In Love with the Swimming Pool

Our new anchorage with a storm approaching

They call this little spot in the Cayos Holandes the Swimming Pool, and it’s pretty much exactly like its name, except I’ve never seen a swimming pool that had a sting ray living in the deep end. It is the most popular anchorage in the San Blas, according to the guidebook, and with good reason. An immense reef system and several small islands give great protection, and the water is that gorgeous blue green straight out of a Caribbean daydream. It’s also nice and shallow, anywhere from 10 to 15 feet with a sand bottom perfect for setting your anchor.

It’s the kind of setting that makes you want to throw yourself overboard, and that’s pretty much what we did upon anchoring. Plus, the water around here is boiling with sea life. Over the past couple of days, we’ve seen multiple rays, a variety of reef fish, starfish, conch, a trigger fish that the other cruisers have named Bob and best of all turtles! I hadn’t seen a single turtle on this trip until we got to the San Blas, and in this anchorage we’ve seen multiple giant sea turtles with yellow and green speckled shells.

We plan on spending the next few days here, exploring the islands and passes, snorkeling, turtle watching and trying to knock back the coral reef that’s now growing on our keel. We are certainly not alone in our hearting of this place, however. A few cruising boats come in and out every day, piling into the strip of an anchorage, and I can’t even imagine what it’s like in the high season when 30 or 40 boats pack together like schools of bait fish. I think we'd be finding another spot to drop the hook.