My Anse Cochon Adventure Begins
Woke up stupid early on Tuesday, coffee was a must. Grabbed my bag, threw in towels, sunscreen, and some snacks. Drove from the apartment, windows down. Got a bit lost near the steep hill part – signage ain’t great! Finally saw that tiny sign pointing down the dirt road. Parked under some trees, thankful for the shade already.
The beach itself? Wow. Almost empty, just a couple others. Soft sand, like walking on brown sugar. Water was crazy clear, super calm in the cove. Found a shady spot under a big tree – best decision ever. Slapped on the sunscreen, felt sticky immediately but oh well.
Diving into the Top Five Must-Do’s
Right, here’s what I actually did, based on everyone saying you gotta try these:
- Snorkeling Right Off the Beach: Flopped my fins on and just waded in. First few minutes, saw some small, colorful fish near the rocks. Swam towards the left side, near those big coral heads. Bam! Bigger fish hanging out. Saw a cool angelfish, like the ones in pictures. Easy peasy snorkeling, barely swam far.
- Finding the Coral Garden (Seriously!): Paddled further out, past the first set of rocks. Water got deeper but stayed clear. Suddenly, coral galore! Not all colorful, but tons of different shapes and fish everywhere. Felt like swimming in an aquarium. Took it slow, just floated and watched. Highlight? Huge parrotfish munching on coral, making that crunching sound!
- Lounging & Listening to Nature: Got out, dried off on my towel. Sun felt hot. Listened hard… barely any people noise. Mostly waves lapping the shore, birds chirping in the hills behind the beach, the breeze in the palms. Felt peaceful, really. Almost fell asleep.
- Scoping out Marine Life (Without Even Trying): Walking in the shallows later, saw tiny crabs darting into holes. Peered into a rocky pool – little shrimp things flicking around. Big pelican dove for a fish not far out. Didn’t need binoculars or anything. Just gotta look.
- Kayaking the Cove: Rented a kayak from the small hut guy ($20 bucks, reasonable). Paddling was calm since the water’s so sheltered. Went all around the edges, right up to those steep green hills. Saw the beach from a different angle. Underneath? Clear view all the way to the sand bottom.
Wrapping it Up & That Sudden Rain!
Hung out till mid-afternoon. Sand was everywhere. Packing up the wet towels felt gross. Got everything back to the car, feeling that good tired sun feeling.
Bonus unplanned experience: Driving back up the hill, sky went dark super fast. Then, torrential downpour! Like, buckets. Could barely see the road. Had to pull over for ten minutes. Drove home damp. Typical island weather!
But yeah. Anse Cochon? Definitely lives up to the quiet, beautiful, easy-snorkel hype. Worth finding the dirt road. Just watch the clouds on your way out!
