Extraordinary Youth Doing Extraordinary Things in the Ocean

09 Aug Extraordinary Youth Doing Extraordinary Things in the Ocean

by Salvador Van Dyke

Extraordinary youth doing extraordinary things. Those are the words that represent Youth Diving With a Purpose (YDWP).  From all the instructors and students to the National Park Service and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), everyone worked together to bring this program forward and create a better future for our oceans.

The Coral Restoration program breaks the stereotype that learning has to be boring. For the first time in my life, I was able to identify by name, shape and color some of the coral that I had grown up with in Costa Rica and seen my whole life. My favorite part of the program was seeing the nursery and learning about the maintenance of the trees. I have never been so enthusiastic about cleaning anything in my life! I enjoyed every part of it – from the classroom to the bottom of the ocean, And I am sure that all the knowledge we were given will be used to preserve and restore our oceans.

Our corals and marine life are not the only things we must preserve, though., In the ocean scattered around the world lay hundreds of shipwrecks waiting to be discovered and documented.  During YDWP, we had the opportunity to work on-site inside the Biscayne National Park. We worked on a wreck full of corals and marine life that had made the wreck their home,

This site was a challenge for me. Drawing all the wooden planks was hard, but with the help of my instructor, I was able to complete my drawing and to finally, on the last day, see our completed map.

I want to thank Mr. Ernie, Mr. Chris, Mr. Andy, Mr. Kramer, Ms. Rebecca, Ms. Justine, Ms. Maria and Mr. Ken Stewart for making all this possible!