Swim in the wild ocean twice a day, in a outrageously beautiful location, with guides/lifeguards to assist you and keep you safe, with a small group of adventurous like-minded water lovers? Sign me up! I’d seen ads for Swim Trek vacations for years and always wanted to do one. They organize swimming trips all over the world with a variety of distances, locations and water temperatures. Then out of the blue-probably at 2am on a sleepless, internet surfing night-I took the plunge. I signed up for the British Virgin Island adventure in March of 2017.
I planned to go alone but my sister, Audrey, heard of my adventure and decided to join in. She has never been a competitive swimmer but had about four months to prepare. Swim Trek offers a training schedule to ensure you are ready to go the distance while on a swim trek.
Home base for the 15 swimmers and two swim guides was at the beautiful Leverick Bay Resort on Virgin Gorda. We met every morning for a hearty breakfast prepared by the guides, Kelly and John. Then we got ready for the day and boarded Ben’s boat (with boat crew member Shon) for a new adventure. We swam every morning then had a picnic lunch usually on some lovely little island.
We then had a stretch of rest and relaxation before hitting the water again. Every day was different and included scenic coastal swims, shipwrecks, “aquarium” swims, cave explorations and island to island crossings. One afternoon we explored the Baths, an incredibly beautiful mix of granite boulders, vegetation and beautiful water. (I’ll write a post on that excursion.) The final day included an international crossing from the British Norman Island to the US Flanagan Island. It was only about an hour’s swim so it was actually easier than some of the other longer swims. We weren’t allowed to actually get on the uninhabited island because we didn’t have our passports with us. Which seemed a little silly to me since the only thing on the island was an assortment of birds. But I decided to be a good sport and follow the rules.
We were divided into three different groups according to ability and each groups had it’s own boat and guide watching over us. They were great to keep us on course and stop us every 20 or 30 minutes for a water/gatorade break. After every morning swim there would be snacks waiting for us on the boat. It was great to have a cookie or piece of fresh fruit to get the ocean salt taste out of your mouth. Oreo cookies have never tasted better in my life.
One day following our afternoon swim some of us had the boat crew drop us off on a different part of Virgin Gorda so we could walk to the restaurant, CocoMaya. If I ever fell off a cruise ship and had to swim to shore, this is where I’d want to wash up. There were lovely couches on the beach to enjoy the stunning scenery, a firepit, gorgeous lighting, a bench seat at the bar, excellent service, and mother nature’s finest. I would call it the best grownup clubhouse in the world. The food was on par with everything else. Well worth the trek out there and the taxi ride back to the resort.
During one of our morning swims we passed by a fairly shallow shipwreck. It was easy to swim down to.
Later on in the week we explored an older, larger, more famous shipwreck. It was harder to swim to because of the depth. I loved going down but couldn’t stay long once I swam there. Definitely a place to visit if you are a scuba diver. Here is what I learned from Google:
Located just off the coast of Salt island, the wreck of the RMS Rhone, is the BVI’s most famous dive site. The RMS Rhone was a 310 feet long British packet ship owned by the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company. She was wrecked off the coast of Salt Island in the British Virgin Islands on October 29, 1867 during a category 3 hurricane.
While attempting to reach open seas to ride out the storm the ship ran aground on Salt Island’s Black Rock Point. When cool seawater made contact with the ships burning hot boilers the ship exploded and split into two sections. With passengers strapped into their bunks by crew, seemingly to protect them during the storm, 123 of the ship’s 146 passengers went down with the ship. The bow section settled in 80 feet of water, the stern rests just 30 feet below the surface.
The Rhone is now a popular dive site. The area around her was turned into a national park in 1967. The Rhone has received a number of citations and awards over the years as one of the top recreational wreck dives in the Caribbean. It is highly regarded both for its historical interest and for the site’s abundance of marine life.
It was fun getting to know the other swimmers who had come from all over the world for their swimming adventure. My idea of paradise is hanging out all day on or in the water accompanied by sunny, warm weather. I was a happy camper all week.