Snorkels and Signs

“I think I bought this snorkel at a grocery store,” I told my husband Greg as I unpacked the shoddy children’s pool toy with my scuba mask and fins.  We decided to spend a recent Sunday at Cramer’s Park in a class to improve our snorkel skills.  Well, I must have cleared the ocean water from that crappy snorkel 100 times before the end of the class.  Each time a wave came along or I tilted my head slightly too far in one direction, I had a mouthful of water.  Now that I live on an island, it was time to invest in an ocean-worthy snorkel.

Soon after, my boss Cindy and I had just spent a long Saturday working a wedding.  So she nicely shifted our weekend to Sunday/Monday and arranged for us to sail to Buck Island and snorkel with Caribbean Sea Adventures.  Because we provide concierge services to clients of SunCelebrations and Vacation St Croix, it is important for us to be in-the-know on island activities and be able to make recommendations from personal experience.  Cindy and I ended up rushing just to make the boat that morning, so I had no time to stop into a scuba shop and again toted the kid’s snorkel along.  Luckily, Caribbean Sea Adventures had the boat stocked and I was able to borrow a good one.

Cindy, a former crew member on Big Beard’s sails to Buck Island, was an excellent guide during our snorkel.  Although we spent part of it pelted by rain, it was calm underwater.  We saw vibrant fish, gorgeous coral and a host of barracuda.  Because Buck Island is a marine park, it is well marked with underwater signs.  Some note the snorkeling path, others caution that touching coral kills it, while others denote types of coral commonly found on the reef.  Cindy and I shared a laugh about a question she often received while leading snorkel tours of tourists, “why wasn’t there a squirrel fish right next to the squirrel fish sign?”

Next stop was Chenay Bay for a beach barbeque.  Just as we pulled up to the resort and we were finishing our rum punch, I accidentally knocked Cindy’s cup off the stern of the sailboat.  Not wanting to litter, I dove in after it.  Since the cup was clear and impossible to see underwater, I decided to make amends with Mother Ocean by picking up other pieces of trash on the shallow bottom. 

I was delving down for what looked like a sock when nearby I saw . . . a snorkel!  Partially covered by seaweed, but otherwise I had found a pristine, adult snorkel by US Divers. 

Another opportunity to snorkel came up not long after.  Our friend Chuck, owner of The Palms at Pelican Cove, invited us to join him for a night snorkel off the shore near his home.  While we practically had to drag Greg and Cindy to get in the ocean at night, all of us were excited to see what nocturnal creatures would be out.  We happen to pick a night with a strong ocean surge, making it next to impossible to swim.  We managed to see and touch a couple of amazing things – a sea star and sea cucumber.  A few fish looked panicked by the crazy current, but for the most part everything was in-hiding. 

Chuck said that of the 250 plus snorkels he’s taken off the Palms beach, the conditions that night were the worst.  A sign we should probably have accepted – when sea life is swimming for cover, you probably should be too!  However, it was a great experience for the three of us to get accustomed to the ocean at night for future snorkel and scuba diving adventures. 

Lessons learned:

• Use pool toys in pools, not oceans.
• Take “professional development” days off with your colleagues.
• Care for the earth and enjoy when a good deed comes back to you.
• Appreciate the kindness of new friends.
• Take adventures that push you out of your comfort zone.
• Watch for signs, in the ocean and in life.