Che Sera Sera: Tintamarre Island

One of the excursions we decided to go on was a catamaran day trip to Tintamarre Island, just 2 miles off the coast of St. Martin. The day included breakfast, a few hours snorkeling at Tintamarre, lunch on the catamaran named Celine, snorkeling at Creole Rock, and ended with a mud bath at Happy Bay, St. Martin. This excursion ended up being one of our favorite days in St. Martin.

We sailed thru a little rain and gray skies, to end up at the sunlit island. The water of Tintamarre Island was the bluest of blue. We have never seen water so incredible in real life, only on TV. It was romantic and unreal. God’s work was ever present. It would be hard not to feel bliss here as it was so amazingly beautiful. When our sailboat docked just off shore, we were given the okay to jump off the back deck.
Jumping into the clear, blue water from a catamaran was definitely a dream. Once in the water, we got our snorkel gear on and swam about 20 yards to shore. It was great to be in this pool-like water swimming amongst turtles and sea life. It was a very surreal experience!

Just after we got to shore, the crew brought umbrellas and ice chests full of drinks (beer, rum punch, water) to the shore, by dingy, for us to enjoy. Jerry & I ventured off to snorkel. This part of the Caribbean is not known for snorkeling. It was nice to swim out to the reefs and see small schools of fish along the way. However, not too many tropical or pretty colored fish were present. The water was definitely the hi-light! So, we headed back into shore to enjoy some beverage and chatted with others from the boat, as we admired the turquoise water.

Lunch was being prepared on the sailboat as we were ashore. The crew motioned that lunch was ready. We jumped in the water and swam back to the boat. As I approached the boat, I realized the crew was throwing shrimp peels off the back deck which was attracting a lot of beautiful fish for us to see. Admiring the fish, I was completely startled to see a four foot barracuda just to my right, eyeing me as I eyed the other fish…his future dinner. The teeth of the barracuda nearly scared me straight out of the water, but I moved very slowly to the boat ladder, both of us not breaking eye contact. I love the ocean and don’t know many times I have ever been fearful of it, but this was one. As I got onto the deck, other swimmers stayed in the water and enjoyed watching the barracuda. I was just fine watching from above!

Lunch on the deck of the catamaran was incredible! The meal was one of the best that I had in St Martin. The view was something out of a travel magazine. Sitting side by side with my husband experiencing this filled me with such gratitude. For lunch, we enjoyed a huge buffet of grilled fish (my favorite), Ribs, Paella with shrimp & squid, green salad, potato salad, pasta salad and bread. Everything was carefully prepared, tasted fresh and was beautifully presented.

After lunch, we sailed to Creole Rock for an hour of snorkeling. It was nice to swim around. Again, there was not much to see here while snorkeling. Some of our fellow boat friends did see some fish off in a different direction. We didn’t see too much sea life, but it was really nice to again dive off the boat into crystal blue water and swim around.

Our final stop was at Happy Bay. The name says it all. This place just makes you feel happy. Like Pharrell Williams song. Just Happy! The water was perfect temperature, turquoise blue fading into deep blue, and palm trees that lined the shored kneeled into the sun. It was beautiful. Our boat crew had purchased mud for us to take "mud baths". We initially thought we covered ourselves in mud on the shore, but we ended up doing mud treatment on the sailboat! Turns out, mud baths use to be done on Tintamarre, but it is now illegal as the island has recently been sold and they no longer have rights to the mineral deposits (i.e. great mud!). History lesson aside, we really enjoyed rubbing mud on our bodies after a long day in the sun and water. Once the mud dried on us, we jumped into the ocean and rubbed it off. The surface of my skin was the softest that I have felt. So hydrated and smooth like a baby’s bum. It felt fantastic!

As we sailed back to the marina, the crew served us fresh fruit and a big frozen shot of rum, chocolate and banana, rum- somethin-or-other. It was the perfect way to end the day. We had such a fun time on the Celine. We met some wonderful people, enjoyed great food and saw amazing turquoise water. I can understand why some of our fellow boat friends have traveled to St. Martin over 25 times and have sailed the Celine over 5 times. Life is good when you are in a beautiful place, with good souls, enjoying amazing food, and seeing God’s beauty all around. This trip will forever be a special part of our memories.