Boys’ Week and another fun packed couple of days. On Monday we headed up the island to Captain Marvin’s and out to Stingray City, it was a bit choppy but none-the-less a cracking day on a boat in North Sound. snorkeling and swimming with the rays, what more can you ask for?

We rounded off the day at Al Fresco in West Bay a couple of cold beers and dinner before heading back to Sunset House to watch the night divers entering the water.

It was very funny watching their lights playing on the water surface as they swam below, two clearly became lost and had to turn back to the shore!

Not sure I am ready for it yet but it’s definately on the list! (Sorry Mum but yep).

Tuesday we went diving at Eden Rock and then for a spot of snorkelling on a wreck just off Seven Mile Beach. 

Lots of caves fissures and tunnels to explore a great little dive near the shore. Plenty of fish to be seen including the now ubiquitous tarpon, swimming with these prehistoric monsters is a joy. They are totally unfazed by having divers around them as they swim through the caves and cracks or just hang in the water. 

The wreck snorkel was lovely, again loads of fish and crystal clear waters but to add a little interest today there was a really strong rip running along parallel to the shoreline. At times we had to work hard not to get swept away! Even with fins on it was very hard going.

As we returned back to the safety of the sea pool a little harbour wth its own channel to the sea, that we had used to enter the wreck site a family (mum, dad and teenager) were swimming out of the channel. I stopped them and told them about the rip, I said I thought they should go back but they were determined and knew better, they were not even wearing flippers! 

Judging by the lobster red sun burns mum and dad were sporting I reckoned they were off the cruise ship for the day. I tried again to dissuade them but stil no. So I explained to them that if they could not get back to let the rip carry them along the beach and swim diagonally across it in the direction of flow towards the shore and try to exit at the set of steps a couple of hundred meters further past the wreck or if they missed that onto the beach about quarter of a mile away.

Gruffly dad acknowledge that I had spoken but clearly he did not believe me and with no further comment pushed on and down the channel followed by his wife and daughter who both shrugged looking a bit sheepish.

Adam and I got out of the water and watched them reach the end of the channel where they were immediately in trouble. The rip caught them. They fought it for a couple of minutes before it just washed them away they bobbed helplessly along like corks swept along towards the wreck! They just about avoided smashing into the boat itself washing through its superstructure and beyond. They shot past the steps and then obviously my words of advice began to sink in and instead of trying to swim against the rip they started swimming diagonally across the rip but with the flow. We watched the three of them stagger out onto the beach.

It took them a while to recover before they trudged back up the beach to where their stuff was and where we sat on our deck chairs. 

They reached their stuff and slumped down visibly shaken.

“How was the swim?” I asked cheerfully.

Dad looked at me no longer quite so cocksure and with real sincerity just said ‘thank you, we were in real trouble your advice was right’. 

“Well,” I said sagely, “you had about another 1/2 a mile before the rip turns away from the shore and out over deeper water where it eventually slacks off but it’s a long swim back and it is scary if you don’t know these waters”.

They just sat there open mouthed and stared out to sea the cogs turning in their heads wondering what might have happened had they not bumped into us. After a short while they gathered their belongings together and trudged off each saying thank you as they passed.  All of them just a little paler and with just a touch more respect for the sea.

In truth they would have been OK even without my advice as is closer to a mile before the rip turns out to sea and they would have passed five or six exit points. As it travels along the coast the rip eases making getting out less difficult but it’s still tiering and very scary. It’s panic that kills.

Oh the mask? A slight mishap while chasing a huge tarpon… fish and diver both fine, mask not so much… the dangers of full contact sports. How we laughed.