A morning of tropical splendor was the way to ease into this day. I heard Tasia moving about and opening the blinds. I turned my head towards the window and I could see the palms swaying with the breeze and the harbor glistening blue beyond. After the first jolt of caffeine, served to me in bed by Tasia, the day was calling me outside. I stumbled out of the bedroom past my half-unpacked suitcase, belongings lying about and I ventured out to a much expanded view of the palms and sea. Sitting by the pool, coffee in hand, enjoying the tropical breezes, watching the boats dotting the Chocolate Hole Harbor was profoundly peaceful.

Time marched on and soon it was time to get ready for our first adventure on St. John’s which was to be the “Discover Scuba” dive offered by Low Key Water Sports. It advertises that  this dive option is  purported to be a quick and easy way to explore the underwater world.  We would to be able to complete two supervised dives. I had had a similar dive experience when on the Great Barrier Reef many years ago and assumed I could replicate that.  Wrong!  Quite wrong!

Before the dive we were required to learn the safety guidelines and skills needed to dive through an online PADI course. I completed it a few days before and even took notes  and reviewed the signals  the morning of the dive.  Our dive instructor , who would be accompanying us additionally reviewed everything en route to the dive site. I had a great vision of a fun experience swimming around and exploring. Upon arrival we were hooked into the equipment including a mask, snorkel, fins, regulator, buoyancy control device, dive gauges, and a tank. However, my adventure of swimming with the tropical fish was not quite the seamless  adventure I had anticipated.  

Dive #1: Gearing up was the first order of business.I was quite relieved that no wetsuits were needed as the water temperature was in the mid 80’s and stuffing oneself into a Neoprene corset is a challenge unto itself. Getting strapped into the BCD (Buoyancy Control Device) was awkward and then trying to remember which button was the inflator and deflator was the next challenge . Then, get on the clumsy fins and already fogged up mask. The first maneuver, once all geared up, was that of waddling towards the back edge of the boat to get into position for the plunge into the depths. I was aghast at how much the tank weighed. I am sure it was akin to carrying around a 25 cubic feet double door refrigerator on my back. The dive assistant was holding it up so I wouldn’t be performing a failed back flip on deck.  But I took the plunge and once in the water everything I had learned began to slip away. During the initial descent the pressure in my ears was at first manageable but a few feet down I began to experience what they call “barotrauma.” Sharp pain in both ears. The instructor led me through the equalization process and eventually it dissipated about 95% but my ear drums refused to feel totally comfortable. I was biting down hard on the regulator. Guess I was a bit anxious, but soon I began to relax and I was gliding around with the bright fish flickering about and observing that colorful cast of characters (better than in “Finding Nemo”) and the coral gardens. We were discouraged from taking our underwater cameras on the first dive so I do not have any evidence of having completed that dive ( just in case anyone choose to dispute the fact that I completed this dive). Removing the fins and then gripping the metal rungs,  I hauled myself out of the sea like a harbor seal in slow motion with the help of the dive assistant  latching onto this lighter weight tank (perhaps 38 pounds now instead of 40 pounds). Eventually we were all back up on the boat. . 

Dive #2: I sat on the edge of the seat as the crew prepped the tanks for the second dive. I kept pondering the ear issue. It wasn’t hurting but  I was a bit hesitant as I still felt pressure in my ears but not pain. I had done what I been taught about equalization on first dive but it had not completely helped. Should I go again? Do I listen to my body or follow my heart. You might have guessed I would make the more reckless choice.

So I again lumbered off the boat, tank in tow, looking like a like a lame penguin.    After plunging into the depths of only about 20 feet,  I knew immediately this would be a no go.  It felt like my ear drums were screeching and not wanting my ear drums to explode or implode, I signaled thumbs up after only one attempt at equalization. Already struggling with hearing loss already, I chose not to risk making the loss total and permanent . Disappointed yes!  But choosing to make the best of it after dumping everything but the snorkel and mask,  I went snorkeling over near Luke who had opted not to try the scuba diving.  I enjoyed it much more, going at my own pace, with no rush to keep up with the others leading the charge as on St. Croix and my ears were not screaming. I had my waterproof camera in tow and managed to take many unremarkable photos of fish and fans. Clearly underwater photography is not my forte.

Once back at the dock it was time to re-group, arrange to rent our snorkeling gear for the rest of the visit , and head back to our “Bellavista.”  But before that I had to visit the St. John’s Bay National Park Visitors Center to get the park maps and stamps  so we opted to take a short sweaty walk over to it only to find it was closed. What”s next?

The family decided to walk back via Mongoose Junction. The “bio”  for Mongoose Junction claims to be St .John’s premier shopping and dining destination “with a collection of fashionable shops and restaurants in a unique architectural and tropical setting unmatched in the entire Caribbean.” Miriam had had ice cream on her mind and had been hinting at it for several days now, so we happened upon St. John Scoops of Mongoose Junction and that was the moment when her fondest wishes were realized. As the family walked back with ice cream dripping from the cones, of more interest to me were its chickens, roosters  and other colorful buildings in this historic neighborhood Enighed.

Back on the road it was time for food, dinner, swim and planning for the following day.