Page 1592 - Dive the Seas and More-2
P. 1592

Trumpetfish Trompeta                                  where  my study began, because of its
            White Grunt Ronco Margariteño                         fame for the fabulous Virgin Islands
            White-spotted Filefish Lija Manchada                  National Park.  It seems that everyone has
            White-spotted Eagle Ray Chucho Pintado                seen a lovely picture of Trunk Bay, even
            Yellowfin Damselfish Jaqueta Colirrubia               if they did not know it was Trunk Bay on
            Yellowhead Wrasse Platanito                           St. John.  I’ve seen it in movies and
            Yellowtail Parrotfish Loro Colirrubio                 magazines, and finally I went there, took
            Yellow Tube Sponge Esponja Pintada                    my own photo from the most popular
            Yellow Stingray Raya Pintada                          vantage, and put it on my own map!  I also
            Yellowstriped       Goatfish       Salmonete          had the pleasure of snorkeling down there
            Amarillo                                              on a summer day  when the  water was
            Yellowtail Snapper Rubia-Cana                         dead-flat calm, and the temperature of the
                                                                  water was 87 degrees.  That was just too
            In case you want to take the map with you             warm!    When I was in the  U.S.  Virgin
            snorkeling so that you can speak bilingual            Islands in August of 2005  I was scuba
            to the fish, calling them by name in both             diving and snorkeling is water that
            Spanish and English, this Franko Map is               actually felt too  warm.   The ocean
            100% waterproof, and it is very durable as            engineer part of me said to myself that this
            well, since it is printed on synthetic paper.         was an  unbelievable  amount  of stored
            However, if you want to have a genuine                solar energy in the Caribbean at this time.
            Franko Fish card that will suffice for that           No wonder there  have been so many
            purpose, you should check out Franko’s                hurricanes!  Then, the next day, Hurricane
            Virgin Islands Reef Creature Guide.                   Katrina began spinning near the Bahamas,
                                                                  plowed through Florida, and went on to
            St. Thomas and St. John side of Franko’s              become the monster that annihilated New
            Map of the United States Virgin Islands:              Orleans, and the Mississippi and Alabama
                                                                  Gulf Coast.  Fortunately, other than warm,
            Reading the St. Croix side of the map is              humid weather and cloudiness, it did not
            just a warm-up, because the details on this           affect the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Never the
            side of the map are for two islands that are          less, it was a reminder of how vulnerable
            amongst the busiest, most visited places in           this paradise is to hurricanes.  Hurricanes
            the whole Caribbean Sea.   They are                   have played a large role in Virgin Islands
            combined and individually amongst the                 history, and has shaped the scope of
            most beautiful places in the Caribbean Sea            human activity and the placement of
            as well.  In fact, both St. Thomas and St.            towns and harbors on these islands.
            John are world-class destinations by any
            standard, and by studying Franko’s Map                Of course, I have to put my favorite dive
            of St. Thomas and ST. John, you will                  sites on the map.  No, I haven’t personally
            definitely set  your sites on a  visit there          dived every spot in the United States
            some time soon.   St. John is actually                Virgin Islands, but  yes, I have gathered
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