Day 1 January 15, 2000

I got my first real view of the island as the plane began its decent. The view was amazing. Everything was green, and bright. There wasn't a bare spot anywhere. As the plane got lower I realized that this island was going to be something special, and that all the pictures I had seen did no justice to this paradise. It was as if we where all about to land in a new world.

When we stepped out into the sun I think everyone was at a loss for words. None of us imagined the island to be so beautiful. After we got our baggage from the one room airport we got on the bus that would bring us to our new home for the next nine days. The bus took us up, down, and around winding pathways. Each time we went around a corner we would beep our horn to let any cars know we where coming. The roads are only wide enough for one car and when another has to pass it is quite interesting considering there is only a few inches to spare between you and a huge drop into the rainforest. Dominica is like the kind of place you read about in National Geographic, you can't truly imagine or understand it until you have seen it.

I can already say that this trip will be amazing. No matter what happens the rest of this week, the amazing images I saw today can never be erased from my mind. I think this may be one of the only places on earth left that cannot be compared to Aldous Huxleys, Brave New World.

Day 6 January 20, 2000

It was cloudy when we woke up today, because it had rained during the night. Today was going to be our second day of snorkeling and whale watching. After we ate breakfast we headed out to Dive Dominica where we would meet our boat. After we got on the boat we checked to make sure that we had all of our equipment from the day before, and then we where off. Today we where going to be snorkeling at a spot called Champagne. Dominica is a volcanic island that is still active, and at this particular spot there is geothermal activity occurring under the ground causing bubbles to float up to the surface and this is how Champagne got its name. We got out of the boat and began to snorkel around and explore everything. There was allot more coral at this spot then the spot the previous day. We saw pretty many species of fish, and I also dove down to have a look at some black and yellow crabs. At one point Mr. Leonhardt pointed out the bubbles to me. I went down to have a closer look at where they where coming from and the water was very warm. Our guide said that if you dig down a little bit with your hands it becomes too hot to touch without gloves. After about an hour and a half of snorkeling we got back on the boat to go look for whales.

At this point it started to rain pretty hard. We used a hydrophone to find out where the whales where. The hydrophone detects the clicks of the whales and allows us to hear them and also tells the direction they are coming from. All of a sudden our guide pointed to something in the water. Everyone jumped up and there in the water just ahead we saw a few Dwarf Sperm Whales breaching. Apparently seeing this type of whale is a rare occurrence. Just after we spotted these whales the sun came out and it was hot. If that had been the only thing we saw I would not have been disappointed, but that wasn't the case at all. The day was only beginning for us. Awhile later a pod of Frasier Dolphins appeared in front of us. It was so exciting. They swam right ahead of our boat. They where so close it seemed that you could reach out and touch them. Someone made the comment that they felt like they where at Sea World, to me having the unique opportunity to see these creatures in there natural habitat is anything but a trip to Sea World. On our way back we also saw some Pilot Whales spyhopping through the water, and we also saw sperm whales. We where so lucky to see so many species of whales in one day.

After the we got back from the whale watch we spent a few hours in town, and headed back to Spring Field Plantation to relax for our big hike the next day.