fish identification and snorkel breathing to eco-friendly habits and friend making games.  All in all, this has been an experience to remember. 

I’ve never been on a trip where you are literally hiking through the bush and swimming with free roaming sharks.  I didn’t know what to expect when I got on the plane six days ago, but this trip is definitely one of the most extreme memories I’ve ever had.  So, thanks to our dive leaders:  KTO, Jeff, and Kpen—you guys are awesome. All of you are great teachers and a blast to hangout with   And thanks to our chaps—you have all been more like super knowledgeable friends than teachers on this trip.  Thanks for bringing us!! Jim—wow, what a program, thank you. 

So, now we’re off like a heard of turtles back to our respective corners of the Earth.  But, we take with us knowledge and memories that few students have had the opportunity to experience.  We go back to our lives more aware of the expanse we inhabit.  So, goodbye, paradise; goodbye, Eleuthra; goodbye El mar.  Hello, home. 

Kate

Jenison, MI

Students 14 years of age or older may now apply for a 2009 Wild Studies adventure!!

Click here for the application  : www.wildstudies.com/sit_contact2.asp

             Today, after getting up at 7:30, we went to the outer wall of alabaster bay. There we started at a old navel base. The sea fans were everywhere. We saw some yellow snapper, tons of parrotfish and a couple of grouper. The coolest fish was the large lionfish. Then we went to a swim throw. We then had to climb out on some cool rocky area and hike back. It was supper fun. We then drove to James Cistern Beach. It was a nice sandy bottom with a few coral spots.  We saw a cool hogfish, and a sweet flying gurnard. It just sat there opening and closing its wing like pectoral fins, that had a cool blue and purple color on it.        

            After lunch we went to the cliffs that were vary cool looking.  There were cool tide pools, and a cool cave that we got to climb down to. We then drove over to ship wreck beach. The surf was not really big but for those who wanted to snorkel had a ball. A group of us went snorkeling around the coral areas. Then headed back to look for sea glass.  That was fun to do but even more fun to watch. When a big wave came in it would wash everyone up on to shore. We were colliding into one another.  Overall this day was so much fun filled with great activities. I can’t wait for tomorrow!

Tyler

Jenison, MIs

            Today I got up to the sound of the conchs and canines at seven o’clock.  We had a wonderful meal of eggs, grits, bacon, and coffee cake for breakfast and then we headed to the outer wall of Alabaster Bay. We were able to do a swim through called the river of fish in some of the coral and see some crazy fish.  My favorite fish of the day was the Fairy Basslett.  Also, we spotted thousands of silversides, juvenile puffers, moon sea jellies, and hog fish to just name a few. We got out after the swim through and took a short hike to the trucks.  From there we went to James Cistern and did buddy snorkeling and shell hunting.  There were some crazy cool things in there.  I found loads of conchs and oyster shells.  From James Cistern we came back to the Outpost for some lunch.  On the menu were ham and cheese sandwiches, veggie sandwiches, and pasta salad.  It was all delicious!

            The next stop for us was a hike on the cliffs.  We saw some gorgeous views of the ocean and we learned how the cliffs that we were standing on actually were fossilized coral that had been exposed from the changes in the climate from the ice age. The last beach we went to was shipwreck beach. We got to swim and a few people decided to go snorkeling.  I really enjoyed that.

            Dinner was amazing. We had mac and cheese, barbecue pork, beans, and coleslaw.  Then we had time to shower and chill.  Now I’m off to a “history” class about the islands of the Bahamas!  I can’t wait for tomorrow!

Callie

Pinehurst, NC

Gee whiz!! Today was freaking awesome! JI woke up and had some great pancakes and sausages. We hiked along the rocky ocean shore this morning to get to our first dive sight. It was really interesting learning about the tide pools and how hard of a life the creatures lead that reside in them.

On our first dive I saw some amazing marine life. My group actually some sea turtles! It was pretty cool. But, I felt bad for it because one of the turtles had like a huge gash in its shell. But, once someone scared it, the turtle swam away pretty easily so it was okay. There were also some filefish and some really cool squirrelfish there as well. On our second dive we went to this dive sight where some of the people would swim under these caves or something. I was too scared to go down and do it because I’m not really the most impressive diver. Then during that same dive we went to Turtle Hole. Here we got to pair off and swim on our own. It was so cool because my partner and I went into all the little caves and crevices. We spotted a whole lot of grouper and parrotfish. Turtle Hole was spectacular.

After our two dives, we started off over to a local barbeque. We actually hiked over to the trucks through the forest which took a lot of time, and I hit my head on many of the trees and plant life. The hike was pretty sweet anyway. The barbeque food tasted great!!!! The chicken and all the sides were killer. But, the best part by far was the banana cake.

Once we got back, a group of us decided to go on another dive right at Outpost Reef. It was a little bit wavy and I actually bumped into some fire coral. It stung terribly, but the dive was worth it because I saw a humongous triggerfish along with many others. Once I got back though, I had some awesome red marks all over my stomach and I put a whole lot of vinegar on them. That was fun! J

Well that kind of sums up the day!!!

Nick   

Racine, WI

Today was a very exciting day. It started with an AMAZING pancake breakfast. The real adventure began when we took an ocean side hike along the beach. The view was GEORGEOUS! A nice tan was a bonus! From there we entered the water and snorkeled to turtle hole. That place was awesome. Because it’s the second day, I was beginning to master my dive and was able to swim under a rocky ledge. There I saw many colorful fish… face to face.

            After snorkeling the group went to a local barbecue. The barbecue ribs were DELICIOUS! Once everyone was done eating, we went back to wild studies head quarters and were offered the option to play volleyball, snorkel, or relax after our exhausting (yet fun) morning activities. Over all, it was a blast and I can’t wait for what tomorrow has to offer.

Rhiannon Miller

Racine, WI

Students 14 years of age or older may now apply for a 2009 Wild Studies adventure!!

Click here for the application  : www.wildstudies.com/sit_contact2.asp

Today was our first day snorkeling and it was amazing. Our first snorkel spot was Alabaster Bay, the sandy floor with tons of invertebrates and many colorful little fish like silversides. We even saw a barracuda, a small one but it was still awesome. One of the groups even saw a spotted eagle ray which I wish I would have saw.                       

            Then we headed to another spot that had a huge pit in the middle of the ocean, called Ocean Hole. It was so cool. We found all sorts of things like lion fish, blue tangs, stingrays, upside down jellyfish, and angle fish. There was also a nurse shark in the area but again, I missed it so hopefully on one of our next dives I will be able to see one. I’m so excited, now that I know how to snorkel, to go to the rest of our dive sites and see more of these truly amazing creatures that inhabit the ocean.

Alana

Jenison, MI

Today kicked off our week at the Bahamas.  The day was excellent and included two impressive snorkel adventures.  Alabaster bay, dive site one, was a gentle sand plain that provided a nice sheltered area for everyone to get comfortable with their equipment in the ocean.  It was a relaxing dive and right off the bat a spotted eagle ray was sighted.  Some other common sights included sea urchins, sea stars, donkey dung cucumbers etc.  But the second dive is where the excitement was.

            Our second and more advanced dive was situated in the glassy Caribbean.  This dive took us to a deep impression (35-40ft) where we found some pretty cool creatures.  Though I only saw two, lionfish were out in numbers; I heard four was the final count.  It was also filled with your typical reef fish and a small nurse shark.  Only a few others and I saw it.  Though I saw the shark, I really wanted to see the pack of squid that a few others did.  But tomorrow is a new day and I am sure it will be just as good as this one.

Kyle D

Pittsburg, PA

Students 14 years of age or older may now apply for a 2009 Wild Studies adventure!!

Click here for the application  : www.wildstudies.com/sit_contact2.asp

Yesterday was a very fun and excited day. It was kind of bitter sweet because it was going to be our last day diving but we are happy to go back and see our family. We went to Current Cut which was so cool. This is where the Atlantic and the Caribbean meet and the there is a current that actually will take you around the island. This was incredible and I couldn’t think of a better way to wrap up the trip. Last night was full of enjoyable activities and farewells to our newly made friends. We have all made lasting friendships with people we met just one week ago.

The trip as a whole was an experience I will never forget. I don’t think I will ever get to see coral and marine life like I have in this past week. We were able to see fire coral, grouper, puffer fish, baslets, and even some stingray. Krispen, Jeff, and Katie made this trip a lot of fun with their upbeat personalities and knowledge of the environment. Dianne was the most amazing cook ever. Everything she made was absolutely delicious and I had no complaints. This trip gave me more knowledge of my Earth and made me realize how important it is to try and conserve it as much as possible. I now have a better respect for my environment thanks to Wild Studies.

Austin Gaines

Granite City, Illinois

Yesterday was Current Cut and souvenir shopping.  Current Cut was fun and a good experience.  It was fun to just drift along and be able to look at everything around you.  The visibility wasn’t very clear, but other than that it was a really fun dive. Pam’s gift shop is really cool and we all bought a ton of sweet stuff.  It was also air-conditioned which was really nice.  After that we headed to the ice cream shop. The lady was really nice and had really good ice cream. We then came back to the Outpost and just hung out.  In the evening we made hemp necklaces from shells we had found throughout the week.  After, we played this awesome game named “The Bowl”.  Basically there were other peoples’ names in the bowl and you had to give clues to make the other people from your team guess the names.  There was only one minute per team which made it nerve racking.  Yesterday was extremely fun and I don’t want to leave.

The whole experience was extremely nice.  There was a lot to learn.  From learning how to free dive and snorkel to learning all the fish names along with the different types of coral.  Looking back now, I wish the week were longer because everybody got along really well. This week went by so fast, but I would not have changed one thing except maybe the bugs.

Maura Donahue

Milan, Michigan

Today was awesome! We started off the day with an amazing breakfast cooked by Dianne. We then packed up the trucks and headed out to Turtle Hole for a hike and a dive. To get to the dive site, we walked alongside the rocky shoreline and ended at the beach. We then separated into our dive groups and went to Turtle Hole and explored the tongue and groove reef. Some brave souls even battled the swim through. Then we hit the shoreline for some quick PB&J snacks and headed back out to the opposite dive spots. Once we were done diving, we hiked back through the jungle to the trucks. We came back to the Outpost and had free time for the rest of the afternoon. Some kayaked, napped, or hung out in hammocks.  It was then time for dinner. Dianne cooked some incredible chicken jerk, macaroni & cheese, and baked beans. It was yum-o! P.S. Pegasus, your daughter ACCIDENTALLY broke her camera, nbdtm. Peace out!

Ellen Folman

Hermantown, MN

Today, breakfast was eggs, bacon and fried potatoes with bagels, bread, peanut butter, jelly, butter and a cake-ish thing. Everything was awesome as usual. After, we decided to go for a hike and a snorkel. We went along a rock shore with tide pools and got to see a bird nesting right in a ‘hole.’ It didn’t even move when we stood all around it. The tide pools even had small fish present. Once we got to the beach, we had a small snack then went to a “swim through”, a place where you can swim under an enclosed formation of coral and rock. We actually got to go through two: an arch and the other was more two holes that were connected. On the way, we saw a puffer fish that was at least 3ft long, not inflated.  We went back to the beach then out to “Turtle Hole,” a small inlet with many small fish and coral as their homes. When we got back, we went for a hike through the jungle. Along the way we saw sink holes, aka ‘man-eating’ holes, and cacti. When we got back to the ‘outpost,’ we rested a while then had the choice to go kayaking. Once we came back, we ate dinner and played ‘yuker’.

Basically, everything was amazing.

Brian Kirkpatrick

Milan, MI

Hey everyone!

Today was filled with some awesome adventures.  We started out with a delicious breakfast of French toast.  We then went to Naked German Beach to snorkel, but el mar <the ocean> decided it wanted to be wavy, so we had to pick shells and go swimming for a while. It eventually let up and graced us with the opportunity to go snorkeling.  The view was amazing, and we saw so many fish! Some of us even saw an octopus and a shark!  Sweet right?! 

            Lunch consisted of a picnic lunch at the beach.  We had the choice of either PB&J’s or ham and cheese, watermelon, chocolate chip cookies and Pringles – once the top pops, the fun don’t stop, and it really didn’t!  We then headed to the caves.  They were absolutely amazing.  Leaf nose bats inhabited the caves, and they were still really cool.  We traveled down to the third layer, which was optional.  The whole level was muddy water, and the counselors told us to be careful where we stepped because of the stalagmites growing under the water.

            As a finale, we went back to the Outpost and some snorkeled, some showered, and some just chilled. We just had a delicious dinner and are now off to class about inverts. Everything was amazing today, and it all keeps on getting better day-by-day.

Oliva

 Hermantown, MN

Hello! =]

            Today I woke up at 6:10 to go for my walk/run on the beach.  I ended up being too tired and went back to sleep to wait for the conch to wake everyone up.  Breakfast was delicious as usual, which consisted of French toast, peaches, watermelon, pineapple, oranges, bagels, etc. We all packed up and went to Naked German Beach for some awesome snorkeling.  We saw many new fish and plants that we had not seen in the previous days.  The underwater terrain was more rocky than usual. We had a picnic lunch today that included peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, ham and cheese sandwiches, chocolate chip cookies, and Pringles.

            After lunch we headed over to the caves! Which, in my opinion was the most exciting part of the day.  Exploring the cave was so much fun and interesting.  We found out many interesting facts about the cave’s history and saw graffiti drawings that dated back to the 1800’s. We also got to go through a part of the cave in which we were in water up to our wastes. It brought out the little kids in us when we were exploring.

            We came back to camp and several of us went snorkeling in the ocean right outside our rooms. Afterwards we came back and cleaned up for our lasagna dinner! We are all beginning to come together as one group now and really enjoying each other’s company.  Currently we are playing fun card games and some other icebreaker games. This trip is truly going to be one to remember for all of us.

Nathan

Granite City, IL

Today my group and I woke up very early to a beautiful morning sunrise. We went down to the beach and ran for about a mile until we reached a specific point located to the right end of the Outpost. We walked back just in time to get ready for breakfast. The dive this morning was at the outer wall of Alabaster Bay. The water was bright blue and kind of chilly as we entered but we worked it out. Julie was my dive partner and we noticed some interesting creatures during our journey through the water. Some of the ocean creatures we saw were quite large crab (which Katie grabbed but unfortunately fell completely apart as we examined its shell…we laughed sooo hard as our masks filled up with water). Jeff also grabbed a dead crab from under a dark rock to show off to his group. Some very colorful fish also caught our attention, such as, parrot fish (rainbow and stoplight), yellow-tail snappers, Sgt. Majors, Angel Fish, many of silver sides…they seem to be very common. Barracudas and sting rays were also said to be seen. The fish were awesome but everyone seemed to get a blast out of swimming into a hole to make it to the other side of some rock. It’s called a swim through. Today in the dive, I learned that to get a really good peek at some cool fish you need to dive down deep to get a closer look. After the dive we got ready for our absolutely delicious barbeque. Talk about AMAZING!!! It was fun eating with our friends by the beach and getting to look around for neat shells. After the wonderful lunch we went to a sight where there were some very extravagant cliffs that we were able to climb. Katie taught us all about how they got there and we took pictures with our groups. I had a great time hiking my butt up the rocky terrain and looking out over the ocean. It was so hot after we climbed the cliffs, so we came back and cooled off on the beach and tried to swim into the waves…I’m not to good at holding my ground because every time a big wave came it smacked me on to my booty. It was really funny though and everyone laughed. It was a long day but very worth it. And on the plus side every night finishes off with an amazing dinner by our cook Diane. I thank god for her cooking because I LOOOVEEE food. I’m having such a great time here and I can’t wait for tomorrow and hopefully I see a shark. I’ve really been wanting to see a large creature.

Erika

Granite City, Illinois

Today was amazing! After breakfast we geared up to go snorkeling at Outer wall in Alabaster.  I saw a lot of really cool things like a Spotted Eagle Ray; I also saw a lot of angel, silversides, parrot, and a lot of other really cool fishes!  Then we got to swim through a cave, and then we climbed out and walked back to the truck.  When we got back to the Outpost we got some things ready and then went to the BBQ that some of the locals had for some lunch.  The food was really good.  I had the barbeque chicken but ribs were also offered.  After lunch, we went to the cliffs and learned about how they were formed, tide pools, and then we got to walk down into a little cave.  After we got back to the Outpost from the cliffs we had some free time to play in the water, relax, eat, shower, and just do whatever we wanted.  After some free time we did our dive journals and had some really good dinner!  Now we have a little more free time before we learn about some more things, and then it is off to bed to rest up for another adventurous day in the Bahamas!

Eryn

Milan, MI

Hey Yousguys, as the Michiganders and Illini seem to think we speak.

Today we woke up to the sound of the conch shell and the dogs going mental over it.  We started off the day with scrambled eggs and bacon.  Our first dive site was at Alabaster Bay.  We learned how to free dive, put our equipment on and most importantly, how to de-fog our masks with a special solution: our saliva.  Later in the day, we went on the beach out front and scanned the shores for garbage inventory.  Sadly, we found WAY TOO MUCH LITTER such as bottles, baseballs, milk crates, a fridge, and more.  Lunch consisted of our choice of grilled cheese or good, old PB&J!!  It was delicious.  With some down time on our hands, we chillaxed in the hammocks and took a ton of pictures.  With a storm in the sky we weren’t sure if we would get a second dive in.  The lightning let up and we were lucky enough to go to Ocean Hole.  Today on our dive we saw some of the following:

-          Lion Fish

-          Fire Coral

-          Octopus

-          Upside-down Jelly Fish

-          Comb Jelly Fish

-          Angel Fish

-          Crabs

-          Butterfly Fish

-          Hog Fish

-          Drum Fish

-          Groupers…like a hundred thousand of them

-          Donkey Dung Sea Cucumber

-          Sea Stars

-          And…… Parrot Fish

Do yousguys know in Finding Nemo when they jump on the Jelly Fish?  Well, we did that, with our fingers.  Yes.  We just got done eating our fabulous din din prepared by the AMAZING Diane.  We are going to go sit in our paradise home for the week.  Have fun in Minnesoooooooooda.  Ha ha.  Is it snowing there still?

We would like to give a shout out to Tracie And David Salo, Steven and Margaret Ohme, and LASTLY Miss Laura Kesti.  Steen, Claire, and I miss you so much LK.

Claire S & Kristen G

Hermantown, MN

After waking up at 7 in the morning, we all made our way to the main house to eat breakfast.  We were assigned our snorkel gear and then were on our way to the first snorkel sight. Alabaster Bay was a beautiful calm inlet on the island that gave us a good starting experience on learning how to snorkel. After learning how to dive under and looking for interesting marine life, we were back to the house for lunch. Shortly after lunch we looked for trash along the beach and noted everything we saw. Most of the trash we found on the beach was plastic. We all couldn’t believe what kind of trash and how much trash we found on just a small part of the island. We saw what the effects of our carelessness is doing to the environment. Then we made our way back to the cabins to get ready for the second snorkel trip of the day. Being threatened by the approaching thunderstorm, we waited a little after lunch to make sure everything was ready to go. After the weather had calmed down. We trooped just down the street to Ocean Hole. This was a small beach-like area where we looked for and found many beautiful shells. Then we snorkeled and found many different kinds of fish. We saw; lion fish, sea stars, hogfish, angelfish, parrotfish, upside down jellyfish and a lot more. The third day is not too far away and we are all ready to find out new and crazy different things. The weather is beautiful and beaches could not get any better. I can’t wait for the rest of the week to come.

            I also wanted to say hello and I miss you to… my mom and dad, Reid, Amy, Amanda, Justin and the rest of my friends and family I left in New Jersey. Sorry you are still home. 

Leigh

Columbus, New Jersey

Students 14 years of age or older may now apply for a 2009 Wild Studies adventure!!

Click here for the application  : www.wildstudies.com/sit_contact2.asp