The disappointment on their faces made me feel deeply guilty. I gathered my belongings and slunk away to the dinghy. Upon leaving, I turned around to wave goodbye to my newfound friends. They were immersed in conversation and did not look at me. Sometimes it is better to let the truth rest on the bottom of the lagoon.
Locals still whisper about bodies trapped down below.
I left Petit Ilet and St. Maarten long before the devastating hurricanes in 1995. More than a thousand boats had taken shelter, and the majority ended up wrecked, washed ashore or at the bottom of the lagoon. Locals still whisper about bodies trapped down below. The lagoon's large size and the low mountains surrounding it were no match for the power of the hurricanes. The local government has even posted a message on the Internet asking owners to clear their wrecks or have them confiscated.