TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Trip Report September 12 - 26, 2015 Part Seven

Again, no one would get up so Shawna and I drove to Cul-de-Sac to ride the ferry to Pinel Island. After parking the car I opened my door and almost died. The putrid, sewage treatment stench from the rotting Sargassum was so strong you quite literally tasted it. Up to this point I had not really realized what all the fuss had been about with "the seaweed problem." I had smelled a slight smell in spots on Orient but nothing like this. I quickly looked across to Pinel because if I had seen any piles I was not going to go over. The beach there looked clean. It was 10€ or $12/ person for the ferry.

There were hardly any people there. We had our own beach mat and some water as we were just there to snorkel, not lounge. Since it was so empty we spread our mat out under the shade trees in the back section of empty palapas. We snorkeled along the buoys, seeing a variety of fish. At the farthest point I kept feeling something nudge my foot and I thought it was Shawna. Turning I saw a little yellowtail fish. He followed me everywhere I went. Shawna took some video of him. I named him Bob. At one point I thought Bob left because he started chasing another fish and disappeared from sight. Oh no, Bob came back and followed me for a good hour as I slowly snorkeled back and forth admiring his brothers, sisters and cousins. He followed me all the way back to shore, even as I took off my fins and waded out of the water. By that time he was a far distance away from where he started. I miss Bob.

We decided to walk the path around the island and then went over to the other restaurant area. Iguanas were plentiful at both restaurants and so fat that when one of the cooks threw some cut up tomato to them they ignored it. These Iguanas are not native to St. Maarten. They were shipped in the mid 90's but never picked up at the airport and supposedly set free by a worker so are an invasive species.

By this time we were running short on water so decided to catch the ferry back. On the way we saw 2 sea turtles swimming by. We ran to the car trying not to breathe in the fumes and took a leisurely drive through Grand Case. We were going down a road full of little restaurants on either side when a plane flew directly overhead to land at the French-side airport. That was quite a sight!

By the time we got back to the Atrium we were ravenous and ate some leftovers, then found everyone except my mother down at the pool. Jon and Meg had snorkeled off Kim Sha and apparently the visibility was good earlier. They reported seeing many fish, a large turtle and a couple of eagle rays. We all ended up snorkeling again as we wanted to see if we could spot another turtle. Jon was in the lead and he saw it. I just saw a shadow as it swam away quickly. I finally saw a giant starfish. I had wondered why I had not seen any. It is strange to say the least.

Suddenly we were surrounded by a huge whirling mass of small fish, a school of at least a couple 1000 if not more. It was disconcerting because they were also jumping and I was really trying hard to see from WHAT they were jumping. Jon said it was a large predator and he tried to get a picture but all I could make out in the shot were bubbles. Those small fish just kept circling en masse. They would have filled a large net. We stayed in the water so long that I was a bit dizzy after, like I was on a boat.

We spent the evening relaxing and got promises from Jon and Meg that they would indeed get up to go to the Sunset Bar to see the KLM land. This will be their last chance as tomorrow is our last day. WOW, where have these two weeks gone?

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So, all week my children have made fun of my snorkeling outfit of a Walmart budget hot pink long sleeved rash guard that I wore with a red flowered bathing suit top and red men's swim trunks, because men's trunks are not only a bit longer against chafing of the thighs but also have nice sized velcro pockets to put a dry box in. Uh huh, I am ending the week a nice tan but poor Shawna has lobster back. She does not want to go swimming on this, our last full day that has beautiful sunshine. I am not swimming because of the dizzy sensation of yesterday, just in case it is my ears, as we are flying tomorrow and I have never mastered the art of depressurizing my ears. I will be taking a decongestant tonight and tomorrow, just in case.

This morning breakfast was a lovely assortment of cheeses and meats, which is actually our Christmas Eve tradition from my German mother, which we have always called "aufschnitt." It was lovely and I am really going to miss the relatively cheap cheese prices here. We still have half that monster wheel of Gouda, which my son is going to try and take back in his checked bag. I hope it makes it.

Jon and Meg have yet to go sit in the Sunset Bar to watch the planes. This morning they actually got up and we headed over to Maho. With no cruise ship in town and a light schedule of flights there was not the crowded crazy atmosphere that can make the place so much fun. The kids got some nice video, with Shawna taking one right from the center section of the road so that the plane passed directly over her head. It was somewhat comical as she bent over backwards to keep shooting and the end of her video is upside down.

We then went to Mullet Bay because neither Jon nor Meg had snorkeled there but the surf was pretty rough and they saw hardly any fish. I remember the first time I snorkeled there on a cruise and was similarly disappointed. I had wondered what all the hype was about as all we saw was a multitude of sea urchins. However this trip we had seen quite an assortment of fish. It really has a hit or miss quality with the surf conditions. The rest of us spread a blanket under a tree on the beach and vegged out. I went for a walk along the water's edge when a large wave came crashing and soaked my capri's. After they dried off a bit we went to Jewels and Linens in Maho and Jon picked up some cigars for his friends, Shawna got several pairs of Larimar earrings for her friends and I picked up a bejeweled T-shirt for my mother. She has been a pretty good sport this week. With the kids here there was not enough room in the car for everyone to go everywhere and she was content hanging out at the Atrium, reading probably a dozen books. She told me she has enjoyed the trip but it does make it hard when you are mobility impaired.

On the way back we stopped at Little Jerusalem again for more shawarma. Again we fed 5 people great food and beers for $48. And we still had a to go box--you just can't beat that! Returning to the Atrium the "adults" proceeded to pack at a leisurely pace while the "kids" went snorkeling off Kim Sha. They saw another large turtle and some more rays. They had to return their rented gear to the Scuba Shop before 5pm and we had to return the rental phone. That phone sure came in handy but even as much as I was calling places or calling to check on my mother I still had money/minutes left on it but it was money well spent. Since Shawna's flight is not until 2 pm I checked with Michael at Unity and she is going to drive the rest of us to the airport at 6 am (2 trips), go back to the Atrium to hang out, then turn in the car at 12 pm, rather than us turn in the car at 6 am and have her take a taxi later. Unity has been great to deal with and the Corolla has been a trooper.

We have spent the evening eating ice cream and drinking up all the beer and rum, lol. Have the alarms set for the morning and hopefully have a non-eventful trip home. I can see how everyone loves it here. I have thoroughly enjoyed the people, the quaint towns, the markets, the no stopping but everyone seems to merge okay driving, and the wide range of food we don't have back home!

The tale about the iguanas is not true. Iguanas are excellent swimmers and have populated the entire Caribbean. They can swim underwater for long distances and swim very well on the surface too. They also are carried across distances in the ocean on downed trees from hurricanes. There are 2 types of iguanas and one is natural and one is invasive but the 2 have mixed.

Oh well, it's what I read on several St. Maarten sites....

Thank you for sharing your trip. We have been going to SXM for many years staying always on the French side but never snorkeling It's another world sounds like a wonderful experience perhaps we will try it. Great job bringing your mom and letting her enjoy the trip in the way best for her
Have a safe trip home

Guana is the local word for Iguana. Hence, the name Guana Bay. They have been around since the ancient people settled the island.

Interesting article about the decline of the native iguana on Statia, references it's local extinction on St. Maarten, and the displacement of the Lesser Antilliean Iguana by the Green Iguana:

http://www.sosiguana.org/en-us/facts.aspx