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I really didn't take notes and I won't try to remember every rum induced moment, but here goes...
FF flyer miles are good. Even if you have to make 3 billion phone calls to get a decent date or time to fly. We flew US Air and we had to check only 1 thing!! Our beach chairs. We figured if we're going to be running around STT and STJ, we'd rather be comfortable. I checked before we left and the condo unit did not have any chairs. When we left we were going to leave them at the condo, but we left them with our friends son instead.
We also brought with us a small collapsible cooler with bacon, porkroll, chicken and my husbands obsession of black licorice and little packets of ketchup,mayo, and mustard.
We stayed on Sapphire Beach in the B building. This is our third time at Sapphire. Condo was no big deal. Inexpensive, convenient to Red Hook, right smack dab on the beach and with a kitchen.
Sapphire Beach....this beach is gorgeous. It's clean, there's good snorkeling, it's large, there's alot of shadeand we absolutely love it. The first day (Monday) we decided to head out to the left side to the sea grass and within 5 minutes we were swimming with 2 turtles. That was really cool. There's also good snorkeling over to the right and out by Honeymoon Point.
Honeymoon Point is a piece of land/rocks that jutts out into the water. It is framed on both sides by palm trees and is absolutely hands down a beautiful place to get married. Two nights we sat out there with our beach chairs and just gazed at the stars, drank our beers and talked. These were good moments.
Sapphire is going through some infighting/lawyering, so the main restaurant on the beach is not open and neither is the pool bar. We didn't care. We had our own beer and we're pretty crafty at making lunches or snacks (husband starts to have a melt-down if he can't invision a meal coming within an hour).
They do have a couple people who will come around and ask you if you want anything to eat. They have a grill set up between B and C building that serves burgers/mahi sandwiches, they have the Grapevile Grille up on the hill that you can order from and they also have Senior Pizza who will deliver for you. Believe me, I've never starved on STT and I don't think anyone else will.
Back to the snorkeling and what we like to call nipplegate. We were lazy and decided to get a raft from the beach shack (10.00 whole day). We didn't put on our fins or vests, only our mask and snorkel. We figure, take it easy, get the dog bones out, lay there and feet the fish. I don't know the name of every fish, but these fish were silver and had black tip fins (no, not the shark). Soon as we put that dog bone in the water, they're circling us...around and around and around. Milk bone gets wet, they start feeding (all I could think of was JB's "Fins". The milk bone starts crumbling and these fish are in our face going crazy. All of a sudden I hear husband scream JC, scared me!! What's wrong? One of the fish had bit his left nipple thinking it was a piece of a dog bone. We still laugh about this. Not funny when it happened and it hurt pretty good, but another memory.
Men AND women...do not ever do this without something covering your nipples or you'll be sorry.
Boss is coming, so I'll continue a little later.
Thanks for the installment on the trip report. Looking forward to future additions. Too funny, the boss is coming! I do all of the books for our family construction business and ever since I have found this forum I keep drifting back to it while I should be working.
Molly
Connie: Your story demonstrates why one should never feed fish in the wild. I'm glad you all lived and hope you also learned! 🙂
East Ender - I was immediately chastised by Connie for mentioning the effects of feeding the fish when I responded about this post [ on a different forum - same post ] - I snorkel here almost everday and have seen the reef degrade and species change in any bay where there is dog food or the like sold on the beach. The St John National Park has made it illegal for years now but I consistently watch the local daysail boats there throw food in the water - the barracuda seem to love it and will hang out under the boats as soon as they pick up a mooring. Maybe it makes for some exciting moments for the 1st time snorkelers! --- But it surely isn't healthy for the fish or the reefs.
East, just take it easy, don't turn this into an argument....
Me saying that I knew someone was going to bring it up does not mean that you were chastised.
All I meant was I knew someone was going to bring it up.....BUT.....it is a story at that and I wanted to tell it.
Remember, sometimes on the internet things are taken the wrong way.
connie: too bad I didn't know about hubbie's predilection for licorice. It's a long story but after I mentioned some time ago how much I missed the English "Bassett's Liquorice Allsorts" which were a childhood favourite, Pia brought me back a huge package. I indulged myself grandly but, in the meantime, someone else overheard and brought me enough of exactly the same from DC to last me for the next 10 years. I would have gladly gifted your hubbie with a pack of these very special delights ... but too late!
exitzero: don't misunderstand EE's post because EE posts on the side of the fence that many of us who who live here are all on. Our wildlife whether above or beneath the sea has suffered enormously in the 25 years that I've been here and much of the devastation has been wrought by man. Even in my relatively short years here I've seen total devastation of the reefs. In the late 80's and early 90's the snorkeling experiences were so superior to what they are now and going out to those wonderful spots is something I just choose not to do these days because I remember what it was and am deeply saddened by what it has become.
You were right to bring it up to connie and hopefully she will have learned a lesson which she will then transmit to other visitors.
Visitors, please get "off" this whole deal about bringing or buying dog bones to feed to the fish. This is something that started at Coki and it rather boggles my mind that the management at Coral World hasn't taken a stance on the issue.
Maybe I'll get chastised for this but on the rare occasions these days when I go out sailing and we're in deep water I've no compunction about throwing overboard some chicken ends and other generally biodegradable bits and pieces - along with tossing up some bread pieces for the gulls.
Cheers!
Connie: I am not arguing. However, your hub was injured doing something he shouldn't have done. He's lucky it wasn't some other hangy down body part they went for! It is a cautionary tale for others who may have the same idea.
STT: I don't think that Coral World has any oversight over Coki. The dive ops etc seem to encourage this behavior. It probably increases their bottom line. But feeding wild animals has negative results for the animals themselves and the ecosystem in which they live. I also don't feed the annoying laughing gulls! 😉
STT....I like to try to keep Glenn off of that black licorice, but if he knew you had it, he'd be munching away with you!!
BTW... It's illegal to feed seagulls in NJ now.
Another thing that really bothers me is cigarette butts. I smoke, but I take my own with me and ALOT of others. I pick up trash, plastic, bottle caps or anything else that will fit in the bag I bring.
Anyway....this should be a different thread, but I just had to get that out.
Connie, If ya don't mind me saying so, enough already. Get on with your trip report girl. And thanks in advance,
Bob, I'm trying to get my thoughts together.
Next installment will probably be car rental, places we hung and things we ate.
How's that sound?
PERFECT............
we live on Sapphire. The fish that attacked you are palmettos. The reason they attack is the fact that people are providing food to feed them. Since they started that the fish will eat anything, including you.
So don't support things like fish feeding. It is wrong and not natures way.
billd
Hi Connie,
Nice to read your report! SOOOOO sorry I didn't get to see you and even more sorry I didn't see you when you stopped at Hull Bay!
Next time my girl..... already looking forward to it!
On to your next post!
Keep it coming.
We experienced the results of people feeding the fish at Coki years ago when my young daughter hit the water (just learning to snorkel). The fish were on her like flies on you know what. Scared her more than a little. I guess the fish think EVERYONE feeds them. I did have to give her credit, she didn't yell "SHARK!" or some such warning and soon overcame her initial fear and was right back in the water having a grand old time.
