The following cacique update was written by Hana and Taylor describing their day as caciques, Tuesday, June 28:

“I eagerly looked down the path of what would be our four-mile run to High Rock and back. It was intimidating yet exciting as we stretched our limbs, getting ready for our challenging adventure. Following Jenny and Kit, we started to run at a quick pace, which little did we know would make us sweat like we never had before. As we slowly started to get closer to High Rock our fatigue began to set in. Finally we reached High Rock and a few people who didn’t mind chafing decided to jump into the water. We continued on our journey to the flagpole at The Island School. Overall, the run was challenging, but everyone felt great and accomplished afterwards.” -Taylor

“I hesitantly stared down at the water about to submerge myself into it. I grasped my mask and regulator in one hand over my face and my SPG in the other and fell backward into the waves. Orienting myself I quickly listened to David give clear instructions and then began to descend into the clear blue. As I looked above I realized I was doing the supposed impossible: breathing underwater. I was immersed in water and exposed to an environment I had never seen. Like many of my fellow Island School peers, it was my first day SCUBA diving.” –Hana

To become SCUBA certified we had to perform a series of skills. The divers who were certified used this as a refresher to remember the skills they had forgotten. The skills were things such as clearing a mask with water, breathing with your buddy’s alternative air source, and swimming without a mask. Many people were able to complete these tasks, and with a few more open water dives everyone will be SCUBA certified!

Feeling hungry but accomplished, we finished the day with a nice spaghetti meal. Finally we went to bed, looking forward to our sleep-in morning the next day, and preparing ourselves for more SCUBA adventures.