West Indies The end of the beginning.
How I fare in the snorkelling test, in search of Grenada's waterfalls, and an unintentional beach party in paradise.
The time has come, after nine months in the Lesser Antilles, our last month in the Eastern Caribbean begins. Wow. So much has happened since we arrived in Bequia at the end of January. But we don't want to get too sentimental just yet - after all, there's still a lot to do! The last few weeks of my diving training are over and my exam is coming up. We're also getting a visit from my sister Luzi & her boyfriend Chrigi 😍 Together with them, we're going to sail the Grenadines one last time.
Master of Disaster
That would actually be the more appropriate title for divemaster training 😂 at least sometimes. The romantic picture of working in the diving industry with ideas such as "I can then enjoy great dives every day" unfortunately doesn't quite correspond to reality. One thing soon becomes clear: it's no longer about my dive, but about the group's dive. Whether I have a great experience is secondary. All the planning, preparation and customer care in addition to the actual dive is just as important as the diving itself. Day after day, I learn how to deal with unplanned situations: pinching diving masks, missing fins, not enough weights. Probably one of the most important intermediate tests is the "Hell-Dive". Unfortunately, I didn't know anything about this test and so I was unsuspectingly looking forward to a "fun dive" with my instructor Britt. However, it soon turned out that I wasn't really going to have any fun here 😅 Britt made my life difficult, behaved like a complete fool and I had to take the brunt of it. A few examples: I can barely stop her from taking off all her equipment and trying to swim away, she takes off her fins and fills her mask with water and while I'm trying to help her, she takes off my mask. All of this neutrally buoyant, of course, as we don't want to destroy any corals 😉 The purpose of such hell dives is to stay cool. As long as you can breathe, it's all good 😉 Fortunately, I still have some nice dives in between that I can enjoy. Thank you, Britt, for creating this great video!
After almost two months of training, the time has come: I passed all the practical tests have been passed, the theory and now comes the end boss. What that is? I don't know either 😅 They call it the "stress dive" and there's no mention of what happens. So I only find out what the mission the minute before we board the boat:
The scene:
Britt and I are given a single set of diving equipment (tank, regulator & BCD). We both have fins and masks. The test is carried out in the open sea at a depth of around 5 metres.
The task:
Once the entire equipment, so all the items listed above, is completely exchanged (back and forth) while only one regulator is used. Long story short, only one person can breathe, the other holds their breath. The situation is made even more difficult by the occasional tank-closing or mask removal by Julie, who accompanies and monitors us on the dive.
The aim:
Stay cool. Give clear hand signals (I need air, my tank is closed, let's swap masks, etc.). And did I mention: stay cool. If you panic and shoot up, you lose.
To be honest, I'm a little relieved when I find out what's going to happen. I had imagined much worse things 😵 We go into the water and after about 15 minutes it's official: I'm now a divemaster! 🥳🥳 I did quite well, just got a bit nervous once because I was a bit short of breath and Julie took off my mask at that exact moment. Seeing nothing and having no air is a difficult combo. But I soon caught myself and the rest was a piece of cake! 😎
It's family time!
Yay yay yay yay they are here! My sister Luzi & her boyfriend Christoph will be joining us for 10 days. The plan is to go scuba diving with Master Mogli, hike to the waterfalls and then sail off to the Grenadines. Let's go! 🤪
We start with a discover scuba dive in the famous sculpture park in Grenada, as Chrigi had wished for. Unfortunately, Chrigi's GoPro somehow died and we couldn't take any pictures. But I'm incredibly proud of you both, you did a great job! 🙏💗 In the evening, there's another important ceremony in my training: the snorkel test! 🤿 I'm given a special mask and a snorkel with a funnel. Then I have to answer 20 questions and for every wrong answer, a gush of the crypronite I've unwittingly chosen comes down the snorkel. Britt once asked me: "What alcoholic drink could you possibly drink through a funnel?". Luckily, I said "rosé wine" and not "gin and tonic" 🤣. It turned out to be a very fun evening with the whole Scuba team at the local brewery. A really nice end to my time here!
Getting up the next day wasn't quite as nice 🤪🥴 Nevertheless, we set off for the Seven Sisters, a trail that leads to a total of seven waterfalls. We first travel a short distance by bus, which is an experience in itself 😉 We then walk through the jungle for about an hour. We are followed by three cute dogs, which my sister falls in love with straight away 😉 We take a dip in the waterfall pool, have a beer with the locals in the bar because it's pouring rain, and then it's back to the city. Time to stock up on provisions for a week of sailing fun, because there's probably nothing to buy in the Grenadines at the moment.
The sailing fun begins
Now it's finally time to cast off! We leave Prickly Bay once again and set course for Carriacou. A beautiful day of sailing lies ahead of us, small waves and a beam reach with around 12 knots of wind. That puts us in a good mood! We're making great progress and, to everyone's delight, both our fishing lines are buzzing! Double catch, you know what that means: It's Mahi Time! 🐟 Let's savour it!
Once we arrive at Sandy Island, we enjoy the crystal-clear water and the peaceful island. The next day I walk acssro the island with Luzi & Chrigi for about an hour to Tyrell Bay. Now I can also see the remnants of Hurricane Beryl. It's impressive how it still looks like almost three months later. We meet a young guy who has a small bar on the road and have a beer with him. I ask him how he's doing and he replies: "I'm not gonna lie to you, it's a struggle". You can feel the weight of his words and yet he spreads a kind of cheerfulness. The future lies ahead of us, we can no longer change the past. I have the utmost respect for this attitude and for the actions that follow these words. Jah bless my friend 💗💛💚
I believe I can fly!
In Union Island, we do what you're supposed to do in Union Island: Doing water sports 😉🪁 With winds of around 15 knots and no waves, we have perfect conditions for wingfoiling. Everyone tries it out and has fun. I even managed my first 10 seconds of foiling! 🥳😎 We're getting there... Our friends Tinu & Judy from the Spindrift of Hamble have now also joined us. A small regatta towards the Tobago Cays follows the next day, but we soon leave the Spindrifties behind. Long keel vs. short keel is a bit difficult says Tinu, we're just too fast we say! 😂
The Tobago Cays, like everything else, suffered greatly from Beryl. I don't want to bore you with this, but I find it impressive that not only everything above the surface of the water has faced the force of the storm, but also the underwater world. The reef, which was teeming with coral and marine life when we arrived in January '24, now resembles a pile of broken pieces. There are broken and dead corals everywhere and we hardly see any fish. Even the turtles and rays, which used to be a regular sight here, can only be seen sporadically. How much time must pass before the reef appears in its new splendour?
Mayreau, you are wonderful!
Our last stop in the Grenadines is Mayreau. We tie Cervino to a buoy in Salt Whistle Bay and walk up the hill. From here we have a wonderful view over the neighbouring islands and an enchanting evening sky. We walk back to the village and sit down in a bar. The atmosphere is exuberant, with the finest reggae music playing from the speaker. The homemade rhum punch is so good that one is not enough and soon we are dancing through the sand with the villagers under the clear night 💃 What lovely people, what a lovely atmosphere. You should celebrate the festivals as they fall (a saying we have in German). But before we fall, it's back to the Cervino, where a biiiiig yeast dough is waiting for us. Because tonight was supposed to be pizza night 🤣 Of course, we can't miss that, and enoy the funniest pizza-making ever. What seems to become an endless night omes to a very quick end after dinner 😂 Tiredness kicks in and we hit the sack. What a successful evening that couldn't have been better if planned.
You might be wondering why the quality of the pictures in this blog post is so much better? 🤣 My sister is a photographer with an eye for nature and details. Why don't you take a look at her website: www.luzischaller.ch.
Our lovely visitors have gone again, we go to the last hash and then the time has come. Ciao Grenada, adios Scuba West Indies, adieu Prickly Bay! But even worse: goodbye West Indies, goodbye English speaking countries and hello communication difficulties! 😅😆 Our next destination is Los Roques, Venezuela. Four days of sailing lie ahead of us, and for the first time in almost a year, we set off on a multi-day crossing just the two of us.
If there really are pirates on the Venezuelan coast, if Thierry breakes a rib and wether or not I mutate from my human form into a turtle?
Vamos a ver...