Island Kids

I love our island children.

I don't have children of my own (and my beau's children are grown).  So I get my "kid fix" from spending time with the local island kids.  Due to the small size of the community and the relaxed, interactive, island lifestyle, it is my pleasure to see these children almost every day - far more often than I was able to see cousins or friend's children in the hectic, far-flung States.

Beau and I brought all the kids over for an impromptu cookout and swim one weekend afternoon last fall.

One of the benefits of living on this small island is the tight sense of community.  With fewer than 100 full-time residents, and a delightful tangle of family ties amongst all the cousins and aunts and uncles, the community knows one another well and spends lots of time together.  Of the current residents, 17 are school-aged children - including only three girls at the moment! 

The school.

The island boasts a one-room schoolhouse, with live-in government teachers, where it educates children from Kindergarten through Grade 8.  After that, children must go to Nassau or another island for high school.  Sometimes families move with their children.  More often, during those high school years, our local children live with an aunt or cousin or other family member already living in that location.

My beau also loves children, and he is especially fond of these island children since many of them are his family or god-children or simply the future of this special island.  Beau and I, along with another couple, started a local kids' camp last summer.  Well into our second summer now, we are all having a ball!  All of the local school kids participate, along with numerous volunteer adults, and we meet every Thursday and Saturday during the summer months.  

Snorkeling one Saturday.

The purpose of the camp is to pass on traditional island skills in the areas of swimming, boating, sailing, fishing, free-diving, spear-fishing and nature skills, while subtly encouraging positive character development that has made this island special:  manners, discipline, respect for elders and the community, island preservation, work ethic, etc.

Boat excursion.

These island children share many similarities with American and most other children, in my experience.  They love to laugh, play, giggle, get into innocent mischief, express wonder at new things, and they bring an energy and zest for life to everything they do.

This crew just won a champion junior sailing race.  Posing here for a "serious" picture.

And a "silly" picture.

And now the CHAMPION picture!

However, the island children also seem a little different to me than many other children - in a good way. As a whole,  island kids are unfailingly polite, demonstrate respect for their elders, answer with "yes ma'am" and the like, do not bully their peers (of course, disagreements and bickering are unavoidable), and play tirelessly outdoors during all of their free time.  

I suspect that much of this has to do with the small-town atmosphere and values and family relations, which small towns in the U.S. and other countries may still continue to enjoy.  Certainly the freedom that comes with living in a small, safe place enables our local kids to run loose for hours on end in a way that City kids just can't enjoy.

Playing on one of the beaches.

It definitely takes a village to raise a child, and our local village embraces that concept.  Any adult, including myself now, will reprimand or correct any child observed being rude or unruly or doing something unsafe.  The children are quick to respond.  They're also quick to run up to us with greetings ("Good afternoon!"), hugs and whatever news is most exciting in their day.

Gardening session in our camp - we planted watermelons and pumpkins.  Fingers crossed for a good harvest!

Unfortunately, the inevitable path of "progress" brings changes to children here, too.  Computers, video games and modern technology demand the attention of many of the children - it's not just fishing and swimming anymore.  Exposure to brand names and popular trends through television and the internet brings the focus on such material things to the island in ways we didn't see a couple decades ago.  Like elsewhere in the world, values slowly change as a result.  As much as possible (thus, the kids camp), we hope to preserve the innocence of our children and their appreciation for island life.

Meanwhile, I just enjoy them every single day.

One of the boys diving down to explore on a snorkel excursion.

I donned a life jacket to help a nervous swimmer snorkel an underwater cave.  A great accomplishment for him!

Our tiny James Bond.

Beau returning with older boys from a spear-fishing excursion.

Beach picnic lunch last weekend, younger kids are still swimming in the background.

Kids cleaning their fish after a successful mission.

Moment of Zen with the sharks by the fish-cleaning bench.

Tired twins heading home with their spears, snorkel gear and bag of freshly caught and cleaned fish!

Evening Boat Excursion

One evening last week, we took the boat out for a couple hours.  With daylight savings, our evenings are longer now and conducive to such weekday adventures!

This particular boat excursion was in a 17 foot Boston Whaler, the boat in which I'm being taught to actually DRIVE (and dock and anchor and tie up, etc.) rather than to simply enjoy going along for the ride.  But I begged off taking the wheel first since I wanted to snap some blog photos for you!

Off we went.  We pulled away from the private dock and waved good-bye to Milo, one of my favorite island dogs.

Milo, just chillin' out.

We backed into a small canal, then headed west.  I never fail to be amazed at the clarity and brilliant hues of the water!

You can see to the bottom!

As we pulled away from the island, I looked back at the local boat yard.  One of the island's sailboats was up on the land getting a fresh coat of paint for the upcoming regatta (sailboat race).  These boats are Bahamian-made and Bahamian-owned.  They are wooden sloops, harkening back to the traditions of early fishermen.  This particular boat has been hand-planked and rebuilt by hand in the past.  And she's fast!

Local Boat Yard

We cruised along the many little "cays" or blips of land, some larger than others.  The western backside of a larger (uninhabited) cay forms a safe harbor where many boats are now anchored during this busy season.   

Sailboats anchored out in a protected area.

I mean, look at that water!  C'mon!  I'm not biased, right?!

Tiny little cays in the sea.

Then the real mission of this adventure commenced - wilt-hunting!  Wilts (a.k.a. whilks or whelks) are large Caribbean snails.  Locally, they attach to the hard coral rock near the water line.  So we cruised toward the rocky cays jutting out of the sea.

Like this one.

The water was deeper in some areas than others.  You can tell in the pictures by the shades of blue.  The deeper the water, the darker the blue.

See where it changes back to shallow water in the distance?

We maneuvered the boat close to the rock - some seriously challenging driving practice for me! - and pried the wilts off with a knife.  I took quite a few pics, so I'll give you a fuller description later.

For now, this is what our bucket looked like when we quit.

After completing our mission, we cruised along for a little joy ride.  First stop . . . pig beach!  There's that expression about "when pigs fly."  Well, in this case, pigs swim!

Approaching the beach.  See the pink pig by the left dinghy and the two darker ones by the right dinghy?

The pigs are wild.  One or more just had a litter recently, and I've counted more than a dozen piglets running around!

A couple piglets in the beach background.

The pigs are used to being fed by boaters, and they can be quite aggressive in coming out for food when they hear a boat engine nearing.  It's important to have the food ready to throw or the pigs will actually try to climb into the boat!  Not so good in a small boat.

I'm manning a camera and throwing bread bits as fast as I can as they swim up to the boat!

Lots of snorting.

Yup, those pigs are doggie-paddling.

They finally give up and turn to the beach as we motor away.

After we left pig beach, we cruised back toward home.  At a local marina, a unique-looking and beautiful boat caught my eye.  I'm not sure what type it is, but one of you more astute boaters is likely to know.  Pretty, huh?

The wood gleamed perfectly.

"Freedom" had a very patriotic feel, with an old-school look and a large American flag flying proudly.

Also near the marina, we saw a fisherman friend returning with a large haul.  So, we tied up the boat and went to the fish-cleaning bench to check it out.  He had a very large Wahoo!  Yes, that's the fish name.  But it's worth getting excited about - good eating!  If I heard correctly, this Wahoo was caught on an electric line in 600-800 feet of water.

Cleaning the Wahoo.

Right under and around the fish-cleaning bench, nurse sharks slowly swam in circles.

Waiting for fish scraps to be thrown over.

Yes, the sharks are underwater.  The water is really just that clear!  These photos were taken from the dock above, not with an underwater camera!

I also thought you might enjoy seeing the posted "rules" for the fish bench and grill area.  For decades, nothing was posted, so this is a modern touch.  It's still fairly loose and island-style, and people generally respect the rules.  However, the outdoor grill that had been built into a concrete wall no longer exists!  Hurricane Irene carried it away with her last summer.

As I've mentioned in other posts, tourists and locals like to gather around the fish-cleaning bench and check out the action.  The group this day happened to be mostly visitors.

Watching the fish-cleaning and the sharks around the fish-cleaning bench.

This visitor was especially brave and waded in with beer in hand - Kalik, which is a Bahamian beer.

The sharks weren't the only creatures being fed that evening. We were able to take home a piece of the Wahoo, so I delighted in a very fresh Wahoo sandwich that evening for dinner!  Just lightly sauteed, plenty of lime as always, and it was down the hatch in no time.

Another great day.  So grateful!

Sharks & Eels & Barracudas, Oh My!

For as many years as I can remember as a child, I loved curling up with family and a bowl of popcorn and watching the once-a-year televised airing of The Wizard of Oz.  (Somehow, that felt far more special than our ability now to download or watch a DVD any ol' time you please.)   Anyway, one of the memorable lines in the movie was Dorothy's innocent exclamation, "Lions and tigers and bears - oh my!"  As I delve deeper (no pun intended) into my new world, I am far more apt to blurt, "Shark!" or "Eel!" or "Barracuda!"  Oh my.

Living on an island means all kinds of encounters with all kinds of creatures, large and small, on land and sea.  In the sea, especially when out diving near the edge of the deepest parts of the ocean, we often see a variety of creatures of the sea.

Sometimes it's fun!  From time to time we're treated to visions of dolphins splashing around.  I mean REAL dolphin, as in porpoise-like mammals, not the dolphin fish also known as mahi-mahi (which we fish for because they are delicious!).

Last month, for example, we were out one Saturday morning and saw a group of dolphin jumping and playing nearby.  I counted at least seven jumping in arcs above the water, and I could see splashes and grey forms underwater of many more.  These mammals are amazing, so graceful.  I regret now that I didn’t jump in to swim with them.  At the time, the guys were focused on diving, I didn’t have my snorkel gear handy and the water was cold, so I just stood and watched.  Next time, I’ll jump in regardless!

Next best thing, swimming with dolphins at the Dolphin Research Center in Marathon, Florida (pictured here).

Sometimes, more dangerous creatures are spotted.  During that same dive trip last month, for example, a big Moray eel, as big as our smallest diver, was lurking under a large rock formation.  Experience taught this diver well.  He knew not to swim into a dark hole.  Rather, he approached low at a distance and peered into the hole first.  Since the eel had already laid claim to that spot, the diver simply swam away.

We also see sharks fairly often.  Sharks have a bad reputation and are actually protected now because their numbers are dwindling as people have killed them off.   Around here, we have a healthy respect for sharks.  Generally, the ones we run into most don’t usually mess with people, unless there is blood in the water.  The divers also are familiar with different types of sharks.  If a nurse shark comes around (like the ones in the Photo Tour at the fish bench), divers typically stay in the water.  Or, if other species of shark come around (e.g., reef shark, tiger shark), divers often stay in the water if the shark is less than 6, 7, 8 feet.  The divers watch the shark and gauge the danger level.  Not me – any shark, no matter the size or species, prompts me back into the boat!

Also during that same eventful dive trip last month, we had a real shark encounter.  As I dozed in the sun on the bow of the boat, three men swam in the water as the boat followed nearby.  I heard someone say “shark” one time, and I immediately jumped up to see where the guys were.  In that instant, two of the divers were already scrambling back onto the boat.  The third was about 20 feet away and we shouted to him to come in, which he did safely.

As the divers tell it, one of them saw the shark swimming low and fast beneath them and saw that it was huge.  He called out “shark” as he swam to the boat.  The diver near him heard “shark” and turned to check it out.  Again, sharks are not uncommon or reason to get in the boat always, so this diver was looking to see what kind of shark it was and whether any danger was posed.  At this point the shark had turned, so the diver couldn’t see his hammerhead or his full length.  But the diver saw his big belly and an astounding girth of four feet, enough to spur him toward the boat after his buddy.  If the girth was that wide, what must have been the length?!  

He later only-half-jokingly told his buddy that next time, the spotter needs to yell “BIG shark” so he doesn’t take the time to look for himself!  The third diver, eyes wide in his snorkel mask, heard all the commotion and got himself back to the boat quickly, though he gave his buddies a hard time about ditching him!  (They didn't really, and our skilled driver had already thrown the boat into gear to get close to the divers and to possibly ward off the shark with the sound of an engine.)

The other reputedly fearsome ocean creature that I have personally encountered is Barracuda.  Despite the mouthful of scary-looking teeth, I find these long silvery fish to be pretty.  Perhaps that's my girlie-girl love of shiny sparkly things.  However, it is that same love of shiny sparkly things that I must guard against when going in the water.  Barracuda, and other creatures, mistake glints of light off of jewelry for shiny and delicious fish.  Since I really have no desire to be chomped on by a barracuda - or anything else - I leave earrings, anklets and all jewelry at home on days where I'll be swimming in the water anywhere deeper than my backyard beach.  I also forgo wearing my favorite colorful and sequined swimsuits in favor of more subdued colors with no sparkles.  Seriously.  The first time I joined the guys on a dive trip, I jumped overboard in my hot pink bathing suit to swim along with the spear-fishing action, and they referred to me as shark bait.  Indeed, I had my first in-water encounter with a nurse shark that day!  At a distance, but still.

Now that I'm blogging with you, I'll try to take more pictures - even (or especially) in the midst of sharks, eels and barracudas - oh my!  For now, your vivid imaginations can fill in the gaps.  :)