Early Friday morning dive support

A blaring alarm woke me up at the ripe hour of 4 am. Grudgingly, I rolled out of bed and began to get ready. Then, as I yanked on my sweater, I realized what I was about to go do. Even though my alarm pulls me from sleep every morning, it is only when I'm going to work on boats that there is this amount of motivation behind my getting ready.  I ran down the stairs, swinging my bag over my soldier. My dad waved groggily to me as I dashed out the front door.

An hour and a half later I stood with Michael and Will, two other vessel ops seniors, and Syed, alumni, waiting for the shuttle van of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. We glimpsed the faint pinkness of the sky. We had all gathered here to help crew a pre-first period dive off the side of Governors Island. When we made it to Harbor School's dock at the yard, we were met by a group of bleary eyed SCUBA divers and their instructors. After loading gear on the school's buoy tender, Privateer, the sun began to peak over the buildings in eastern Brooklyn.

As we left the dock, there was a collective feeling of being a part of something special. The waters were quiet. The city sat hushed. It seemed to us that we, alone, were given the chance to see something so simple and yet so stunning as the sunrise. We could not stop taking pictures. 

When we got to the dive site, the feeling of uniqueness grew. The SCUBA divers dove into the Buttermilk Channel to check on equipment involved in the school's Billion Oyster Project. Everyone- whether vessel ops, SCUBA, or instructor had a clear task. I helped to set up the dock we would use as a dive platform.

As I took a speed boat to my first period class, I was glad at my ability to appreciate the incredible opportunities the school offers, despite the fact that, since I am now a senior, they have become somewhat normal.