Monsters of the deep!

I love snorkeling. I love being in the ocean. However, I also tend to panic the first few minutes of snorkeling in the ocean (or sea). I'm positive I am going to touch the reef and destroy it as I swim over it, or that I am going to get poked by an urchin and immediately die, or that I'll spook a puffer fish and get poked and immediately die. Once I get over the reef, I'm fine. I stop panicking and have lots of fun.

When I go snorkeling with Trevor and he sees something cool, he usually yells out, "Holy Shit!" underwater (excuse the language).  Of course, this causes an immediate panic attack in me, cause I know I'm about to die. This was the case a couple weeks ago when he saw a big old spotted eagle ray flying through the water around us. Once I saw it, and realized it wasn't a giant squid, great white shark, or killer whale, I was just fine. Actually, I was super excited I got to see it! It was really big, and just cruising along looking for a snack. Of course I didn't have my camera (cause I hate swimming with it), and missed an awesome photo op.

I usually snorkel at Shipwreck, down along the beach, and then around these big huge rocks, and what is called the old dolphin enclosure. I have no idea if there were ever dolphins there, but whatever. Once you get out by the big rocks, the water gets much deeper and the water is more cloudy and murky. Anyone who has ever watched shark week knows that murky water is prime shark hunting ground. So, even though I have never seen a shark (while swimming) in St. Kitts, I am on high alert when I'm near the rocks.

This Wednesday I remembered my camera while snorkeling. There wasn't anything too spectacular to see, just the same fish in their usually hangouts.  We got all the way down to the big rocks, and I got a wicked foot cramp. The kind where you can't even move your foot or leg without crazy pain shooting through you. I slowed down to try to rub my foot through my fin, with my back towards the open ocean. Of course, this is the moment Trevor chooses to scream holy shit while back-peddling (is it still back back-peddling if you're swimming?). I think my life might have flashed before my goggle clad eyes.

Giant stingray. A terrible picture, cause it's hard to imagine how big he really was.

Before my heart rate could return to normal, I saw the cause of my near heart attack. A GIGANTIC stingray, just chilling on the ocean floor below us. Thank God the water is deep out by the rocks, and thank God stingrays are so lazy. There was no way I was diving down close to get a picture, and since it is sand colored, I couldn't get a good shot of it from the surface.  Trevor was brave enough to dive down a bit for the photo.  This picture does not do Stingy (that is what I've named him) justice. He looks small and not terrifying. He was enormous, maybe 6 feet across, or more, maybe 60. I can't be sure. Needless to say, I was ready to get the hell out of the water. I was pretty sure that with my foot cramp injury I could easily be eaten by a 60 foot stingray.

Paradise Found

Shipwreck beach, on South Friars Bay, is quickly becoming my favorite beach on St. Kitts. It has great views, a reef to snorkel, and some tasty drinks! Yesterday and today were beautiful here in the Caribbean, and I had two spectacular Shipwreck days!

Shipwreck beach on South Friars Bay on Tuesday
The water was like glass

Tuesday I met Catherine and Diana at the beach for some snorkeling. We could not have picked a better day. The water was so calm that waves were barely breaking on the shore- the water was lapping up on the shore like a lake. The calm water plus the sunny sky made for sparkly clear conditions underwater.  We saw puffer fish, octopus, squid, trumpet fish, big fat starfish, and a baby conch! There was also about a billion minnows swimming around in huge schools. It was by far the best snorkeling I have done since arriving. Everything was so colorful and beautiful! The best part was that I actually remembered to take my camera with me, so I was able to capture some great pictures of the reef and fish; I also got shots of how calm the water was and some of the resident monkeys!  Click here if you want to see them all! Oh, and the pictures are in the same album as Rob's football pictures that I posted last time, so the new ones start after them!

Me with a big fat starfish!

Puffer Fish

Today was another beach day. On Wednesdays, Trevor and I head to the beach to relax and talk about how awesome our life is here in St. Kitts. Today was no exception. What made today even better was the sweet 5 mast pirate ship anchored in South Friars Bay!  Ok, it wasn't a pirate ship, it was the Royal Clipper, part of a swanky cruise company that sails the Mediterranean Sea in the summer and the Caribbean Sea in the winter. I hope that the crew speaks in pirate slang... and that passengers have to walk the plank... I want to get on that ship so bad. This evening, after the ship left and the sun had set, we saw it off the coast all lit up. It was amazing!  Unfortunately, I forgot my camera today when we went to the beach, so I did not get any close up shots of it. However, my friend Candace got a picture from campus with it's sails up. It was really amazing! I can't wait til it comes to port again so I can get a better picture!

The Royal Clipper leaving port with sails up

I know it's not Thanksgiving yet, but I am really thankful to be living in St. Kitts. I know I don't have a job, and I'm giving up a career or pursuing my PhD to be down here, but I am really glad to be able to spend part of my life in St. Kitts! Paradise suits me!

Sandstorms and Snorkeling at Shipwreck!

Yesterday was a sunny, sandy, snorkel-y day at Shipwreck beach!  Trevor, Candice, Vanessa, Jessica, and I all headed to the beach at about noon (Rob, Brayton, Kate, and Leann came later, after the Microanatomy study session). It was a real nice beach day, sun shining, super clear water- perfect for snorkeling!

Candice and I snorkeled a bit right off the beach and saw some real cool fish and reef balls- concrete balls sunk to create artificial reefs. The reef balls looked pretty new, not to many fish or corals had moved in yet. I can't wait to see how it changes over the next two years.

Shipwreck Beach.

Later in the afternoon Rob, Trevor, Kate, Leann, and Brayton walked to the end of the beach to go snorkeling around some big rocks. They were gone for quite awhile, and they missed what was the closest thing to a sandstorm I've seen since leaving Egypt! It was REALLY windy at the beach, it was blowing so hard the sand hurt when it hit you. It went on for about 20-30 min, with varying levels of wind-speed. By the time it was over I was covered with sand... I looked like a breaded cutlet! I still have sand in my ears.

The non-snorkelers- Candice, Vanessa, Jessica and I decided to go find our fishy friends. We followed their path to the end of the beach, discovering a really calm, clear cove- with a nearly complete restaurant (allegedly opening next month- I hope it's good). At the edge of the cove there was a rocky outcropping with a murky lagoon on the opposite side. We didn't see the snorkelers at first, but eventually we saw them swimming back our way.

Kate and her awesome conch shell

Kate had found a HUGE, beautiful, orange and pink Queen Conch shell. Rob also found a conch shell, but it was smaller and pretty bleached out.  Rob did get some really great snorkeling photos- so, if the vet thing doesn't work out, he clearly has a future in underwater photography. (I kid, I kid! We all know he is going to kick butt in school!) He saw a sea slug (he thinks), squid, and a Lion fish.  Seeing the lion fish is interesting because they are not native to the Atlantic or Caribbean; they are an invasive species and they are harming the local marine ecosystem. Rob's classmate Alyssa said they people are allowed to KOS (kill on site), but I don't know if that is true. Plus, lion fish have nasty venomous spines... so, I not sure I am interested in fighting one to the death!

Sea Slug (we think)

Lion Fish

We all stopped to get dinner at Pizza Boys, one of the local pizza joints. Verdict? Meh. As anyone who has met me knows, I am something of a pizza snob. It was better than Egypt, but not as good as back home. Oh well...

Rob and I stayed in last night so he could get some more studying in before his big test Monday.  We went to bed around midnight, and at 7 this morning Rob had me awake. For the first time in over 5 years, the first time since we have been together, Rob was sick. My poor hubs was so dizzy he could barely stand, and when he did try to stand, the dizziness was so bad it made him sick-physically sick. Rob said it felt like the world's worst hang over... which is unfortunate considering he didn't have any alcohol yesterday. Rob has been in and out of bed all day, all while trying to study without the room spinning. He is now attempting to study with Brayton downstairs in the study room. I was not pleased since he was swaying down the steps. Oh well, Mr. Stubborn Pants does whatever he wants. I just hope he's better by 10am tomorrow when his test begins.

If you would like to see the rest of our pictures from yesterday, click here!

Shipwreck Beach

Just when I thought St. Kitts was great, we went to the beach. Shipwreck Beach. St. Kitts is better than great.

Shipwreck is on the narrowest bit of St. Kitts, with less than a quarter mile of land between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.  We were on the Caribbean side, in South Friars Bay  (We are living just NW of Basseterre, right on the Caribbean!).

Shipwreck Beach, looking towards the end of the island, with a view of Nevis.

The water at shipwreck was completely clear, and the sun makes the water look like a kaleidoscope of blues and greens. Not only is the water beautiful, it's really warm. I love being able to get right into the water without freezing to death. The best part was probably the overall scenery. the beach is self is fairly narrow, and a lush green landscape rises sharply and the edge of the sand.  The day was very clear, and you could see Nevis just off the coast. I would say, "I could get used to this," but I think I'm already there.

Rob the beach, and the lush landscape

I had brought down a snorkle, and Rob had it on the moment he stepped in the water. Less than five minutes later I hear, "LOOK WHAT I FOUND!!!" In less time than it took me to get up to my chest in water, Rob had found a conch shell! We plan on using it to spice up our apartment, since right now its decoration is blander than plain oatmeal!  We found a bunch of smaller shells, and we saw another person find a conch shell. Just as we arrived at Shipwrek, a guy had found a starfish that had to be about two feet across!

Rob and his treasure

We were at the beach for about five hours; I swam, I read, I took a walk, I napped. Seriously, I'm never leaving this island.

Today we are heading to Reggae beach, located at the very end of the island, on the Southeast Pennisula. It is directly across from Nevis, and it is also where the Atlantic and Caribbean meet. Cassie (our Orientation Leader), said you can actually see waves coming from the Atlantic and Caribbean crash into each other.

Black sand at Shipwreck

Before we go to the beach, we are going on a campus tour. I am excited to see around the rest of campus; we have only been around the apartment area so far.  While I can't wait to see where Rob will become a veterinarian, I am more excited to find the path to the beach and the gym! Is that selfish?