Sports Events in St. Thomas

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I had the BOSS (Breathing Observation Submersible Scooter) tour today. This was formerly known as BOB. I want to see whether I can operate my new underwater camera to get good snorkeling photos.

They made us take off our shoes and get on barefoot. We could go up on the upper deck, and there was shade up there if there had been sun, but it was raining. There were about 30 of us. They gave us the safety lecture and then the boat went out to the St. Thomas Buck Island and picked up a mooring.

They gave us wrist bands. I was in the green group. We were also organized by whether there were three of us, two or one. I was a solo person. Each group was to have half an hour on the scooter and then could snorkel or the rest of the time. They fed the fish catfood off the stern to make them come up to the boat (photo 2).

I put on my dive skin, got a pair of fins, put on my mask and jumped in with my new camera. I found that it was easy to use and I got about 18 reasonably good photos. Just about the time for my scooter ride, the camera was out of memory, so I erased a couple of pictures, handed in my fins and mask, and the guy on the boat gave me my glasses, and I went out and got onto the scooter.

One of the ladies in the first group was claustrophobic and spend all her time on the surface but the rest of us went down about 10 feet. It was strange to be submerged (to get your head into the bubble) with eyeglasses on and not have anything in your mouth to breathe with. They told us that it would be easy to operate the scooter, but I didn't find it easy to steer and I couldn't keep up with the others no matter how hard I pressed on the accelerator button with my thumb. I had a big purple bruise on my thumb the next day. One of the divers with us got behind me and pushed on my helmet so I could keep up with the others.

Then I gave the diver my camera and he took two photos before it was out of memory again, and we went back to the boat. I mentioned to Jim (the Captain) that I'd had trouble keeping up and he said it was because of my size. I said that I wasn't heavy in the water. He said it was weight but width. I said "Thanks".

He said he had the same problem and wait until I got to his age. I said I thought I was already past his age. He said he was 56. I said I was 72. He said "No Way". I guess that is a compliment.

Equipment: The BOSS boat supplies snorkelling vests, mask, snorkel and fins and they sell snorkeling cameras. They also supply drinks and snacks.

My son and I dive every year and this year we selected the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Thomas in particular. St. Thomas is certainly not going to be in the top 5 or 10 of your dive hot spots, but we were both surprised by our dives. We used a dive shop called Coki Beach Dive Club on the East side of the island. They were great. We prefer small groups--6-8 divers--so we can get to know the other divers, the dive shop owners, and in a way feel special about the dive trip. Our dive master took us on some memorable dives--one through some beautiful chutes and arches, and another on a drift dive. The coral was abundant everywhere and the leaf corral was so huge!

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Here is a video highliting our trip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAgnigV8Zjc

I've wanted to catch a Wahoo for a long time. Thanks to Captain Tyler, I can cross that one off the list. My friend Wally and I chartered the Center Console for 3/4 day. We left at Noon and returned after dark. We fished along a drop off called the North Drop which drops quickly from 400 feet to thousands of feet of water.

“Our reputation for catching fish is largely due to the experience and knowledge of our captains Jonathan Gatcliffe, Colin Butler, Tyler Maltby, Chris Berry and their desire to give our guests the most exciting fishing trip of their lives.”

Equipment: Bring a hat, sun glasses, sun tan lotion, camera, and lots of film!

Their Fleet consists of a 40 ft. sport fishing boat and 2 32 ft. center console, diesel powered, open fishing boats with a large T-top covering all seating areas. These boats are fully equipped including a marine head for your convenience and full electronics for your safety and enjoyment. We also furnish all rods and reels with fishing tackle to make your trip a fun & successful one.

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There's a big charter industry in the Virgin Islands. Tortola is a big center for bareboat charters, but for our first time we chartered out of Red Hook on St. Thomas and did a crewed charter. The lady on the left and the gentleman on the right were the charter captains.

A crewed charter is like a seaborne A/I - it's better than a cruise ship because you can pick where you want to go.

On some boats you can also dive, so if you want to do that, be sure to pick one that it's available.

Equipment: Pack in soft -side luggage (stows better) and don't bring much. Bathing suits, cover-ups, boat shoes, your own snorkeling and/or diving gear if you have it, sunscreen, and a jacket or sweater. A crewed charter will include all but one or two meals.

This was the most organized, helpful, well kept, safe, knowlegable company I have ever dove with!
I wish every company was this good.

Equipment: Equipement was very well kept. They set up all your gear for you and help you with everything!

You'll find great beaches to snorkel. Coki Beach is very popular for snorkeling, but we had great experience at Sapphire Beach, even though people there said that there is not a great place for snorkeling...

Equipment: You will find rentals for the snorkeling equipment, but we brought ours. There are some beaches that does not offer rentals, so this is why I would suggest to bring your own snorkel equipment.