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2nd time around equals turtles and the BVI

By February 17, 2013 No Comments

Last January I had such a great time in the Virgin Islands with Captain Shane that I had to return for more! This time around, we went to visit the British Virgin Islands instead of the US to see some new hot spots.

The last time I visited, my main requirement was to see and swim with sea turtles…unfortunately, no such luck. So when I got to the boat this year, our first stop was out to Buck Island where I swam with seven turtles! Don’t tell the National Parks folks….because I also touched them!  🙂

When we had enough of the turtles we went to Jost Van Dyke in the BVI and did a small hike to the bubbly pool. This pool is similar to an inverted beach and the way the water comes in and hits the rocks – it looks like you’re in a giant hot tub. If you come to this area – it’s a must see!

The next day we went to Sandy Cay, Great Harbor and White Bay – all on Jost Van Dyke. Great Harbor is home to the infamous Foxy’s bar where I got serenaded by Foxy himself. Sandy Cay and White Bay were beautiful beaches where we played in the water and were beach bums all day.

Our next trip was to another BVI must-see – the Baths. Any pictures that you may have seen online don’t do this place justice – it’s huge! The giant rocks here make some incredible formations – and if you’re feeling brave enough you can explore off the traditional path and find some secret passages as well.

I had been a bit of a chicken with some of the adventures on this trip, so when it came time to snorkel the caves, I wasn’t so sure. Captain Shane had given me his underwater flashlight for the first one – but it still seemed like a bit much. I’m so glad I did it! Just about the time when I thought it was too dark and I should turn around and go back, I had reached the end. There’s even a little place off to the side where you go a little deeper. We sat there and tried to scare some kids – but they just looked at us like we were a bit crazy!

We eventually started to make our way back to the US and went to my favorite island – St John. We got a mooring ball at Salt Pond Bay and from there did the Ram’s Head hike (about a mile one way) to get the most incredible view of the islands. There was hardly anyone on this hike – I couldn’t believe we had the whole place to ourselves!

To round out my trip – we made one last stop to swim with the sea turtles. As many incredible things as I saw on this trip – the sea turtles are still pretty high on my list! They’re just so darn cute!

I was expecting a fabulous time back on the Guiding Light and Captain Shane didn’t disappoint. He’s so knowledgeable of every place he takes you, including the places no one has heard of, and makes sure that you are getting the vacation that you came down for.

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