Fin For YourSelf

Hello again from St. Lucia!

The weather here has continued to be beautiful all week!    Rarely do I go on a vacation where the waters have been so calm so many days in a row.  We did go out for a 2-tank dive again this morning, but  unfortunately only completed the first one.  The jellyfish problem persisted.  The divemaster mentioned that when the current flows as it has been recently, the jellyfish arrive.  There were many many small ones  that seemed to present themselves especially when we were doing our safety stops and trying to surface.  I think everyone but myself, including divemasters, took a sting somewhere.  (And many of them were wearing full suits!!)  Luckily the jug of vinegar was large and there was plenty to go around!!!  Michael had had enough stings for the week, and we decided to sit out the second dive.  We were sad to miss a dive initially, but not so sad when the divers had to fight the jellyfish to make it to the boat again!!!

So... lesson learned.  ALWAYS bring a full exposure suit no matter what the water temperatures if you want to achieve the utmost protection.  You never know what kind of challenges the underwater world will throw at you.  You always need to be prepared.

That's all for now.  Have  a great week!

Hello  SCUBA fans!!!  Just an update from our honeymoon in St. Lucia.  We've been diving every morning with Sandals Grande divers, and have had a very pleasant experience.    The boat captain is very skilled, and the divemasters helpful.  Although the diving thus far has not been as stellar as Turks and Caicos, Cayman, or Bonaire, we have seen a variety of fish.  Plenty of eels, aero crab (some of the biggest I've ever seen), damsel fish, file fish, trumpet fish, juvenile drum, and lots of stonefish.  The reefs are in so so condition.

To our unpleasant surprise we have encountered many jelly fish of varying shapes and sizes.  We have been spoiled by recent diving in Curacao, Bonaire, and other parts of of Caribbean and Mexico without encountering these creatures.  We had been lulled into complacency and decided we could get along with minimal exposure suit protection, but were brutally reminded full suits are always in order as Michael took a significant sting that wrapped all the way around his bicep.  Once the dive was over and it was showered with vinegar it was much improved, but Michael wasn't sure he'd make it through the dive because it was so painful.  He did tough it out, but vowed to wear a full suit wherever he goes from now on despite the temperatures.

As far as Sandals goes, however, we are LOVING this trip.  The staff is EXTREMELY friendly, and helpful.  We upgraded to a concierge room, and it is a BEAUTIFUL thing.  Room service menu is fairly limited, nonetheless, we can order room service 24/7 at no charge.  The honeymoon penthouse suite is everything the brochure talked about and more!  It's a beautiful room with a beautiful view.  There are multiple pools, and the swim up bar in the main largest pool is very cool.  Our favorite is Josephine's, as the brick oven pizza is great, and the little 'sit in' area is a buffet of a great variety of desserts... all inclusive as is most areas of the facility.  The staff go out of their way to ensure we are happy with our service.  We honestly are already thinking about our next trip to Sandals, because our vacation couldn't get much better.  The "all inclusiveness" is fantastic.  I love walking up and ordering whatever whenever and leaving without a bill!!

I could go on and on, but this IS our honeymoon so we have a few other things to do .  Will include more posts as the week progresses.

Happy diving all!