Going Under (Part 3)

Come mid-week, the cruise really got rolling – three stops in three days and nothing but gorgeous blue water out at sea. On Wednesday we docked in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Not too shabby when you look out you look outside the dining room window and see this:



And, of course, a little bit of pirate ship is always welcome when you are in the Caribbean.



Our chosen activity for that day was the extremely terrifying activity of walking on the ocean’s floor wearing an 80 lb helmet. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you I was terrified. And being terrified on the ocean’s floor doesn’t sound like a good place to be. I guess I should try and suck it up…why did I think this was a good idea? I paid good money for this!

We boarded a trolley car thingy and wound our way across the island to the north side where Coral World (site of the dive) was.















Well. The activity was just as terrifying as I thought it would be. Thanks to a husband who seems to have no fear, I ended up second in line behind him going down to the ocean’s floor. I suppose it was a little bit more comforting knowing that someone would be down there waiting for me? So they slapped the helmet on my head when I was shoulder-deep in the water and down I went. Did I mention that there is no seal on the bottom of the helmet? It’s just physics separating me from life and drowning under the weight of a 80 lb helmet on the ocean’s floor.


Photo from Coral World website.

As soon as I got to the bottom, I began to hyperventilate which made my oxygen tank go crazy. I had to consciously breathe and hope there was no sharks nearby (because there could have been!) I kept feeling like I was floating, despite the helmet supposedly keeping me down. I had great difficulty walking and there were slimy fish everywhere. I kept screaming (cursing) in my helmet, but no one could hear me. At one point the guide thought it would be funny to throw fish food at my helmet and an entire school of fish went nutso three inches from my face. I just closed my eyes and kept screaming. The end.



Coral World is also a crappy-looking aquarium, so we looked at some other sea creatures.




Iguana!

























Had enough fishes and crustaceans? I just saved you the cost of admission and a flight to the USVI.






hee

There was a beach beside Coral World that was mostly unused. We needed to bide time before the trolley pick-up, so we moseyed over there.







I even convinced Janelle to do a ‘Baywatch’ run along the beach, despite being too young to even remember Baywatch. And then I didn’t get a photo of it. So she had to do it three more times.






Only nubs for feet.






B sad because…? I don’t remember. I saw this face a lot on the trip. Probably because she had sand on her feet. Maybe she almost fell out of the trolley? It could be many things, all plausible.

We bummed around in the souvenir shops and had refreshments at the most delicious coffee shop on the island (I’m guessing?) before heading back on board. I also managed to smuggle two mini bottles of rum on board. I’m such a rebel.





That night the family gathered again the formal dining room where Sis decided to re-enact some amazing ‘eating food/modeling’…thing. I tell you, she’s at the top of her game.






This one just seems dangerous.




Two desserts! Yesss….getting our money’s worth!

Tomorrow night we are Puerto Rico, and I can’t stop thinking about Marc Anthony whenever I say “Puerto Rico”….that is unfortunate. But Puerto Rico is amazing.