Puerto Rico 5/15/2019 - 5/19/2019

Friday, May 17, 2019 - Skydiving and Cave Exploration in Arecibo

We first heard of Xtreme Divers when Marty did a tandem skydive with them 17 years ago. We had put skydiving on our bucket list after hearing his stories. Since then, we have tried bungy jumping, paragliding, parasailing, hot air ballooning, and have ridden in small planes and a helicopter. When we finally planned a trip to Puerto Rico, we decided we would take the opportunity to skydive with Marty.

Xtreme Divers now operate out of Arecibo airport on weekends or by appointment on weekdays. We made an appointment for the three of us to jump on a Friday. The best way to contact them is via phone or text, and we paid a deposit of $50 per person and signed electronic waivers ahead of our appointment.

We were staying in Old San Juan, and Xtreme Divers gave us the contact information of a driver who would drive us to and from Arecibo, waiting while we jumped, for a very reasonable price.

We woke up in the morning and got ready to go. We didn't want to eat anything ahead of our 10 a.m. jump, fearing that we might become nauseous when skydiving. But we did avail ourselves of the coffee and water in the 3rd floor lounge. We joked that in past years, we participated in annual "Cap'n Marty's Island Hop" adventures, where we would rent a boat for the day, and Marty would take us to various ports in the British Virgin Islands. This was a different kind of adventure, "Cap'n Marty's Island Leap," if you will.

Marty was all amped up, and played us some Mongolian music ("Wolf Totem", by The Hu) on his phone. The traditional tribal music with a bit of metal flare was just the thing to psych us up, with its driving hypnotic beat.

Manuel, our driver, picked us up shortly before 9 o'clock. Marty immediately turned him on to The Hu, and we listened to their music on the hour-long drive to Arecibo.

When we arrived at the Arecibo airport, we met Gerson, with whom we had booked the trip. For tandem skydiving, two clients go together in the same plane. There were three of us, so one of us would have to go with another client. We all felt that it would be good for Marty to go first, and then Craig and I could go together. The weather was optimal (sunny with blue skies and not too much wind), so there was no need to delay.

We were weighed and suited up in our harnesses and goggles. We were given instructions on how the jump would proceed and what to do. We would need to keep our knees bent with legs out behind us during the freefall. Once the parachute deployed, we would have plenty of time to look around at the scenery. When it came time to land, we would bend our knees once again, only extending our legs when our instructor tells us to.

We opted to pay extra for video and still photos taken by the instructors using GoPro cameras mounted on their wrists. Although this adds to the cost of the jump, it is well worth it. In addition, there is a still photographer named Paloma who takes shots of you taking off and landing for just $10.

We watched as Marty got settled in the plane and took off. We soon lost sight of the plane, but we could tell when they were about to land because the ground crew started to mobilize. They had a very smooth landing, and Marty's swagger as he walked towards us said it all. He had had a blast. He asked Manuel to take him to a liquor store so that he could buy a celebratory beer. He assured us that he would be back long before we landed.

Now it was our turn. We met our instructors: I was with Efrain (who had been Marty's instructor as well), and Craig was with Jason. Each of them recorded little pre-jump interviews with us, and Paloma snapped stills as we made our way to the airplane. It was a tight squeeze to get the two of us and our two instructors into the plane.

It dawned on both of us that our harnesses were not yet clamped on to those of our instructors. This caused us each a bit of anxiety, as our brains irrationally thought that they might forget to hook us on prior to the jump. We knew this was ridiculous, but we couldn't shake the feeling.

The plane circled, climbing higher and higher. We watched the altimeters on our wrists as we gained more and more altitude. I started to get a bit nervous, and relied on yoga breathing to stay centered. We looked out the windows and enjoyed the view of the Atlantic ocean on one side and the Arecibo radiotelescope on the other. The temperature in the plane was quite comfortable, unlike some of the small planes we have ridden in previously, which tended to get hot and claustrophobic and contribute to motion sickness.

Then it was time to hook us to our instructors. It was difficult to manouever in the tight quarters of the plane, and we had to get into a position where the instructors could attach our harnesses properly. We relaxed a little now that we were attached.

When we reached 10,000 feet, Jason opened the door. The rush of the wind was overwhelming. Things just got real! Jason and Craig got into position, dangling their legs out the door. You couldn't hear anything over the roar of the wind. I watched as they leaned forward out of the plane and then disappeared from sight. I must admit that it was a bit disconcerting. But I didn't really have much time to reflect on it, as Efrain and I shimmied our way over to the door.

I swung my legs over the side and had the distinct thought that my shoes might fly right off with the force of the wind (come to find out that Craig had had the same thought). I wondered whether I would even be able to get my legs into the proper position given all of the forces currently acting on them. I am not really afraid of heights in controlled circumstances, and as I looked down, I wondered what it would feel like to plummet toward the ground at terminal velocity. Would my stomach be in my throat the way it does on a rollercoaster?

We have done bungy jumping in New Zealand 16 years ago, but that was only a fall of 141 feet. This was 10,000! As counterintuitive as it seems, this was actually a bit easier. With the bungy jump, you need to psych yourself up and take the leap yourself. Here you have no choice...once your instructor decides to go, you are along for the ride.

There was no more time to contemplate any questions; Efrain leaned forward and launched us earthwards. The thrill of freefall was totally energizing. We did somersaults and saw the sun and the earth spinning around us. I screamed in excitement and my voice was lost to the wind. I must have instinctively done the right thing with my legs (when I see the video footage, they are in the proper position somehow).

The freefall lasted approximately 40 seconds and we reached 120 mph. Neither Craig nor I suffered any vertigo or motion sickness as we somersaulted and then stabilized into a Superman-style position. When we had descended to the proper altitude, Efrain deployed the parachute. It was as if the hand of God reached out and plucked you out of the sky. I was surprised by the force with which we were slowed down. When bungy jumping, the elastic cord absorbed the impact, and everything felt very gentle.

Of course I was relieved that the chute opened, but I was increasingly aware of my physical discomfort. It felt as though my legs were being ripped from my hip sockets. My left ear felt some pain from pressure, but soon equalized. As I had not eaten anything this morning, the expenditure of adrenaline from the freefall left me feeling weak. I felt a bit lightheaded and my extremities were a bit tingly. I remember willing myself not to pass out before landing.

I looked around and enjoyed the beautiful scenery: the coastline, the blue sky, the puffy white clouds. As we settled into this "canopy time", Efrain carefully removed my goggles. He had me take the reins and steer a bit, but I relinquished them soon; my limbs didn't have the strength. The chute really was manoueverable...slight motions caused us to radically change direction. (This was the only portion where Craig experienced a fleeting sense of motion sickness, when Jason banked a sharp corner and they changed direction rapidly).

I could now see the airport come into view. I pulled my knees up in anticipation of landing. I didn't know if I would have the strength to stand when landing. We landed in textbook fashion, with two ground crew helping to guide us in. I am taller than Efrain, and since I was clipped on to his chest, the height disparity was even more prevalent. This meant that I couldn't really stand up even if I had the strength. So, as we landed, I gently wound up seated in the grass.

Efrain unclipped himself. I wasn't ready to get up right away, and Paloma, the photographer, sat with me and encouraged me. She asked if I had eaten ahead of time, and I explained why I hadn't. It's somewhat of a catch-22. But she agreed that was probably responsible for my weakness. She loosened my harness to make me more comfortable, and after a couple of minutes I felt well enough to stand. I reunited with Craig and Marty and posed for some pictures together after a successful jump!

As we got out of our gear, Gerson and Paloma uploaded our photos and videos to Google Drive and sent us a link to access them. We were looking at the footage on our phones as we left the airport.

It was a wonderful experience! Everyone was very professional and we felt 100% safe at all times. Highly recommended!

We were told that sometimes people have to wait quite a while if they are extremely busy and/or the weather is uncooperative. We were lucky in this regard; we arrived on time for our appointment at 10 a.m., and all three of us had jumped and we were ready to hit the road by 11:30. But they tell you to be prepared to spend the entire day there if necessary. There are picnic tables and shaded areas to wait.

Craig and Steph Skydiving Video

Music: "Point Me at the Sky"
Performed by Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets
Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA 4/13/2019
Stills and video footage courtesy of Xtreme Divers
Final edit copyright www.craigandstephsvacations.com

Cap'n Marty's Island Leap 2019 Video
Marty, Craig, and Steph Skydiving

Music: "Wolf Totem" by The Hu
Stills and video footage courtesy of Xtreme Divers
Final edit copyright www.craigandstephsvacations.com

Craig and I had expected to be on an adrenaline high for the rest of the day. We remembered that following our bungy jump in New Zealand, we had been completely energized and had couldn't sit still for the remainder of the day. Not so today! We're not sure whether it was the difference in scale (falling from 10,000 feet as opposed to 141) or the fact that we are now 16 years older (let's be honest; it's probably the latter), but we were the opposite of energized. Craig and I were both exhausted from the adrenaline expenditure. Marty was raring to go, and said he could have done another jump immediately afterwards. Craig and I would be willing to do it again sometime, but we certainly didn't have the strength right now!

Because we were done with the activity so early, our driver offered to take us to see some caves in the area before heading back to Old San Juan. We decided to take him up on the offer, since it wasn't even noon.

But I was now starving and needed lunch first and foremost to refuel my body after this adventure. Manuel asked what we wanted to do for lunch. Fast food was fine with us, as we just wanted a quick bite before continuing our activities. He rattled off a list of nearby restaurants. We rarely eat fast food, and Wendy's sounded the best to us. "But we have a Wendy's on St. Thomas," whined Marty in a blatant attempt to get us to agree to go to Burger King again. Who are we to deny him? So Burger King it was.

This was our second Burger King on the island, and let's just say that neither exactly qualify as "fast" food. They operate on island time. Marty somehow managed to convince the staff to give him some onion rings that he hadn't ordered. He felt vindicated, comeuppance for the fries that we hadn't received yesterday. Craig and I each got a chicken sandwich, fries, and an orange soda. I ate the sandwich ravenously, replenishing my energy stores.

Then Manuel drove us to Cueva Ventana (window cave). This destination is a pair of limestone caves in the humid forest of Arecibo. We paid our entrance fee and sat at a picnic table while waiting for the guided tour to begin at 1:30. Everyone was given hard hats.

When the tour began, we walked on a path through the lush green landscape of the "humid forest" (it does not meet the technical definition of a rainforest due to the amount of yearly rainfall). The sun was hot, and it was indeed quite humid.

We first entered Cueva Clara (Bright Cave, so named due to the light from its 3 natural skylights). Swallows flew and nested in the mouth of the cave. Because of the three skylights, we didn't need to carry flashlights in this cave. Roots from a large banyan tree entered the cave though one of these natural openings, and you had to be careful not to trip over the fat roots which ran along the floor of the cave. They were so big around that they looked like pipes had been laid there.

Our guide directed our attention to a moulted exoskeleton of a tailless whip scorpion, joking that though at first you may be relieved that it is not a live scorpion, you soon realize that it really just means that there is a bigger live scorpion somewhere in the cave!

In this cave, petroglyphs carved by the Taino people were visible on the cave walls. The Taino are a pre-Columbian Caribbean people who can trace their roots to South America. Their exact area of origin is disputed; one theory posits that they are from the Amazon basin, while another suggests that they are from the Colombian Andes. The Taino are known to have drawn petroglyphs of "zemis" (spirit ancestors) in caves. Several of the petroglyphs here resembled faces (one much more simple in style than the other). Perhaps these were representations of zemis.

After passing through Cueva Clara, we proceeded to Cueva Ventana. This was a larger cave, and they provided us with flashlights with the proviso that we don't shine them upwards, as that can be harmful to the three species of bats that live in the cave. We were advised to walk along the cave edges to prevent us from stirring up too much bat guano, which accumulates near the center of the cave chambers. That being said, the air quality in the cave was quite good and it didn't smell of guano at all.

When we reached the other end of the cave, we found a round natural picture-window, a breach in a sheer limestone cliff, which overlooks the Rio Grande de Arecibo. The lush green river valley was beautiful, framed by this natural limestone portal.

As we retraced our steps, we inspected stalactites and stalagmites, reminders that caves continue to change and evolve with time. As we walked back to the parking lot, our guide pointed out the banyan tree whose roots permeated Cueva Clara.

We are very grateful to Manuel for recommending this excursion. It was nice to piggyback on to the nearby skydiving. Manuel asked us if we'd like to stop anywhere else, as it wasn't even 3 p.m. Marty seemed game, but I immediately said no thank you, that we needed to go back to the hotel to rest. We were exhausted and overheated.

About 15 minutes into the ride, Manuel said that he could tell Marty was tired now too, since he had become quiet. (Marty had talked non-stop on the drive to Arecibo!)

When we got there, we enjoyed cooling down in the air conditioning. Craig and I took showers, and Marty went for a swim. We then felt enough of a second wind to know that we should go to dinner right away. We knew that we would crash hard tonight.

We left the hotel and walked down Calle San Francisco. The late afternoon light was beautiful. We enjoyed strolling through the Plaza de Armas and admiring the statues of the Four Season Fountain and the surrounding colonial architecture.

We arrived at Ajo del Pais and were greeted by Chino, who seemed delighted that we had come back again tonight, as we had promised. We got comfortable at a table. I learned my lesson last night ordering two large heavy frozen drinks. I wanted to have enough appetite for dessert, so tonight I ordered a rum punch instead. Craig had his usual Magna beer.

Ever since Marty and I sat at the bar for a drink on Thursday afternoon, he had a craving for a pickled sausage (one of several pickled foods in jars on the bar). We have never understood the allure of such foods, which are often ridiculed on shows such as The Simpson's. But Marty ordered one, and our server brought what was basically a slightly bloated hot dog cut into small slices. Marty dug right in, and offered to share. I passed, but Craig bravely tried a slice. He described it as a soggy hot dog infused with pickle water. He did not have another slice.

Craig and I had loved the octopus arepas de cocos so much last night that we had been dreaming about it ever since. Marty had heard us singing its praises so much that he ordered it as well. It was a slightly different presentation than last night, but equally tasty.

Craig and I needed something to supplement our octopus dumpling. We saw a picture of something on the menu that looked like some sort of fresh local bread with a meat mixture on top. Near the photo was the discription "Princesa Burguer". Maybe this was some kind of local variant on a burger. We each ordered it.

Apparently, we had misunderstood the menu, as we were served a small traditional cheeseburger and fries. Not what we had expected, but it was very tasty and hit the spot. The burger patty was flame-broiled, with a slight charred taste and a crispness to the outer edge.

For dessert, I opted for the flan, while Craig and Marty each got a giant slice of tres leches cake. Like the rest of the food, the desserts were delicious and a tremendous value for the price. This restaurant is a gem!

We walked back to the hotel, stopping on the third floor lounge to grab some bottles of water, and then got a well-deserved sleep after a long, adrenaline-fueled day.

Arecibo Airport

Cueva Ventana