USVI-On-Line

(Link to previous installments at bottom of the page):

Woke up to mostly sunny skies on Thursday morning, and, unlike the past few days, I have proof!




After eating breakfast we made sandwiches, packed up the cooler, grabbed the beach chairs provided by the villa owners (the good ones that you can wear like a backpack) and snorkel gear, and headed out towards Salt Pond Bay.

Like much of this trip we were running a little later than we typically do when it's just Leslie and I , so it may have been around 9:30 or so when he got to the parking lot at the top of the trail that leads to Salt Pond Bay. I think ours was the eighth vehicle to park there. We grabbed our stuff and headed down the trail.

Most of the places in the shade close to the end of the trail/beginning of the beach were already staked out, so we walked down to the far end of the beach, almost to where the sign for the trails to Drunk Bay and Ram Head is, and found a little shaded alcove that fit our three chairs quite nicely.

We left the chairs and cooler, shouldered the bag containing the snorkel gear, and headed off in the direction of Ram Head. Our destination this morning - Blue Cobblestone Beach. I get excited along the way when I look out beyond the trail and see a sight like this:




In no time at all we were scrambling down the path that leads from the trail to the beach and sitting on the rocks getting our gear on. I was anxious to see how the new camera worked under water, and to see what we could see here. The last time we were here was last July, and it was rainy and cloudy the day we were here, so the visibility wasn't all that great.

This time around it was sunny - at least when we first got in the water. But it was breezy, and the chop had things stirred up a little, so the conditions weren't perfect - but they were far from terrible. We swam over near the point that seperates Blue Cobblestone from Salt Pond Bay first.




The camera was taking a little getting used to. I obviously hadn't had time to get that familiar with the settings and was learning on the fly how it was as far as shutter lag, etc. There were some settings that locked out certain functions that I didn't understand, but what the heck - we were in the water and having fun!






Jason spotted a shark and yelled to us - it was in fairly deep water and moving away fast - I wasn't able to get close enough to get a good picture of it - the one I took, if you used your imagination, looked somewhat like a silhouette of a shark!

Before long the sun went behind the clouds, it began to rain, and Leslie, who was starting to get cold, headed for the shore. Jason and I decided to swim across the bay towards Ram Head, but after a few minutes decided to call it since we weren't seeing very much.

We hiked back to Salt Pond Bay, had some lunch, and enjoyed people watching for a while (it had gotten pretty crowded, at least compared to what we're used to seeing here, by this time). Since the trail to Drunk Bay had been under water when we were here with Jason before, we decided to take him over there to check it out:













By the time we got back to Salt Pond Bay a lot of the crowd had left, and it seemed like a peaceful beach once again.



The sun had come back out and we were once again looking at a beautiful day. So what to do? Why, get back in the water of course. We headed out, bisecting the bay in the general direction of the mostly submerged rocks. Along the way we ran into these guys:







It was a little bouncy out by the rocks, so after we circumnavigated them, we meandered back toward shore, taking our time to see what we might happen upon. Jason dove down and came up to show us the conch in this shell (who had decided to seek shelter in the deep recesses of the shell before I took the picture):



I looked down, and for a moment all that I saw was a wall of blue:



Right before we got to the beach, we saw these guys hanging out in maybe three feet of water - I think the one on the left was mad at me!


After hanging out/drying off/warming up for a bit, we decided to call it a beach day and headed back to the villa for a dip in the pool followed by a dinner of grilled chicken, rice, and veggies. Sorry - no food porn - the lone battery for the camera was being charged - it ran out right after we took the pictures of the squid!

A good night's sleep was in order - tomorrow is a day we've looked forard to for a long time!


Part I: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... hp?t=19951

Part II: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... hp?t=19954

Part III: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... hp?t=19955

I have enjoyed all your posts so far. That early morning view is lovely. Coral Bay is pulling us over, I think.

Great report and pics!

That turtle pic is amazing! I love your trip reports!

I'm jealous! Every time we've tried to snorkel Blue Cobblestone the water has been way too rough.

can't wait for the next post!

Entertaining TR.

Last time I hiked down to Salt Pond the trail was a canyon and the water was "milky" from the monsoons. Swimming across the pond to Drunk Bay was not an option. The wind and rain abated to a gale and I hiked to Ram Head.

Jealousy is not pretty. These beaches will be revisited in October.

Augie---Great TRs. Loved the pics of the conch shell and the turtle. And by the way, Jason definitely looks like his Dad.

Thanks, very nice. Gettin' in the mood!

Cheers, RickG

Great report. Just set your turtle pic as my background on the office computer.

Great report Steve! Looks like the new camera worked real nicely for you. I love the picture of Leslie and Jason at Drunk Bay. It must be such an awesome experience to have your son with you and loving the same things you do. Keep the reports coming! Thanks for sharing.

Looks like lots of fun was had by all! So happy the new camera has worked out for you. I've only snorkeled Blue Cobblestone once, and although we loved it, I did end up getting seasick from the waves! May have to try it again based on your experience.

Thanks!

Nice reports and pictures. The water at Salt Pond looked so calm and pretty. We also enjoyed the hike over to Blue Cobblestone and snorkeling there. It was a bit choppy the time we did it. Great snorkel and some large fish, but a bit too choppy for our liking. I didn't like was getting in and out with all the rocks and urchins, however we would definitely do the snorkel again.

Interesting to hear about your wife's challenges with getting cold. I have the same problem, especially since we like to stay out snorkeling for at least an hour each time. I partially solved it by wearing a dive skin - its not thick wet suit, more like a leotard. While I look dorky (or cool, depending upon your perspective), it makes a difference in staying a bit more comfortable. It also protects me from sunburn.

Thanks for all the reports!

Loving your reports, Augie! The Saltpond pic made me so "homesick" for STJ!

B&J in VA wrote:
Interesting to hear about your wife's challenges with getting cold. I have the same problem, especially since we like to stay out snorkeling for at least an hour each time. I partially solved it by wearing a dive skin - its not thick wet suit, more like a leotard. While I look dorky (or cool, depending upon your perspective), it makes a difference in staying a bit more comfortable. It also protects me from sunburn.

For Christmas I bought her something that is a cross between a rashguard and a polar fleece. It will help her to stay warmer, but I think this past trip she'd have needed a wetsuit to stay warm enough. I believe her new garment will enable her to stay in the water for a long time in the fall.