I have a question that I don't think has been asked.....I have a terrible problem with water in my ears when I swim or snorkel or anything......are there special earplugs that will keep the water completely out of my ears???

That is a good question, but I'm sorry that I don't have an answer. I am sure that there are earplugs. Try Diver's Direct. Does the water come out when you are done swimming?

There are numerous products on the market claiming to help prevent water in the ear all with mixed results. Check out these links for some examples.

http://www.earinc.com/p1-reusable-instaputty.php
http://www.earinc.com/p2-water-bandit.php

If you seem prone to swimmer’s ear infections, then follow these precautions in the future:

White vinegar drops.
Rubbing alcohol drops.
Both vinegar and alcohol mixed together (equal amounts).
You can also buy swimmer’s ear drops in the drug store. THESE DO NOT TREAT SWIMMER’S EAR, THEY JUST PREVENT IT. These drops do not really have any advantage over plain white vinegar and alcohol.
Place 5 to 10 drops into each ear immediately after water exposure. Allow the drops to stay in the ear for a few minutes, then drain them out onto a Kleenex. This will evaporate the water out of the ear.

PS
Don't suggest you try this for the 'other' infection issue raised earlier. 🙂

This is one of the most hilarious/serious posts that I have ever read on this forum. I laughed from the start of it to the last post. I bet the Pope would rather have a good German beer! I do believe that we should conserve on our energy and use alternatives when possible and protect the environment. I also think that we should teach people in the islands to conserve. There used to be a bottle recycling place on STJ and it never was taken care of. Just think of all those beer bottles and can that can be recycled. An Australian enviromentalist once told me that the US was more environmentally conscious than many other countries. Have you ever been to Europe and seen the pollution caused there by the industrial countries? Wonderful old statuary and monuments have had to be covered up because of the pollution and the destruction is has caused to many old world items.

Has anyone taken any good underwater pictures while snorkeling? What type of camera/casing did you use? I've only used a disposable for underwater pictures and they didn't turn out so great. My daughter just got a Rebel XT and loves taking pictures. I was wondering about a casing for this. What is the price and how does it work? She is a much better photographer than I am. (maybe I should have put this on that other post). 🙂

We will also be on St. John the last week of November!

It's OK Terri....it's all about snorkling here!! (and other stuff)

Hey Trevor....where ya staying? How long you gonna be there? Are you from Wisconsin!??!

Hi Terri, thanks for your interest in my question. No, the water can take weeks to come out completely.
It reallly drives me nut!!!! Doesnt stop me from swimming though. Glutton for punishment I guess.

Chris, thanks. I will try the link and anything else that may help. I guess my biggest problem is getting the water out after. I've tried about everything, even leaving a q-tip in my ear for extended periods of time (looks kinda silly).

Thanks, Jay

Hey Terri,
There are two types of underwater cases that I know of. My soft case is by ewa-marine. You can look them up online. My hard case is by ikelite. Hard case takes much better photo's, but the case is much more expensive.
Never had a problem with either leaking or fogging.
www.ikelite.com
www.ewa-marine.com
It's fun taking photo's underwater. Just remember, fish don't pose too well.

You can go to the B+H photography website and they have all sorts of underwater casings to fit most cameras. I got one for my Sony before our trip last Jan. and we had great luck with it. I also use it at my job (I teach swimming to about 100 students a week) and have some great pictures. I'm not terribly skilled at it, but get a little better each time! Good luck.

Hey sitter! Close -- we're from Iowa!!!!!!! We're staying up on Ajax Mountain. I hope the views make up for the trek to the villa from Cruz Bay. We'll be there from 11/24 through 12/1.

Jay,

Have you tried the slicone earplugs?

http://www.macksearplugs.com/

I bought them at my local CVS for my 7 yr old granddaughter. She was just learning to swim but refused to get any water anywhere near her ears. I don't know if it was just a placebo effect for her or if they really worked because she did start getting her head down into the water.

I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but I tried these same silicone ear plugs. I wanted them to keep the water out of my ears in the shower. You sort of wad them up (they're silicone so they can be re-formed) and put them in your ears and mash them down to create a "seal". HA! NOT! They don't really "seal" and they don't stay in. First the water started seeping in around the edge, and then my ears just filled with water as usual, then they fell out. There's got to be a better product out there!

Hello everyone...
If I may put in my 6 cents... 2 cents on each of 3 things within this thread. : )
Snorkeling... I bought equipment and a snorkel vest before my last trip to STJ in March. I am so glad I got the vest. I am an okay swimmer and my wife is an excellent swimmer, but she was new to snorkeling. At one point she swallowed some sea water and went into a coughing fit and started having trouble as we were in deep water and pretty far from shore. She was able to hang onto my back and get her composure as I kept her afloat and swam towards shore. It was scary and I was glad for the vest. I was able to deflate the vest most of the time and blow it up when I felt I needed a break. It was more a security blanket thing than anything, but well worth the price.
I also got a corrective mask at www.snorkel-mart.com (I'm not affiliated with them at all) that worked great. It's not a prescription mask, just has standard corrective lenses.... kind of like getting reading glasses at the pharmacy instead of prescription glasses. They were much cheaper and work great for the once a year vacation (sigh) that I need to use them. I am both near sighted and far sighted and don't wear contacts and it was great to be able to see clearly in the water.
Unfortunately I believe that the amount of construction on STJ is part of the problem of dying coral. I think that the runoff from construction sites creates a lot of silt in the water that causes the sunlight to not get through.I'm not saying I think they should stop all construction as the first thing I'd do if I could afford it would be to build myself a home there. Ahhhh.... what a dream.
On a less serious note... my drink recipe with cranberry juice for us sea-pee-ers... Sorry, but when I gotta go, I gotta go and I have done my fair share of sea peeing. It's made with equal parts of Amaretto, Coconut Rum, cranberry juice and pineapple juice. It's called a Dave Matthews here where I live. My wife loves them.
And one other note... I just procured a case of Virgin Islands Pale Ale when I was in Providence, RI this past weekend. What a treat for me. It brought me right back to STJ when I had one last night!
Sorry this got so long.

crickett : )

Crickett,
I think that I will try that drink recipe. It sounds yummy!

Go for it... it's actually a drink started in a pub in my town and all the pubs here now serve it. My wife always orders them out of town and has to tell the bartender what's in them. You might want to experiment with individual quantities to your liking. Cheers!!

crickett : )

I do have another question about snorkeling.
I was in STJ last year for 6 days and we spent the entire time going to all of the North shore beaches. We were content to do just that and had a great time. When we return in 2007 we are bring the kids (ages 11 and 16) and my husband wants to just do the North shore beaches again. I kind of wanted to do something a little different. Should we go to Coral Bay and snorkel at beaches on the other side of the island? Are they as good or better? Also, should we take any charters to other islands like the BVI or others or to the baths? We have only 6 days again providing we don't have any rainy ones.
I just wanted some opinions on this. Thanks!
Terri

Terri
The North Shore beaches are nicer but not necessarily better (did that make sense?). The South and West side beaches offer different experiences. We love Lameshur Bays and they are really quiet getaways for families.

If you have the time and money to do a day sail, I strongly recommend Captain Phil and the Wayward Sailor, especially for the kids. He is great at teaching everyone about the area and what they are about to see as well as help everyone feel confident in the water.

Thanks for the tips.
Do the South and West beaches have good snorkeling? Is it rougher than the North beaches? Do you see different sea life?
I haven't been to any restaurants or bars in Coral Bay either. I have heard people talk about them on this forum. What would you recommend for lunch?

Hi Terri,
Some of the best snorkeling I've done on STJ was at Salt Pond. I'd definitely recommend going there.

crickett : )