On June 6, we arrived in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. There was a severe rain warning when we first arrived (did we mention how much rain we got on this trip? It was a lot, so combined with the heat, the humidity was off the charts! But we were in the Caribbean, so it was all good!) We finally got off the boat and headed to get someone to take us to Sapphire Beach. The driver sure made some money off of us, but that was okay. We got transportation and arrived safely.
It was really overcast while we were there, but it didn't rain on us, so the weather was perfect.
This was our kids' first time snorkeling, and it was a lot of fun--well, for most of us. Michael said his mask was faulty, but we think he just didn't get it tight enough.
Rachel and I went out together to see the reef. We learned that our snorkel mask would lock up so water couldn't get in, which was a bit unsettling when it happened! Once we figured that out, we had a great time.
Gabe tried snorkeling for a little bit, but he gave up pretty quickly and stayed in the shallow water by the beach--not that the water was really that deep. I don't think he liked how tight the mask was on his face.
Rachel was a snorkeling champ, which was great since we had to find her new flippers before leaving Orlando (we did this on our Wonder Works day). She brought her supposedly water proof camera to do some underwater shots, but it leaked and ruined her camera and SD card. It was so sad. My water pouch held up so I was able to get some fun shots and video of Rachel.
I think Brian must have taken this photo of me.
Apparently there was better coral further out, but I didn't want to wear myself out and then need help getting back to shore--I gotta watch out for my heart, after all. I had so much fun with Rachel.
The boys got bored with the water at some point and played in the sand.
Jenny rented us a couple of chairs for the afternoon, which was really nice.
Here's my underwater selfie.
And Rachel up ahead of me. She can really swim fast when she wants to.
It seems appropriate that she was wearing this mermaid scales rash guard because she was quite the fish!
Gabe loved playing in the water.
Brian said that he loved snorkeling and thought it was one of his favorite things we did.
He ventured out on a big swim with Ben, Jenny, and Tyler and he even saw a squid. Here they all are swimming and snorkeling around.
We loved St. Thomas. It was so fun to be on the beach and exploring the water, and the island was just gorgeous. I'd love to see it when it is sunny--I bet it is breathtaking!
Jenny and Ben. Her swimming suit made it easy to spot their group when they were far from shore.
We took a little walk down the shoreline to get a better view of another island in the distance.
All too soon, we had to head back to the ship. We did our best to rinse off the sand, and I got these kids to pose for another picture. Cousins make the best friends!
Here we are, back in our room with our final views of St. Thomas.
Farewell, beautiful place!
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