Today the time has come to face the Scuba Fear or die trying ;)
5:45 am - Wake up early – its TOO early! Try to go back to sleep but its not happening and we are all awake and mobile by 6! We see & appreciate the view of Maho from Studio 5A (I sound like a tv broadcast) for the first time this morning. Stunning! What a gorgeous place to spend a little bit of time. We get organized & head off to find some breakfast.
After hearing kudos about the Donkey Diner on the USVI board, we go in search. I think I remember correctly that its near Skinny's - i.e. the designated meeting place for scuba lesson. Yep, I was right there it is. We’re the only folks in the place. I decide on the special mozzarella, red pepper, green pea, & mushroom omelet. Sounds a bit weird but it was in a word...Scrumptious! Mini F-F has a pancake and some peas. She actually prefers the peas to the pancakes. The Man has what he deems a good breakfast sandwich. High praise from a man who loves his breakfast foods.
As breakfast ends I realize I am actually going to have to go & meet Colette for real. That this scuba thing is actually going to happen. TODAY! And I begin to alternate between a) Boy I am smart for getting this in early and getting it out of the way and b) I am NOT ready to face this.
We pay up for breakfast & drive off to our meeting spot at Skinny’s and realize we’re a bit early so we drive on out past Vie's. On our way we pass a runner and her dog on a massive hill and I swear the dog gives us the look of “please help me, she’s crazy, you look like nice people, is that car air conditioned? surely that car has a/c” but he loyally continues to runs on behind her. You have to love Dogs for that! Decide the 9 o'clock hour is approaching and we should turn around and head back to meet Colette.
9 am on the dot we pull into the Skinny Leg's parking lot and there is who must be Colette with another first timer, Cindy. At first I think man she's brought another dive master cause she knows I am going to be a tough case ;) She gives me no time to think and says "Follow me." So we're back on the road heading out to Haulover Bay (narrowest point of the island at about 300 yards wide, named because boaters would literally haul their boats over there to prevent going all the way around the point). We pass the poor doggie again & the crazy jogger!
Colette tells us that typically Haulover is a very calm spot but today as a result of recent storms it’s a bit rough. To me it doesn’t seem so bad. Of course, I am still on shore!
Colette leads us through about 45 minutes of onshore briefing/lessons & I get to ask all my odd questions. Then we are off into the water. I am already feeling more comfortable than I did the first time I tried this scuba thing without success.
Two things stick with me – 1) exhale…remember exhaling is 1/2 of that whole keep breathing thing - I would just inhale really big and then try to inhale again w/o exhaling and that doesn't really work! AND 2) your land instincts were developed on land – being under water is and should be kind of foreign. And I keep remembering FlaGeorge's kind words about he his own anxiety even now after diving for longer than I've been alive (I didn't have the heart to tell him that, but he found out later). Thanks again George! Your voice was in the back of my mind many times during this morning!!!
Colette has a calmness about her (she's also a yoga instructor) & so I THINK I am ready to go in. We suit up and head into the shallow water. Within 3 minutes we are trying to do the face in the water thing, I go down about 2 feet and am flailing. I mildly freak and Colette wisely gives me space, takes Cindy a few feet away and gets her acclimated. I stay there and try to just practice the breathing.
Now this entire time alone I am thinking to myself, “this is not for me, I am not liking this, I don’t want to do this, I am going on shore, I am not cut out for this” but the whole time – about 10 minutes tops – I am keeping my head in and breathing through the gear. I am mentally working hard to talk myself out of trying. Somehow Colette has perfect timing and is back to me before I head for the shore! I start to get a little more comfortable and the trick of LONG exhales/short inhales is actually working for me. I am physically counting to 5 on the exhale and to 3 on the inhale and low and behold it works just as Colette said it would.
Colette asks if I am ready, I nod, trying to be a good sport, she takes my hand and before I know it we are under. Maybe about 5 feet and then maybe 10 feet. It was an absolute thrill! I was so proud of myself. I am typically either very good at something – and thus do it and do it well – or fear failure and won’t even try! But I really, really wanted to do this just to conquer the fear if nothing else.
Soon I was grinning underwater. What a great feeling, until I realize my broad smile is causing my mask to leak. Remembering what I was taught on shore, I actually successfully clear my mask! The first of many times. Soon I am thinking this is much cooler than snorkeling. Hardest thing for me is that you CAN’T talk under there. There is so much to say! Another problem for me was that the thumbs up in Flip-Flop sign language means VERY COOL but in Scuba it means I want to go UP! So there is a bunch of giving the thumbs up, thinking that's wrong, and switching to the Ok sign. Colette is awesome and checks on me continuously giving me little claps underwater.
Soon, before I realize it, Colette decides to get us to try to take out the regulator. She shows Cindy, Cindy complies. She shows me, I don't so much comply. She points to me to say your turn. I point back to her so she'll do it again so I can study. I am much better at watching and doing than listening and doing - so this works for me. After watching her do it twice, I actually do it. Another small victory and a HUGE boost to my confidence.
Before I know it we are headed back to shore and the dive is OVER! And best of all I enjoyed myself!!! I didn’t realize it but we had gone as far as about 30 feet down. I swear I would have followed Colette to Puerto Rico if she went there. I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to the sport & I am pretty sure I am going to pursue getting certified. It was so cool to be down there and to be able to stay down there and really explore. The cool thing is figuring out you can control your motion through your breathing & just 1 finger in the sand will keep you from rammin into something you don't want to hit.
We get back to shore and she looks at Cindy and says, "you were just loving it down there" and she looks at me and says "you are just amazed at yourself for doing it" - and she was so right.
1pm – We are packing up the gear & off to Skinny’s for a post-dive burger. Cheddar burger and a bud light after a morning of exertion – there are few finer things in life. The morning's activities had definitely given me a good appetite. The little one and daddy (who had headed off to Maho this whole time) join us at Skinny’s. Apparently they had played hard at Maho and the girl is unconscious. I check for breathing.
He (an avid diver and great encourager of my trying this out AGAIN) asks how it was. I just smile. He says, I think thinking I didn't do it, "did you do it?" I smile. And then I tell him all about it. He is very happy. He says that he expected I would do it but that he didn’t expect that I would like it, he was so completely surprised to find that I enjoyed myself! We bid farewell to Colette and head back to the Maho for a break.
We rest up a bit at Maho and decide to go downtown to Cruz bay. Mini Flip-Flop wants ice cream and we need aloe. Daddy has managed to fry the little one's arms at Maho. Just the forearms! The last thing I said before risking my life to try his passion of scuba diving was “reapppppply the sunscreen” he says to me, “I couldn’t find it” – I kid you not. He had one bag with him and there were 2 bottles of KIDblock 123000 SPF in there! But I breathe deeply, think I am on island time, this will not stop me, it doesn't look like 3rd degree burns & we are off in search of aloe.
Tip #6 – packing 6 bags (not including carry-on)doesn’t mean you will remember everything! This is our third trip to STJ but our first with the little one so some things that were on the packing list that still didn't make it!
So we are off down the hill to the north shore road and find a spot at Mongoose Junction. Shop a bit – I spot 2 things that the mini F-F can’t live without – Columbia strap on sandals (her very cute and cool neoprene sandals are constantly slipping off) and a long sleeved surfer girl top. Fried arms will not keep us down this trip!
We continue on and find a great smoothie/ice cream shack right across from the car ferry. 1 nannilla (vanilla for those who don't speak 3 year old) ice cream, 1 frozen special, and 1 frozen lemonade later we are much better. The car ferry is unloading so it’s quite the chaotic scene as we sit and enjoy our treats. We watch as some folks (decidedly not locals) get more than a bit agitated, not showing their appreciation for island time ;)
Tip #7 - When in doubt do what the locals do. They typically know the routine and if you just follow politely at a short distance your experience will be much smoother!
We wander around town a bit more, get ourselves re-acclimated & decide we should pick up a few things at Dolphin and head back to Maho before dark. Plus, we want to get Uncle Joe’s for dinner!!!! We stop by - and are told to come back at 5:30. So we wander around some more enjoying a lazy day in Cruz Bay.
5:45 pm - Ribs, Chicken, every side they have in hand we head back to Maho. $17! What a deal. Best deal on the island! We drive all the way back to Maho smelling that BBQ all the way. We arrive, take the stairs to the studio, and proceed to eat like kings - the sauce is so good I swear I lick the styrofoam container.
Tip # 8 - DO NOT MISS OUT ON UNCLE JOE'S. Seriously consistently one of our best meals on island everytime. My husband would divorce me if we didn't eat there at least 2 times each trip!
Tummies full & like clockwork it's time to crash. I think its about 8:30 pm!
Tomorrow ... Bye Maho, Hello Villa Ambiance & the rest of the gang arrives!
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