Today Chris and Sally closed the dive shop so we could hunt for new dive sites together. Accompanied by another Chris, the five of us headed in search of new and exciting dive locations.

Our first stop was on the Dutch side of the island near the mile marker buoy. Despite the rolling surf, we were able to spot the buoy above the wreck of The Prosthelyte. We entered the water unsure of what we would find, and were pleasantly surprised. The wreck itself was right below us, and just beyond were large coral heads with many swim throughs. The fish were plentiful, including many small Barracuda. As we were performing our safety stop at five meters, we spied a shark below.

Our next stop was another wreck, the Roro, a large, largely intact barge. We swam through the ship and around the outside. Again there were many fish. Nearby perhaps 25 concrete pods marked the beginnings of an artificial reef project. All in all, another terrific site.

After lunch, we headed to the French side of the island and out towards the heel of Anguilla. We stopped about a third of the way to Anguilla near a series of fish trap buoys and descended, uncertain of what we would find. Our first encounter was with a large Spiny Lobster. We then traversed a large reef prairie with many beautiful sponges adjoining some interesting coral formations. We saw two turtles, including one resting under a coral ledge and were joined by a pair of Almaco Jacks, who followed us on much of our dive. We christened this newly discovered dive site Chris’s Reef.

On our way back we stopped at Creole Rock to practice our underwater navigation skills. On the grassy sea bed, Madam J spotted a large Stingray. We also deployed our banner underwater to commemorate a successful expedition.

The team arrived at Octopus Diving bright and early, bearing vintage Valentines for the Octopus crew–because we love them. J.P., Sally, and our team cruised out to the far reefs beyond Tintamarre Island for another commando drop drive on the Chico site. The visibility was fabulous, as the stormy weather has finally calmed. We found a turtle lurking in a coral cave, and were fortunate enough to photograph his spectacular exit from his hideaway, as he arced gracefully into the big blue. Other sightings included a 3-foot giant Caribbean Spiny Lobster waving his antennae under a ledge, a big Nassau Grouper staring at us from a hole, several Trumpetfish, and a tiny, just-arrived-at-adulthood Spotted Trunkfish concealed in a miniature nook in a coral head.

Our next dive was a new approach to the Tugboat wreck, where we observed an amazing Magnificent Urchin in the sand immediately before the wreck. It was indeed truly magnificent, appearing like a brilliant alien spacecraft in glowing deep purples and reds with its characteristic lines of iridescent deep blue dots and its central suspended violet globe absolutely striking against the white sand. We also swam with two large Porcupinefish, found another miniscule Spotted Trunkfish hiding in a narrow fissure in a coral formation, and saw many other varieties of fish both on the wreck and the adjacent reef. Returning to the Octopus mooring, the team spotted a promising new potential Extreme Shallow Snorkeling location from the boat: the rocky shores surrounding Petite Plage.

After a picnic lunch on the sunny terrace at the dive shop, of saucission sec, baguette, cornichons, and deliciously tangy unpasteurized fromage, the team geared up and headed out to investigate the new E.S.S. site. We discovered a vibrant mini-ledge reef at 1-2 feet, as well as some extremely shallow areas near the rocks, teeming with life. The area seemed to provide an excellent nursery, with juvenile Sargeant Majors, juvenile Parrotfish, and enormous, almost colorless silvery clouds of what we believe may have been teeny anchovy fry, appearing in abundance in depths ranging from as little as 5 inches to 3 feet. We also noticed a few extraordinary Fireworms of the bright green variation, clinging to coral-encrusted boulders. All our buoyancy and E.S.S. skills were called for to clearly photograph these poisonous creatures in the surging shallow water, which could easily have carried us close enough to be painfully burned by their fiery bristles.

We returned to the dive shop for the next phase in our Advanced training–an intensive session on underwater photography techniques, equipment, and care from ace undersea shutterbug Sally. We ended our Valentine’s Day with a seaside repast at Le Tastevin, drinking pink champagne and wearing matching pink outfits: pink stripes for Marc AuMarc, and a pink sea-creature-print silk maxi dress for Madam J.

Team Les Fruits de Mer hosted a very special event this evening: the first annual Tacousteau, a celebration of delectable tacos, good friends, and the oeuvre of the premier undersea explorer, Jacques-Yves Cousteau.  

Guests arrived at the team base camp after 7 pm, directed by the massive team banner on the gate and the iconic red hat hanging on the front door. Sally and Chris (the owners of Octopus Diving), J.P. (the lion of the sea, divemaster extraordinaire), Guillaume (a.k.a. Madame J.P.), and Rene (le Boucher) enjoyed theme music, convivial conversation, and cocktails on the balcony, followed by a dinner of savory Mexican cuisine and a special screening of some classic Cousteau films documenting his adventures on the fabled boat Calypso. 

Attendees sported “J’adore le E.S.S.” shirts and red hats in honor of Les Fruits de Mer’s mission, and all did justice to a fabulous feast of spicy chicken soft tacos, Marc AuMarc’s signature guacamole, black beans, Madam J’s Mexican salad, and mango sorbet with coconut “sea stars”. There were many highlights of the evening, but particularly memorable was Rene le Boucher’s very first experience of the magic of the internet! He was introduced to the online world via Les Fruit de Mer’s official site page about his restaurant, Chez Rene Boucherie.  J.P. simultaneously translated the english page into french for Rene’s benefit, and le Boucher was thrilled to see that we had featured a photo we found on his restaurant wall, from his glorious rugby-playing teen years. Guillaume even showed Rene how he could search for his favorite old-school french music on the web. The soiree ended with drinks and conversation overlooking the sea and the starry night sky over Grand Case Bay. All in all, an evening that truly embodied the motto of Les Fruits de Mer: “Pour les sciences. Le plaisir. Et le boating.”

Today we went for four dives, including two trips to the island of Tintamarre. First, we went to the seaward side of Tintamarre to Japanese Reef. While the waves are rougher on that side, the island prevents large surges underwater for excellent visibility. In preparation for this difficult entry, we geared up on the calmer side of the island and were delighted to see four dolphins frolicking beside our boat. It was almost impossible to pay attention to the dive briefing during such an enchanting encounter. We hoped they would join us on one of our dives, but today they did not.

We headed to Japanese Reef and prepared to enter the water commando-style, back-rolling into the water in pairs. The reef was beautiful and we saw many creatures, including Barracuda, and many small fishes. We also discovered a small Nurse Shark hiding on the sandy bottom beneath a coral ledge.

For our next dive we returned to The Tugboat, one of the most scenic wrecks in the area. After lunch, we headed back to Tintamarre to a dive site called Chico, which is adjacent to Japanese Reef. On this dive we saw a trio of spotted creatures: a majestic Spotted Eagle Ray, a Spotted Moray Eel and an adult Spotted Drum. As we prepared to ascend we were greeted by a Turtle.

For our final dive, we returned towards Grand Case and dove the Creole Rock site starting on the seaward side. We swam through a large expanse of gorgonians before reaching the reef surrounding Creole Rock. After seeing a gorgeous Queen Triggerfish, we then headed home to prepare for an evening with our friends.

Today we went on one dive in the morning, and then did some incredible Extreme Shallow Snorkeling in tide pools near Mullet Bay (named after the fish, not the hairstyle, unfortunately).

We did a drift dive, starting near the Gregory and traversing a large stretch of the nearby reef. Key sightings included a Peacock Flounder, a small Barracuda down near the reef rather than prowling above it, and jellyfish on our descent and ascent. A special treat was a small Filefish, hiding in soft corals. As we filmed, it swam gently amongst the waving coral to remain camouflaged.

After lunch at Rene’s Boucherie, we headed to Mullet Bay. The visibility was too poor for regular snorkeling, so we headed towards the rocky outcrop nearby to investigate the tide pools. In waters but a few inches deep we saw a few small fish and many snails and hermit crabs.

Today we had the pleasure of four dives beneath windy seas. We started at a trio of small wrecks on the Dutch side of the island. One was home to a large Barracuda, and all three harbored a variety of fish and other sea life.

Next, we visited the reef at Charlie’s Shoal for an encounter with the Spotted Moray Eel. We also saw many large Barrel Sponges. Our divemaster, Sally, also found two baseball caps, the remnants of windy seas from days past.

In the afternoon we began our Advanced Open Water Certification with a deep dive at the Fu Sheng. This large boat rests at just below 100 feet. Beside the wreck was a field of Garden Eels, looking much like plants, but plants that duck back into their burrows when you approach.

Next, we revisited The Gregory for the wreck dive portion of our certification. Many fish call this wreck home, including the Glasseye Snapper. On the nearby reef we had a spectacular encounter with a Web Burrfish. Madam J spotted him, and upon noticing my arrival, he promptly inflated himself. Unable to swim away in his balloon-like state, he was miraculously adept at facing away from the camera. However, we were able to double-team him and photograph his face.

On our ascent, we saw a beautiful jellyfish, slowly pulsing its way through the water.

Just a quick note to let people know that we are blogging daily on expedition in St. Martin. Visit the blog link in the top menu to see our daily updates and some of our favorite photos from our E.S.S. and diving!

Today we planned for four dives, two each in the morning and afternoon, but our day at sea ended early due to a storm. We started with a boat ride to the Dutch side of the island to visit two wrecks. Our first was The Porpoise, and tragedy struck early when Madam J’s camera case flooded – just as she was preparing to film my showdown with a gigantic Spiny Lobster. Her camera is still unresponsive, but we are letting it dry in hopes that it will revive. At the Porpoise we encountered many fishes and did a brief swim-through of the open area of the ship. On our ascent, we saw a nearly-transparent jellyfish swimming along near the mooring line.

Next, we headed to The Gregory, which was nearby. The Gregory was home to many fish, including a small school of Highhats and a wary Triggerfish. We headed from The Gregory to the adjacent reef, were we disturbed the sleep of a young Nurse Shark who was napping beneath a plate of shipwreck metal.

After lunch we headed to Creole Rock. The most exciting sight of the dive was a large stingray that swam right over Madam J. Unfortunately, it was not captured on film, and I am afraid I am to blame. After our dive, we headed to Sec de Grand Case, but moments before we were to descend, we received a call from the dive shop on the eastern side of the island warning us that a storm was headed our way. In the interest of safety, we returned for the day.

We started the day with an unusually rough ride to Tintamarre. J.P. handled the boat with panache as we headed into the swells and we arrived unharmed. At our dive site, we moored at the tugboat and descended down the line. At the wreck we found a stingray hiding in the sand and several unusually large Porcupinefish. After exploring the wreck we headed to the nearby reef where we saw both Smooth and Spotted Trunkfish as well as the similarly-shaped Scrawled Cowfish.

For our second dive, we returned to Sec de Grand Case. Our first sighting was a large Barracuda patrolling the reef. We also saw a Stingray swimming. I had an exceptional encounter with a Scrawled Cowfish. I first spotted it swimming a bit above the reef and it was almost white in color. As I approached it, it approached me curiously, almost touching my camera lens. It swam down to the reef and promptly darkened to camoflauge itself.

Upon returning, we set out for the best restaurant in the world, Rene’s Boucherie. Madam J had the steak tartare as usual and I had the Entrecote. Neither of us could resist the sauteed potatoes, which are truly a miracle of cuisine. After a leisurely lunch, we returned for E.S.S. off the beach in Grand Case. The visibility was poor, but we were able to see some interesting shells on the sandy bottom.

A special treat for the day was our night dive at Creole Rock. We set out at sunset with the full moon above us. Below the waves we encountered a great many sleeping fish, some encased in bubbles of mucus as an undersea bed. Our dive began with many Spiny Lobsters, and ended with a Spanish Lobster, walking along the sandy bottom, a first for both of us. I employed a special system of giant rubber bands to affix my dive light to my strobe, which was a very useful arrangement. Our one disappointment came when we all turned our lights off on a sandy patch: there were no phosphoresent creatures tonight. Still, we returned very satisfied.

Images coming soon!

Today was our first full day on expedition, and we started with two dives in the morning, Creole Rock and Turtle Reef (which was formerly called Sec de Grand Case). In the afternoon we headed to Pinel Island for lunch and some Extreme Shallow Snorkeling. While the weather was overcast with rain showers, the day was a great success.

Creole Rock is a relatively shallow site just off Grand Case. Due to swells, the visibility was lower than usual, but this seemed to allow us to catch creatures by surprise. One of the first creatures we encountered was a gigantic hermit crab, which was spotted by our divemaster, J.P. (the lion of the sea). We also saw several bright yellow Trumpetfish, along with several others featuring the more common reddish brown color variation.

We also saw a couple Whitespotted Filefish, a flat, oddly-shaped fish with white spots on its brown and orange body. We also saw a poor French Grunt who had taken on a passenger – a Cymothoid Isopod. Not a true parasite, these crustaceans attach themselves near the mouth of a fish and feed by scavenging food scraps from whatever the fish is eating.

Perhaps because of the weather, we saw two octopi, one of which was out foraging, which is very unusual during the day. Both sightings were accompanied by one or more Nassau Groupers, which could be merely coincidence. We also saw a Smooth Trunkfish, a Sand Diver and a Greater Soapfish. The Greater Soapfish, which I had never seen before, was hiding near the base of an undersea boulder. All in all, it was a terrific selection of marine life to see on a single dive.

During our surface interval between dives, there was a beautiful rainbow, right at the horizon in front of Anguilla. We also saw two turtles floating on the surface and many fish jumping out of the water, presumably trying to escape some unseen predator below.

Soon after our descent at Turtle Reef, a shallow, but vibrant and colorful site, we saw a Porcupine Fish…fully inflated! As we approached, it attempted to swim away from us, but was quite unwieldy in its spherical shape. As we swam up beside it, it gradually deflated and regained its normal appearance. Shortly after this, we happened upon a large Hawksbill Turtle, who was feeding on the sea floor. We were able to approach quite closely and it seemed curious, looking up from the grasses it was eating to inspect us.

As we cruised the reef, we saw a pair of French Angelfish that were about half-way between their juvenile and adult phases. They were large and had much of the adult coloring, but retained their yellow vertical strips and the last vestige of the yellow ring around their tail. We also found a Highhat sheltering under a coral outcrop. Its shape is similar to that of an adult Spotted Drum, but can be identified by a distinctive hat-like dorsal fin and black and white stripes.

The reef was a veritable fish farm, we also saw Hogfish and Goatfish. As we prepared to head back to the boat, we had an unusual Southern Stingray sighting. Rather than resting on or under a sandy bottom, it was resting on rocks and coral at the edge of the reef. It sat still for photos and film, eyeing us curiously. My last sighting on the way to the boat was what I believe to be a Jawfish. These fish live in holes and have a froglike face. It was difficult to get close enough to photograph this wary creature.

Back at our mooring, J.P. tended to an artificial reef that Octopus Diving is starting to build. The structure looks something like a concrete dome with plenty of holes to allow water to pass through, and live coral has been affixed to it. Properly tended, the coral will encase the concrete, forming a new reef area.

After our dives, we took Mr. Brown Sugar’s ferry to Pinel Island, and headed to Yellow Beach restaurant for lunch – caramelised BBQ ribs and the exotic crab salad, which were both excellent. After lunch, we traversed overland to the far side of the island. Unfortunately, the waves were too rough for E.S.S. We returned to the western side of the island and did E.S.S. from the beach. Our best sighting was a Sea Hare, a mollusk that looks like a frilly slug. This species is one we have only seen in extremely shallow conditions, and is the largest we have seen at approximately five inches in length.

Shortly after this, we returned to Grand Case to review the day’s discoveries and prepare for tomorrow’s adventures.