The Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Winter 2012 - Chinese - (Page 72)
OutdOOrs
WAT ER WONDERL AND From left: Master diver Brian investigates a sunken engine; a rock hind grouper confronts the lens.
DIVING THROUGH PARADISE
Off t he shOr e s Of s t. t hOm a s , I a n Da ly DOn s a ta nk a nD DI scOv er s a fa n ta s t Ic a l unDerwOr l D ju s t bene at h t he Oce a n ’ s sur face
As a frequent traveler, one of my favorite ways to experience a new place is to fly in at night. You arrive groggy — plane-weary and disoriented — and your imagination is forced to render details only sunlight can verify. By morning, you can see how right you were. This is how I experienced St. Thomas on a balmy Thursday evening in October — not above ground, but underwater. I met Arnoldo Falcoff, divemaster of Patagon Dive Center at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas, on the little beach by the rental kayaks and sailboats. A nearly full moon shone through the swaying palms as we loaded our gear onto an inflatable gray dinghy and made our way out to the dive boat anchored offshore. It was a quiet night. The sound of clanging air tanks and the lapping tide was all we heard. “We’re going to a place called the Pinnacle,” Falcoff said over the low hum of the outboard motor. Just 10 minutes
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w w w. r i t z c a r lt o n . c o m
photography by
Ian Daly
http://WWW.RITZCARLTON.COM
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Winter 2012 - Chinese