For those of you employed in the dive industry who do, or have in the past, lived and worked on an island - what's day to day life really like. Tell us the good, the bad, and the ugly.
What's it like to live on an island?
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freefall2
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I've always been an island girl at heart. Born on Vancouver Island, lived in the Bahamas, Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, and now Roatan.
The only things I miss from living on the mainland are really great groceries. The ship is coming in today and everybody will rush to the grocery store to grab all the good stuff. Most of the time I feel really cut off from the world because we don't have tv, but that is a good thing I think. Thank goodness for the internet so I can visit with my family on the webcam.
The great thing about living on this island is that the water is almost always flat on one side or the other. If we want to dive we can get in the little boat and be on a site in less than five minutes or we can load the boat on a trailer and launch it on the other side.
At night we can sit out on the deck and look at the stars without the light pollution of a city to dim them. We're on a boat so I can always feel and hear the water, unless, like now we have the music cranked up and the a/c running.
Most of our friends here are retired so they're always up for some fun and nobody is stressed out. We have great dive buddies, we get together for dinners and poker.
I'll miss this place when we move on. Next stop, back up to Vancouver Island for a few seasons.
The only things I miss from living on the mainland are really great groceries. The ship is coming in today and everybody will rush to the grocery store to grab all the good stuff. Most of the time I feel really cut off from the world because we don't have tv, but that is a good thing I think. Thank goodness for the internet so I can visit with my family on the webcam.
The great thing about living on this island is that the water is almost always flat on one side or the other. If we want to dive we can get in the little boat and be on a site in less than five minutes or we can load the boat on a trailer and launch it on the other side.
At night we can sit out on the deck and look at the stars without the light pollution of a city to dim them. We're on a boat so I can always feel and hear the water, unless, like now we have the music cranked up and the a/c running.
Most of our friends here are retired so they're always up for some fun and nobody is stressed out. We have great dive buddies, we get together for dinners and poker.
I'll miss this place when we move on. Next stop, back up to Vancouver Island for a few seasons.
Liz we just returned from Roatan and of course like all tourists we looked at real estate. If there ever was an island where I wouldn't get tired of diving the sames sites it would be Roatan. I can't imagine returning to Vancouver Island after that.
Only thing that would keep us from moving there is the lack of civilized things, like McDonalds or movie theaters although I did see a pizza joint and a fried chicken house.
One it goes free port I am sure things will change a lot.
Only thing that would keep us from moving there is the lack of civilized things, like McDonalds or movie theaters although I did see a pizza joint and a fried chicken house.
One it goes free port I am sure things will change a lot.
The Kraken
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Downdeep,
You live on an island, it's just that it's very, very big!!!
the K
You live on an island, it's just that it's very, very big!!!
the K
OP
The Kraken:
Where's MY ocean? I can see the Tennessee River, but where's the Tennessee Ocean??
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She said a lot!freefall2:
Living there is nothing like vacationing there.
You're living in a foreign country. They have all sorts of residency laws which must be obeyed. They also have many peculiar traffic laws that will absolutely drive you nuts.
Food? You're going to have to adjust. Many folks complain about costs. They are higher, but if you demand highly processed and certain foods, they will be costly. Eat like a local, eat cheap. Buy where the locals shop, buy smart.
You will, when making landfall in the states in Houston or Miami on planned return trips- you will know where the WalMart is, the Home Depot... and oh yes, time to replace that mass of dripping green goo that was once your computer.
It is easy to get sucked into the island sopor. If you go there with high motivations and energy, you may be challenged by individuals with that certain island malaise, laziness, trust fund lethargy and worse. The party/bar life can be inviting.
The bizarre tangle of red tape for any business owner is daunting. Finding reliable help (see above paragraph) can be a challenge. Floor space leases are not cheap.
The legal system including simple liability for accidents, traffic or those around your business, can be frightening. Employemt laws? Welcome to Bizzaro-land.
Housing is not cheap. Advanced Life Support (Trauma Unit) Medical care is largely non-existant other than Nassau, Puerto Rico and Cayman. It deteriorates exponentialy from there. Crime rates (property criimes/burglaries, etc) can be ongoing and maddening.
Other than that it's pretty much so paradise.
(And the land they showed Al? What do "we" want? Oceanfront. Locals don't live there {only squatters}. Why? Huricanes. So- they sell it to NorthAmericans. I have owned several pieces in the Caribbean, I'm one of the "suckers"... loved every minute of it, though!)
The Kraken
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Just keep walking, you'll get there !!! 
Would be nice, wouldn't it?
the K
Would be nice, wouldn't it?
the K
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Well, for one thing, if I get lost, and I just keep drivin, I eventually come out in the right place!
I always choose islands. It was so important to me when my kids were babies I bought a place on Catalina so that they could run around naked on the beach and have the "living on a game board" lifestyle. They had freedom at an early age to negotiate through life. I would go to town in my golfcart and ask people "have you seen my kids?" and they would point a direction. I love that.
The bad part, is everyone knows your business. if your husband shows up once a month, they know you are having problems, and everybody talks. I think that may be the only downside--there is no anonymity. NONE.
It was the same in ST. Thomas. I love islands because you can get to know all the people and all the politics and actually have an effect on things. (Big fish, Little Pond)
Being able to see the ocean is like oxygen for me. You may find that when you cultivate that by living on an island, it becomes so essential that it may handicap you in some ways. You become very weather dependent. The weather always matters a lot to me. I have my favorite conditions, and I am always watching the ocean. I like my circadian rythms to be connected to nature's eb and flow. For some reason, islands do this in a way like no other places..
Not being able to have access to certain things (stores like Nordstroms) is a huge blessing for me. Maybe you will like the forced simplification of island life. If you err towards materialism, island life will set you straight.
All commodities are respected as precious on an island. Gasoline, water, food, it seems to accentuate appreciation for the bounty!
People are nicer to each other on an island because your lives are more connected.
I always choose islands. It was so important to me when my kids were babies I bought a place on Catalina so that they could run around naked on the beach and have the "living on a game board" lifestyle. They had freedom at an early age to negotiate through life. I would go to town in my golfcart and ask people "have you seen my kids?" and they would point a direction. I love that.
The bad part, is everyone knows your business. if your husband shows up once a month, they know you are having problems, and everybody talks. I think that may be the only downside--there is no anonymity. NONE.
It was the same in ST. Thomas. I love islands because you can get to know all the people and all the politics and actually have an effect on things. (Big fish, Little Pond)
Being able to see the ocean is like oxygen for me. You may find that when you cultivate that by living on an island, it becomes so essential that it may handicap you in some ways. You become very weather dependent. The weather always matters a lot to me. I have my favorite conditions, and I am always watching the ocean. I like my circadian rythms to be connected to nature's eb and flow. For some reason, islands do this in a way like no other places..
Not being able to have access to certain things (stores like Nordstroms) is a huge blessing for me. Maybe you will like the forced simplification of island life. If you err towards materialism, island life will set you straight.
All commodities are respected as precious on an island. Gasoline, water, food, it seems to accentuate appreciation for the bounty!
People are nicer to each other on an island because your lives are more connected.
It's tempting to move to a place like Roatan but we'll end up moving to Maui I'm sure.
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well, road trips are out the window, but the recreation always seems better I think.
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