US Virgin Islands - Virgin Sea Trekking

Touring underwater

I’ve done a lot of hiking in my life, but never underwater. I was introduced to this intriguing sci-tech adventure on a recent visit to the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Sea Trekkin’ is a guided underwater journey—walking right on the ocean floor—and is one of the newest water activities at St. Thomas’ Coral World Ocean Park, a 4.5-acre area on the northeast shore of St. Thomas, at Coki Point.

Sea Trekkin’ is a wonderful way for even non-swimmers to get up close and personal with the spectacular aquatic life and magnificent coral beds of Coki Bay.

I begin my Sea Trekkin’ adventure by listening to a brief orientation. I’m given gloves and booties for protection, which are made of a light material, almost like a wet suit. Then I’m given a 70-pound helmet before descending a ladder down into the water. With the buoyancy, the helmet doesn’t feel so heavy.

I descend the ladder until I reach the ocean floor, 17 feet below the surface. All the while, I can hear the fresh air pumping into my helmet. The helmet actually isn’t tight against my throat. I can reach in under it if I need to pinch my nose and blow out to equalize, to clear my ears.

Since the air rises, the air pressure prevents water from entering the helmet, so my face and hair remain dry. If you wear glasses, you can reach under the helmet and adjust them without worrying about water getting inside, and you can even scratch an itchy nose.

After arriving at the ocean floor, I find a chain to hang on to, and begin to walk at a slow pace. The actual trail is only 200 feet, but it takes 20 to 30 minutes for this hike. After all, it’s a new and rather peculiar sensation to walk this way - and there’s so much to see.

The trek among coral and marine life is like exploring a new world. The terrain reminds me of a cacti-infested desert. Everything is vibrant and teeming with life. The reef is decorated with colorful sponges and I marvel at the varieties of fish around me, which included puffer fish, trumpet fish, yellow tails, sergeant majors, blue tang, and cherub fish. Cherub fish are all born female, but have the ability to absorb their ovaries and develop male gonads if they so desire.

The water is warm, 70 F. I actually walk in a semicircle, ending up back at the ladder where I climb up, reach the surface, and have my helmet removed by a staff member. Once again I breathe in that fresh Virgin Island air.

I talk with Allegra Kean, marketing manager at Coral World Ocean Park, who provides me with details about the underwater adventure I’ve just experienced.

Almost anyone can be a sea trekker; you must be relatively healthy, at least eight years old, and weigh a minimum 80 pounds.

There’s a maximum of seven sea trekkers in a group, and each group is led by a guide. The guide will indicate points of interest during the adventure tour, but there won’t be any verbal communication on the ocean floor.

A safety diver in full scuba gear and carrying an underwater camera accompanies each group. At the end of your adventure you can purchase the framed photo as a souvenir.

You can also purchase a disposable underwater camera at Coral World Gift Shop, enabling you to take 27 underwater photos. The cost is reasonable, and the camera is good to a depth of 35 feet.

While at St. Thomas’ Coral World, be sure to check out some of its other offerings also. You can descend into the Undersea Observatory, remain dry, and view a coral reef and its varied marine creatures. A diver enters the display tank for daily hand feedings.

You can also view sharks, moray eels, and other predators. In the interactive touch pool, you can handle starfish and sea cucumbers. There’s also a stingray pool, turtle pool, and shark shallows where you may get opportunity to pet a small shark.

If You Go Coral World Ocean Park, 6450 Coki Point, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands 00802; phone: 1-888-695-2073; website: www.coralworld.com/cwvi

Department of Tourism, St. Thomas, P.O. Box 6400, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands 00804; phone: 1-800-372-USVI; website: www.usvitourism.vi

Author: John M. Smith