The silver barracuda seems to be smiling contentedly as it hovers in the shade beneath the floating hull of the anchored Sadie Sea, the boat that has brought me snorkeling near St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
With their sharp teeth and powerful jaws, barracudas have been known to attack humans. But this big fish and I respect each other's space as I climb back aboard the boat off Lovango Cay.
That afternoon, I have my first-ever encounter with reef squid in the water just off St. John's Honeymoon Beach. The small creatures' big eyes make them seem remarkably intelligent. A squadron of a half dozen of them never breaks formation when I put my hand in front of it. The squid instantly change direction, going backward without turning around, body fins fluttering like skirts.
Abundant with varied marine life, the warm, clear and stunningly beautiful blue-green water is the greatest attribute of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Everywhere I look while snorkeling, small, brilliantly colored fish flash over the coral. I wonder what their names are, then realize it really doesn't matter. I focus on enjoying them rather than worrying about trying to quantify or categorize them.
I occasionally pop up to look around, just to make sure I'm not too far from the Sadie Sea and not the only snorkeler still in the water.
Brimming with the confidence that comes from snorkeling for a while, I start hoping to see a shark. Or at least a dolphin. Or even an octopus. I expect the barracuda will be the largest fish I see during my visit.
But then I see the ray.
After testing our snorkeling gear just off the beach at Buck Island, over featureless white sand that seems devoid of marine life, we climb back into the catamaran Renegade. Suddenly a big stingray passes beneath the sailboat. He seems to have a wingspan of at least four feet. How would I have reacted moments earlier, if the ray glided by while I still was swimming?
The ocean is my playground in a week filled with outdoor activities during a December visit to the islands.
Bird-watching is done from a small rubber boat on the ocean. An easy hike down the most popular trail in St. John's Virgin Islands National Park ends with a refreshing dip in the Caribbean. And the best part of horseback riding on St. Croix is when the horses swim into the sea.
Much of my time is spent snorkeling -- in calm waters around St. John, in the shallow Mangrove Lagoon on St. Thomas and at a reef out on the open ocean in Buck Island Reef National Monument near St. Croix.
With underwater scenery constantly changing, I never get tired of looking around or of being in the water. With fins on my feet, I feel like I could swim all day. I never feel like I've had enough. And, best of all, no one is rushing me. I'm off the clock.
What a difference compared to my last visit to the U.S. Virgin Islands!
NOT LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
Back in March 1995, I saw the islands the way many people see them for the first time: as a cruise ship passenger just passing through. I did not have time to do them justice.
My wife, Irene, and I signed up for a snorkeling excursion in Trunk Bay, called one of the world's most beautiful beaches, on St. John.
After our ship docked at Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas, we stepped directly into a boat, which quickly took us to nearby St. John. Then open mini-buses took us on a harrowing roller-coaster ride over narrow roads to Trunk Bay.
We had less than two hours to snorkel, wearing mandatory life vests that had us bobbing on the surface while looking down at leafy marine plants waving back and forth in the tide. Then we hurriedly zigged and zagged back across the island and across the water to St. Thomas.
By the time we returned to our ship, not long before it sailed from St. Thomas, we were more seasick than we ever felt during a cruise.
That rushed excursion did not create a good first impression. I had not fallen in love with the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Unfortunately, 60 percent of island visitors are on cruise ships that stop for less than a day, mostly on St. Thomas. With as many as 10 ships a day, it claims to be the Caribbean's busiest cruise port.
Most people who vacation in the USVI stay only four nights. Only 30 percent visit all three major islands. St. Croix is the least visited. So I am an atypical visitor when I return in December, because I stay two nights on St. John, two on St. Thomas and three on St. Croix.
Because I visit primarily to sample outdoor activities, I don't take grand tours of the islands or spend much time in their towns.
I'm in bustling Charlotte Amalie long enough to learn tourists commonly ask each other: "Which ship are you on?" On St. Croix, I enjoy colonial Danish architecture preserved as a national historic site in Christiansted. It includes two churches, government buildings and a fort built to thwart both pirates and rebellious slaves.
NOT VIRGINS
