My Caribbean Moment

"Captain Ray dove off the side of the speedboat clutching a rainbow-colored parasol, which he planted on the sandbar for shade. Less than three minutes later our group was knee-deep in the bathtub-warm water, happy clustered around the parasol with beers and rum cake (homemade by Ray’s wife) in hand," Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon said.

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Photo by: Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon

A couple of weeks ago I had “a moment.” I was in the Exumas at the time, on Island Routes’ Brigantine Island Adventure Tour. Our group had spent the last couple of hours skimming the aquamarine waters of the Bahamian archipelago, stopping for snorkeling and iguana-feeding in between gawking at the postcard-perfect seascape that surrounded us. But it was at our final stop that I experienced my moment of clarity, that instant when I realized just how fortunate I was to be in this particular place at this particular time.

Our Captain, Ray Lightbourne, and his son and first mate Justin had dropped anchor in what seemed at first to be the middle of nowhere but turned out to be just a few feet away from a sandbar covered by about two feet of crystal-clear water. Captain Ray dove off the side of the speedboat clutching a rainbow-colored parasol, which he planted on the sandbar for shade. Less than three minutes later our group was knee-deep in the bathtub-warm water, happy clustered around the parasol with beers and rum cake (homemade by Ray’s wife) in hand. The sun was shining, the sky was streaked with wispy clouds and I couldn’t think of anywhere else on earth that I would rather have been. It was, quite simply, blissful.

I know I’m not the only one out there to have experienced travelers’ nirvana. Tell us about your own Caribbean moments in the comments.

For more info on Brigantine Island Adventures click here

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