St Croix, U.S.V.I.

We both really like St Croix...the water is very clear in the anchorage...and downtown Christensted is a nice quiet low key place. When they do play loud music at nights in the bars it is something that is very listenable if you know what I mean. This was Paul's watchdog while waiting for me every day! Anyway, these were thoughts we had of St Croix last year when we stopped for a few days. Perhaps that is why when I decided to find someone to teach me to be an Instructor...I looked there. As luck (sometimes) would have it...I chose well. My IDC was a tough ten days...but very good and it Amost certainly prepared me for the IE in Fort Lauderdale. The IDC was taught at Cane BayA beautiful Bay with a large reef that had to be negotiated over before dropping down to a wall...the first dive over the wall we saw two sharks...no pictures of them because it was ALL business at that point... Cane Bay is about a half hour drive from Christensted. It is called Cane Bay after the sugar cane plantation that use to be there. The Course Director picked me up at 7:30 every morning and up the hill we would go to the main house and start the day full of working... Cane Bay sugar mill ruins in the distance... I got dropped off every night between 5 and 6 to have a quick dinner and "hit the books" for the next day. These are re-furbished living quarters that Instructors now live in. Obviously this building has not been re-furbished. What I learned about St Croix from the locals that worked there...well...there were a few things of noteworthyness and I will try to keep this brief as truly I was able to get some diving pictures (from the old camera) that I would like to share. So...some can continue to stick their heads in the sand...whether you want to hear this or not...things I learned about St Croix: don't go out of about a four block radius of downtown at night...racism is rampant (Crusian discriminating against anyone else)...customer service at any of the stores (with required Crusian employment ratios) is non-existent...other locally owned store (Caucasian/Asian/Muslem) have the best customer service and are the stores with the most business (there is a difference between service and servitude - perhaps that should be taught in school)...crime and drugs are - well, per capita - alarming...as is the school drop out rate...the majority Crusian politicians are corrupt...welfare among the Crusians is about 70%... So my thoughts are...how long are we going to allow ourselves (taxpaying individuals) to be "slaves" to their existence?? What year was welfare established...how many years has it been...have we not paid our debt for some to live in "paradise"? Is it not like "throwing good money after bad"??? Give the island back to the taxpayers...or go off welfare...tough choices...tough love...not racism. Also a note...there are a minority of Crusians that are the "exception" and how wonderful it is to meet them! After all i t is a beautiful island...and with just a vacation there you are not likely to see or know (maybe thankfully so as everyone needs a "break" from the real world on their vacation...to believe what they want) what truly a shame it is...and so...now...enough...I will stick my head under-the-water...to the underwater beauty.... Yellow line arrow crabs with Brittle Stars on sponge. Octopus eyes... Wreck ladder...Spotted Cleaner Shrimp on Corkscrew Sea Anemone.Peacock FlounderFrench Angelfish IntermediateMagnificant Sea UrchinMaculated Flounder.Longsnout SeahorseOctopus keeping one eye out...Honeycomb CowfishSt Croix wreck. So to summarize...we still really like St Croix..given the choice of the U.S.V.I.'s (St Thomas, St John's, St Croix) even with the now known issues/limitations...everywhere in the world has them...St Croix is no different. Interestingly enough I sat in front of a couple of the plane back to the boat from Fort Lauderdale who were telling a young gal how St Thomas has been "ruined"...interesting to listen in on others conversations...they were going immediately to St John. St John is expensive and obviously their favorite. And so to close...many, many thanks to all that I won't name (but you know who you are - kids, mom, family, friends) who emotionally supported me through this adventure...and also to Paul for everything he helped me with...most of all for putting up with my stress for weeks on end so that I could say that I am now...A PADI Certified Open Water Scuba Diver Instructor. We will be provisioning in St Thomas for a few days and waiting for a few parts to come in...then we will be off to St John...for a relaxing few days. LET'S GO DIVING!!!