Dabbling on St. Croix

March 2003

Lounging, Snorkeling, Hiking, Kayaking, Scuba Diving, Experimental Drinks

 

INTRO TO ST. CROIX

St. Croix doesn't come as prepackaged with glitz for tourists like on St. Thomas, and doesn't doesn't really even go too far out of its way for the more laid-back tourists of St. John. St. Croix has a genuine local community, mixed with both crime and mega-mansions of the visiting wealthy. And the occasional horse wandering onto the road from a farmer's field.

The island greeted us with a mangled adult horse in the middle of the road, trying to get up on lower legs that were only connected to the rest of its body by skin and muscle. The pickup truck that crashed into her dark shape at night had severed its knees cleanly. A young foal braved entering the scene and nuzzled her pained face, but it's time was numbered until someone came by with a gun to its head. The scene seemed more real than many Caribbean vacation spots, and not the stuff of vacations. But, it was just a momentary peek into the island's non-tourist side, which is much larger than it's tourist side.

St. Croix is an island of baked brown scrub, dried grasses, and light colored homes, all ringed by light tan beaches and an ocean of bright greens to blackish blues. The temperatures consistently tend toward the not-quite-hot in the day, and toward the pleasantly warm in the evening, moderated around the clock by the steady sailing breezes of the Caribbean.

We stayed at Villa Soleil, a wonderful vacation gift from my uncle Charlie. It is a well appointed large house on a bluff overlooking the north shore of the island. Just below us was where Christopher Columbus' crew set foot in the New World on his second voyage here. Because of the reception they received from the indigenous population, the inlet was named "Bay of Arrows". The unfinished hulk of a hotel sits directly across from the spot now.

By the pool of Villa Soleil overlooking Salt River Bay

 

WALKING AND SNORKELING IN THE "NEIGHBORHOOD"

We starting exploring the hidden offerings of St. Croix our first full day there, which also happened to be my birthday. After a few rousing renditions of "Happy Birthday to Me", we drove on the rutted dirt road below our house to a protected bay filled with aquamarine color and sea grasses.

I was drawn to the unfinished concrete structure of the unfinished hotel project, and found the open end of the barb-wired fence to get onto its grounds. Interesting to do construction spelunking: figure out the archaeology of what was planned but never came, how the pool area was laid out, where the rooms and hallways were connected. Spray paint graffiti left the mark of previous visitors. A few long weathered gray planks provided a bouncy and creaking stairway to the second floor.

Once above, I came upon the most interesting find: a thin bridge passed over a courtyard to a cross-emblazoned tower that was the most distinguishing characteristic of the entire project. I could see a rusting metal spiral staircase leading upwards, and followed it to discover where it led. I looked at the scales of rust and crumbling cracks in the concrete structure, but rationalized that this structure had survived many storms more powerful than the echo of my shoes on the flaking metal staircase. Five stories up at the lookout, it was easy to see why the tower was built: great views over the hotel to the northern shoreline beaches and the steady rumbling sssshhhhh of waves breaking across coral reefs.

Unfinished - but still standing - hotel tower by Salt River Bay

Snorkeling was next, and we waded into a sandy bottom that had the strange sensation of silty mud suctioning our feet down. Visibility was virtually nonexistent in the protected cove, but we skirted around an outcrop of land to find the freshly filtered waters of the coral reef.

All shapes and sizes of coral, sea fans, large grouper, small silver streaks, glowing blue tang, and sea urchins were spread everywhere to be found. The movements of the waves gave a rhythm to our forward movement: we would kick-paddle-kick-paddle while the water pushed against us and would keep us above the same point on the submerged surface below, and then we'd ride the opposite acceleration of water as it sucked back into the coral reef for another building wave.

The semi-rocky beaches provided a nice short walk afterwards. Dad and I wandered over to the rusting hulk of a forgotten shipwreck. A part of it was on shore, a part protruded above the waves where the ship met its demise on the reef, and other pieces were scattered about both seen and unseen.

That night, we enjoyed the wonderfully removed ambiance from the deck of Villa Soleil and had a fine meal put together through the ingenuity of three cooks trying to figure out what could be made from a seemingly random assortment of fixings and ingredients.

Interactive panorama from Villa Soleil (position your pointer in the picture and click, then click and hold down the mouse button, and move your pointer around to control the view)

 

SNORKELING ON BUCK ISLAND

The next day, we ventured out to Buck Island National Monument on board Captain Big Beard's catamaran Flyer. A deeply tanned group of hanging-out-in-the-islands twenty-somethings orchestrated the motor sail over from the main town of Christiansted.

Heading toward Buck Island on the catamaran Flyer

We walked the pristine white beaches of West Beach after Flyer was anchored just a few feet from the beach itself. West Beach is prime for walking, eating, or otherwise hanging out on a protected island, but the snorkeling is over on the eastern sides of the island. So, we hauled anchor and motored through the small channel to get between the island and it's encircling barrier reef.

Walking the beaches of Buck Island

The "Marine Garden" and underwater "trail" on the eastern side does have some top notch snorkeling. Large, multilevel constructions of brain and elkhorn oral create sun-rippled playgrounds for brightly colored tropical fish darting in and out, eating algae and tending the environment. We saw schools of luminescent fish that shimmered and sparkled at the right angles. Large barracuda, flounder and others that were invisible against the browns of the ocean floor, sea born stands of underwater plants. All waiting to be found, and generally not bothered by our presence as long as we didn't splash or make sudden movements.

Snorkeling at a steady pace allowed for fun exploring of the canyons between angled columns of elkhorn coral, but picking a spot - any spot - to just float and look was especially interesting. Details would start to emerge that were not noticeable when cruising through: smaller fish, schools that moved slowly back and forth together under ledges, the vertical nose down eating habits of fish, fish reactions to wave surges, and much more. Truly a whole world there, with detail upon detail, layer upon layer.

The snorkeling was grander and in some ways more diverse than what we had seen the day before, but not strongly so. As such, we feel that finding the right beaches from the mainland will likely provide someone with as high a quality of snorkeling experience as the famed Buck Island, although it may not be as tightly condensed into one spot as on Buck.

After motoring back to the town of Christiansted, we changed clothes in our rental car and set out looking for food to feed some hungry snorkelers. We walked the boardwalk and checked out menus, and even found a couple of enterprising islanders who charged people to race their caught hermit crabs at a local open air waterfront bar. Our final food decision was right on the water by where we pulled in with Flyer: Rum Runner's restaurant. Generally good food, though my pad thai was definitely a "customized" version of the usual favorite, and Karen was not impressed with her conch fritters. However, the rest was good and it set us up well for returning home with full stomachs.

>A light evening breeze greeted us on the huge deck at Villa Soleil, and we lounged on lounge chairs or sat at the table into the night talking about everything from shooting stars to wavering lights in the sky to kayaking and RVs. After de-gunking ourselves from the salt of sea water, a good night's sleep beckoned.

 

KAYAKING

From our perch at Villa Soleil overlooking Salt River Bay and its Natural Historical Park / Ecological Preserve, we occasionally saw small groups of open top kayakers exploring the estuaries and beaches. Being all kayakers, our interest was of course sparked.

After investigating several outfits, we came upon a goodie: Virgin Kayak, located by the dive shop and open air bar at Cane Bay on the north shore.

Owner, tour guide, and artist Brian came to the island from Pennsylvania in the devastated weeks following Hurricane Hugo of 1989. While many people were taking their insurance money or losses and leaving the island in disgust, Brian swooped in looking for an opportunity. He showed up with 2 suitcases and the $56,000 needed to buy a home on a hillside with a gorgeous ocean view. Before the hurricane, the house was on the market for $244,000. But, before the hurricane, it had a second story. He reconstructed the house (sturdily) himself to stay debt free, and worked as a landscaping manager for 7 years before jumping into kayak tours, rentals, and selling his native Tiano-inspired clay sculptures and paintings. The clay comes from land crabs who bring it up to the surface when making their homes; the paintings are inspired by books with pictures of Tiano artifacts that are now housed in museums.

After an interesting overview of local history going back to about 2500 BC - and getting an only slightly subtle and well planted introduction to his art work for sale - we loaded up in the van and headed to the west side of Salt River Bay, across from Villa Soleil. Along the way, we were regaled with very interesting stories of local history, current politics, and the tensions between continentals (whites), African slave descendants, and the fast dwindling original "Indians". There even appears to be a revisionist history movement in the local school systems claiming that the African descendants were the first inhabitants of the islands, with no mention of the original Tianos, Caribes, and other indigenous groups.

We put in the water from a beach that once hosted a Tiano village and later a Dutch earthen fort. Cutting across the small bay, Brian told us stories about the derelict boats in the bay: some moored with little reefs covering their hulls, others washed up on shore from the wave actions of past hurricanes. He knew some of the owners, and said we could get some of them practically for free.

The mangroves of the bay are slowly regenerating, partly because of nature's resilience and partly because of human-helped plantings. Since the mangroves are critical for sediment retention, fish breeding habitat, and birds, they are being protected within this ecological preserve. Flopping fish, iguanas, egrets, blue herons, osprey, and others greeted us.

Kayaking in Salt River Bay, with Villa Soleil on the hillside (above left)

Brian got into his natural element when talking about the historical significance of the landing here by Columbus' second voyage to the new World, acting out parts and trying to read the thoughts of the original players. He was equally passionate about preserving the area for both natural and historical reasons, and seemed to be a mild mannered but very serious guardian of the park. The only posted signs in the park were actually put there by him; the locals and the park service have not yet taken the same level of interest.

Kayaking out beyond the breakers in open water

We also learned about the uncompleted hotel that I had explored earlier. It was quite a weird story of what seemed to be overly bad planning from the beginning. The structure of the hotel may yet see use as a marine research center in the future, though that's just conjecture at this point.

 

SNORKELING IN CANE BAY

After returning to Cane Bay and talking Brian's wife Jill and daughter Briana, we ate and drank at the Cane Bay Beach Bar ("Home of the Full Moon Party") overlooking the water.

Cane Bay provides some great snorkeling, and we yet again found an area that we feel rivals that of the famous Buck Island area. The bottom was further away, but the variety of life was just as impressive. Highlights were the sea turtle, the edge of the 3200 foot deep wall, and being surrounded by over 1000 packed together fish.

After kayaking and snorkeling, the group was ready for an evening of hanging out and early sleep. Karen was asleep in about 1 minute after closing the car door.

Yam quesadillas and barbecued chicken were on the dinner menu, lit by candles as we looked out at the deepening sunset colors. Karen concocted a particular hit with her experimental alcoholic blender mixes, combining different flavors of ice cream with juices and rum, liqueurs, and such. All were a great night cap before swinging in the hammock and talking about constellations in the crisp night sky.

 

SCUBA DIVING

Over the course of the next few days, our trip continued diversifying across the many things that St. Croix has to offer. We jumped into all of them!

Scuba diving was a must do activity, especially since Karen gave me a double dive intro course as a surprise birthday present. It was Karen's second time and my first for scuba diving. Fortunately, the kind and well paced instructors at the shop in downtown Christiansted put Karen at ease for getting back into it; her first experience was with a way overworked red-in-the-face angry instructor in New Zealand who was more disturbing than reassuring.

Scuba diving is like flying! After getting the hang of the breathing devices, safety gizmos, and (especially) learning to balance the pressure in my ear drums, it was incredibly relaxing and very fun. We went to three dive spots, one near the shop to get acclimated and two further out in some choice areas for marine life. Being newbies, we were guided to a place that had coral reefs and marine life around the 40 foot depth.

Heading out to a new dive spot

Playing with the fish and exploring under rocks and crevices was unusually interesting. The lack of limitation in movement was very freeing; snorkeling is definitely fun but scuba diving made the experience of movement 3D instead of 2D, and the lack of bobbing and slapping waves made everything noticeably gentler.

We saw similar things to what we had seen while snorkeling, except in larger numbers and much closer up. Also, we saw new things hidden in dark holes or coming up from the depths of sea walls that we had not previously seen.

 

EXPLORING THE ISLAND

The roads of the island beckoned, and we explored the remoter coastlines and barren hillsides further out away from the main towns. We found many remote coves that would presumably make for some exceptional snorkeling spots, and certainly would be private to yourself. We also drove cross-island to the other town, Frederiksted, which is smaller and quainter than Christiansted, though with less to do for a vacationer.

The island is dotted with the remnants of centuries old windmills and plantation buildings, many of which are just a regular part now of someone's yard and "landscaping". In fact, they are sometimes so unappreciated that a preservationist movement has started on the island to keep them around and ensure that they are not destroyed to make way for someone's shed. We explored some of the overgrown ones on (presumably) public land, and then also took a very informative tour of a plantation currently owned and being restored by the Nature Conservancy with a full time caretaker implementing eco-friendly building and waste disposal methods on the site.

The area around Villa Soleil also offered other walking places besides the bay and the crumbling hotel complex mentioned above. The top of a hill in front of the house had mounds that contain the remains of people from local ancient tribes, and the shoreline there provided a great spot for watching the sun set.

Sunset near Salt River Bay

 

HIKING WITH A NATURALIST

We decided to learn more about the local flora and fauna, plus have someone guide us to a famed swimming hole on the coastline that is accessed past a number of unnamed and uninhabited dirt roads. Lumumba Corriette, a local eco tour guide who moved here from Dominica in 1964, seemed well regarded from what we had read about him. And, except for showing up late at the Montpellier Domino Club (home of the famous beer drinking pigs) to meet us, he was a pleasure and a huge source of local, cultural, ethnobotanical, and environmental knowledge.

We started high on a ridgeline, so our hike was all downhill one way to the coast. Lumumba informed us about plants and animals, how they have been used by locals over the centuries, and how modern science is finding new uses for some of the surprises from Mother Nature. After resting in an old windmill, we headed for the coast.

Once there, we skirted rocks and waves to come to a wonderful natural swimming pool protected from the sea waves by an overhanging rock wall. We luxuriated for a while in the cool water, doing impersonations of synchronized swimmers and generally goofing around.

Karen and Mom swimming in protected salt water pool

The hike along the coast presented some great lessons in local geology. Strata were easily evident. Old fossils could be seen. And the rocks were spiky edged from the effects of erosive forces meeting the particular characteristics of the rock itself. They were sharp enough to dig into shoes and take chunks out of the rubber.

Hiking along the jagged rock coast

Our hike took us further along the beaches until we came to another trail and started the long, dusty hike back up to the top. Lumumba had warned that we should bring lots of water, and it was all for the hike back!

 

NIGHT SNORKELING

Before the trip, Dad had talked with a friend who is an avid scuba diver, and the friend strongly recommended one thing in particular: night snorkeling. Dad brought two of the friend's underwater lights, and we were all set and psyched to do it.

When we had previously looked at Cane Bay during daylight hours, we scouted it for entry, exit, and depth for night snorkeling. The entry and exit were great, though the depth was a little too much (the lights get hazy through the sediment floating in the water if it is too deep). But, it was a good location and we went for it.

It was a memorable experience, and completely different than during the day! The fish come from out of murkiness and quizzically wondered what was going on. A sea turtle swam just in front of us for about 15 minutes. A stingray looked like an apparition floating above the sand.

Turning out the lights was wild. Looking down at my flippered feet, I could make them out in the star light, looking like I was hovering in outer space above a dark alien world below. As I stroked my hands back and forth in the water, bioluminescence swirled and flowed like sparks from the hand of a magician. And after turning the lights back on and staying still for a while, we were surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of small blue fish and energetically squirming small red worms, all attracted to the lights like a horde of underwater moths.

 

HEADING OUT

It was a fun and relaxing family vacation. Great company, warm clear weather, pretty scenery, excellent marine life, lots of things to learn, fine experimental drinks, and a remembrance that good vacations are always worthwhile.

View from Villa Soleil of rainbow over Salt River Bay