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Published: March 23rd 2010
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Cooper Island
Hanging out at the Cooper Island Beach Club between dives! We have spent the last month cruising around the British Virgin Islands. What can we say, we love it here! The bars are fun, the beaches are beautiful, and the water is oh so inviting- turquoise blue and full of fish and turtles and rays. In fact, we try to spend as much time under water as we can and have logged over 20 dives here- awesome! The scuba diving is great in the BVIs and very accessible. All the dive sites are marked with mooring buoys and we can easily dinghy to them from a nearby anchorage. All we have to do is get our gear on, tie up to the buoy, and jump in to explore the natural beauty of the Caribbean Sea. Perfect! We got a “top ten list of dives” from one of the dive store operators and made it our goal to visit every one of them. We have done pretty well so far and have visited all but two from the list. However, we have also ventured out to other sites that aren’t on the list, but should be. We have seen forests of black coral and the galleries of the painted walls and the
Let's Dive! Let's Dive!
One of the cool coral formations we saw when diving in the BVIs. wonders of alice in wonderland. We have explored all kinds of canyons and pinnacles, peeked into caves and under ledges, and played amongst coral gardens. We have swam with schools of tarpon, had countless sightings of spotted drums, been tempted by giant lobsters that could easily take Jay down in a wrestling match, and turtles who are so curious about us that they hover inches away. One day we even heard the song of the humpback whales that were migrating south thru the islands- awesome! I could go on and on. It truly has been a month in paradise. Sadly, our underwater camera is not rated for diving so I don’t have any pictures. All that we have is the experience and lovely memories.
We have sailed between all the popular cruising grounds in our diving quest, from the West End of Tortola to the Bitter End of Virgin Gorda. And no tour of the BVIs would be complete without a visit to the Baths. What can we say? We can’t resist stopping there for the day to explore and spelunk. There is something about the Baths, how the giant granite boulders stack up on the beach to create
The Baths
Like a giant fort, made of boulders and jungle and water- cool! caves and caverns and tunnels and tidal pools that is just irresistible and fun. It transcends you back to childhood when you used to build forts in the living room. But instead of furniture and pillows and sheets, it is boulders and jungle and water... how cool! You can’t resist poking around all the nooks and crannies, squeezing thru narrow passageways, and discovering new lookouts and grottoes. You just never know what you might find around the next bend. It is like a giant maze surrounded by natural beauty and the sun filters down thru the cracks in the boulders and shimmers off the pools of water. Awesome! There is just no other place on earth like it.
We have also discovered one our favorite anchorages in our travels thru the BVIs, although I am reluctant to give away our secret spot. Benure’s Bay on the north end of Norman Island is a secluded and quiet anchorage, close to many great dive sites, and just a dinghy ride away from the Bight and the famous Willie T. It is picturesque, with pebble stone beaches surrounded by oak trees and thick brush. And the wildlife there is abundant. Late in
Spelunking!
Jay spelunking amongst the boulders of the Baths. the afternoon you can watch in amazement as the scarlet macaw flies overhead, squawking loudly and disturbing the peace and quiet. So cool! And we are always entertained by the pelicans, who nose dive into the water to catch one of the many bait fish that are swimming around. On the far end of the anchorage is a nice little reef, perfect for a quick swim and snorkel. And at night we turn on the underwater lights and watch as the tarpon dance under our boat, swimming and twirling in circles, enthralled by the lights. Our favorite thing to do there is to stern tie the boat just off the beach, positioning the Rum Runner into the perfect spot. To stern tie the boat, we drop the anchor in the middle of the bay and back the Rum Runner right up to the beach. Then we quickly jump in the dinghy and tie the stern of the boat off to one of the oak trees with a hefty line to hold us. The result is that we create a perfect swimming pool just off the back of the boat and are a stone’s throw from the beach. Awesome! We have
Off-kilter
No the cameras not off-kilter, that's Jay just squeezing thru one of the narrow spots of the Baths. spent loads of time in Benure’s Bay and just love it there.
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margie
non-member comment
what can I say?
Hi, You are living out everyone's dream.You could not be in a better place-in life.Enjoy those great dives.