How & where to swim (or Pro #3 of living on Statia)

Last month I decided to make a list of 25 advantages or pros of living on Statia. In case you missed pro #1 and #2 click here to find out how to become a Frequent Flyer (or pro #1 of living on Statia) or how to tape your scooter (or pro #2 of living on Statia).

Statia is a 21km2 island with around 4,000 inhabitants, five schools, too many roaming animals, one public swimming pool, one sea (the Caribbean), one ocean (the Atlantic) and limited fresh water when it hasn’t been raining for a while. Since a year there is a drinking water network connected to most houses, but the majority of the Statians still uses their cistern, that catches the rainwater coming from the roofs. So am I. It’s natural, it’s free. If you’re not connected to the drinking water installation, you can always call the water truck to fill up your cistern. That means, if the water truck is working.

The public swimming pool of course needs to be cleaned and filled up regularly. You can imagine that is easier said than done. So once in a while this happens:

The pool is empty. I mean quiet. No kids. The water need to be refreshed. Swimming prohibited. No Goldenrock Leatherbacks swim team allowed. No Makeda, no Mel, no Matthew, no D’Seante, no Marshel, no Aziz, no Samuel, no Johnell, no Fernando and no coach.

Now this brings me to Pro #3 of living on St. Eustatius: there’s always a sea around!

On the North East side the Atlantic Ocean (the “deep blue ocean” in the Statia anthem). I wouldn’t recommend swimming here. The undertow is crazy. A few years ago a stubborn nature photographer died here.

On the South West side “the Caribbean Sea” (you should really listen to the anthem). And this is how & where it happens. Swimming up & down, here and there, going crazy and cooling off in the sunset.

Who needs a pool?