Trip Report - Day 13

ColumbiaSCTraveler · Post by **ColumbiaSCTraveler** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 1:34 pm

We woke up around 8 and headed to Donkey Diner. I THOROUGHLY enjoyed the coffee 'n hash. (Beef brisket, homefries, bbq sauce with 2 eggs over easy....drooling now.) My husband got the [huge] sampler platter.

Tummies full, we left around 9:45am, sad that this would be our last trip to DD until next year.

We arrived at Maho around 10am. It's only fitting that we go to a favorite beach on our last full day. Maho is my husband's FAVORITE. It's up there on my list, too, especially after this year seeing all those TURTLES and other goodies!

We set up shop on the left side, and snorkeled to the left by the rocks.

Y'all.

We saw a TARPON for the first time.

Let me just say that at first, we mistook the tarpon for a shark.

Not good. Panic. Then we blinked a few times and realized, no, not shark, but HUGE FISH.

Semi-panic again. OMG, this thing was at LEAST 5 feet long, and as big as we were. ARRRRGGGH!!! Slowly turn and slowly head back to shore to recover from shock. And you know we kept looking behind us on the way back to shore to make sure that tarpon wasn't tailing us...

.[Hey - no fussing about that picture of the tarpon. It was all I could do to hold the camera steady. I most definitely wasn't going to get any closer for a better shot.

]

Back on dry land (praise the Lord), I walked along the shore and watched a stingray in the shallow water.

After my nerves were calmed

, I walked to the middle - middle/right where the seagrass is, and swam out to be greeted by three turtles!!!! First I swam with a baby, and then a large one for over an hour! It was amazing just hovering and watching the turtle eat. I loved it when he/she would pop up and take that breath of air - poof - and dive back down to dine some more. I could have stayed here and hovered all day, since he/she didn't show any signs of stopping eating. However, I knew my husband had to be wondering where I was (he sat this one out and read on the shore - I THINK because of the tarpon scare, but of course he didn't admit that

), so I sadly headed back to the left side, knowing that THIS was my last snorkel of the trip.

At least it was a FANTASTIC snorkel! Especially the not-getting-eaten-by-a-shark-and/or-tarpon part!

So long Maho!!! Until next year!

We left Maho around 2 and headed to the Smoothie Truck for some Dessert in a Cup. We said that we'd like to share, so we were given the "leftovers" in another cup. The "leftovers" were basically another whole smoothie. SCORE!! So delish!!! We talked to the sweet lady manning the truck for about 45 minutes just about whatever. She was so nice. Too bad I have forgotten her name!

We got back to the cottage around 3:30ish, and my husband cleaned out the jeep. We tidied up the cottage and packed as well.

We left around 4:45 to return a movie we rented, and headed to Morgan's Mango for our "last meal."

Remember - I won't eat here for Lobster Night again (see day 11), but I WILL eat here for apps and other awesomeness!!!

And that's just what we did. We sat at the bar (bartender Andrew was the BEST!), which was more fun and cooler (literally and figuratively

)than a table! We split a lot of stuff - an appetizer of chorizo, shrimp, and rice (forget the name); a beef, mushroom, and sweet potato stew; the pork tenderloin in the coconut curry sauce, and a key lime pie slice to go. The coconut curry sauce was divine. I asked for extra, which I got, and dipped pretty much EVERYTHING into this sauce. DELISH! We had the BEST mojitos here. I've been trying them all over town since returning, but none have measured up so far!!! Reason #293048 we're going back to STJ again next year! We enjoyed the key lime pie while watching Big Brother.

I got a Pandora turtle charm from Jewels, and we were home by 7:15.

Our last night on island. Sigh.

greyhoundmom · Post by **greyhoundmom** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 9:15 pm

I adore Tarpons! My favorite spot is in an unlikely place....Trunk Bay. I have been watching them for years at Trunk. If you swim out around to the middle right of the island where the pelicans are diving, you end up looking at a thick school of fry fish but when the water clears, the Tarpons are swimming deep near the sandy bottom....amazing, usually 6-8 big boys. I float above them forever. Did I say I love Tarpons??!!

ColumbiaSCTraveler · Post by **ColumbiaSCTraveler** » Wed Sep 14, 2011 10:06 am

Thanks for the tarpon tip on Trunk! Guess where we WON'T be snorkeling!!!

ColatoStJohn · Post by **ColatoStJohn** » Wed Sep 14, 2011 10:10 am

What a great trip report!

I saw tarpons at Maho this summer as well. And like you, once I saw them, I began swimming quickly (but casually so as not to attract their attention!) to shore. I know they aren't interested in me but I still am scared of any fish that's bigger than me.

greyhoundmom · Post by **greyhoundmom** » Wed Sep 14, 2011 5:02 pm

I have never been afraid to snorkle around them. I was hooked when Capt. Phil took us to Jost two summers ago and we snorked with a large school on the way over. They seem very docile and peaceful to me. I guess nirvana moment as I watch them. Am I weird???

(S/O was say definitely!!!).

Capn Dan and Ruby · Post by **Capn Dan and Ruby** » Fri Sep 16, 2011 9:58 pm

I am with GHM!!! We love them.

They won't give you any grief!!! All they want is the little frye. We dive with them alot! Now a scarry time was last summer when we came across a big boy barracuda!

We were snorkeling just to the left of Lovango. I saw him hanging out and started taking pictures. He/she was attracted to the attention and the flash and swam tward me

Yikes! I did the very steady swim away! Later found out from Ann Marie of Low Key that she has never heard of a barracuda attack. Good enough, but I won't be hanging out with them! Big Teeth!!!!

usvi-on-line