This is Part 2 of our 3-part Caribbean adventure series. In Part 1, we swam with giant sea turtles, visited Maho beach where the planes fly just over your head, and climbed a massive rock in the middle of the ocean. And in Part 3, we’ll tackle the Flying Dutchman, the steepest zipline in the world.
Good morning, everyone! And what a beautiful morning it is – like every morning here in the Caribbean. I’m just enjoying my Caribbean smoothie pool side in my new home away from home; and I’ve got my Newfoundland flag flying here at the villa to show how far I’ve come and where I’m from.
The crew’s already up and moving around, checking equipment, planning shots for the day. But me? I’m taking a moment to just appreciate where I am and to give gratitude for the warm breeze, the sound of the ocean, and the fact that I’m about to make myself a proper Caribbean breakfast.
And trust me, this isn’t your average bowl of cereal.
I’m getting all my ingredients ready for my St. Martin scrambled egg surprise – or as I’m calling it, Donny’s Caribbean Omelet. We’ve got fresh avocados, fresh kale, fresh eggs, and I’m going to make this beautiful omelet. Then over it, I’m putting some hummus and spice, because why not? This is the Caribbean – we’re doing it Caribbean style.
So cheers again to you all, everybody around the world and everybody following my adventures. I really appreciate you following along with me, and you know, we’re going on this experience together. So I want to give thanks to the great architect above who’s making this all happen and for this beautiful bounty.
The first bit is – WOW! I got a little spicy number there! The heat hits immediately, but in the best way. The avocado cools it down, the goat cheese is creamy, the eggs are fluffy, and all those fresh vegetables just make it perfect.
After breakfast, the crew and I pile into the vehicles and head out to explore more of the island. We roll up to this beach and I can already tell something’s different. We’re in France now, baby! The place sounds happening – music is booming, people are going mad having fun, and I’m going to join them.
As I walk down toward the water, I can see people partying, people in yachts throwing nets over the side, people playing volleyball. It’s not exactly Middle Cove Beach back home, but it’s nice. And okay, I’m going to be honest – it smells like marijuana. But the vibes are good, man. Feels positive. Positive energy everywhere.
I spot a local guy who looks like he knows the scene and walk over to introduce myself. We get to talking and I learn we’re at Orient Beach on the French side of the island. This is mostly a touristic area – the locals prefer Mullet Bay and Grand Case for their own beach days.
The guy tells me they call him Dirty – and he laughs as he explains he’s that dirty fellow, always in the dirt, planting something, growing something, up to something. Even on his weekends he looks dirty, but as he says with a smile, it’s the heart that counts.
When I tell him I’m from Newfoundland, his eyes light up. He’s never been to Canada, but he says he gets such a good feeling from Canadian people every time he meets them. Though he makes it clear – nothing is better than this warmth and he’ll never give this up for any cold country.
Then Dirty gets philosophical on me, and honestly, I needed to hear this.
He tells me that if you come with negative thinking, you end up with negative absorption. If you come with positive thinking, then you bring positive energy towards yourself. It’s easy, like ABC. Dreams come true. And also the positivity of the words you put out, they come true also – same as the negative. So always remember to keep that positive energy.
Dirty was quite the deep thinking philosopher, a refreshing voice that helped to ground me, and I’m taking his advice and staying super positive as I continue my journey.
I just left Dirty back at the beach, and now I’m in a community called Grand Case, and I’m kind of hungry now – that omelet wore off – and this place looks like it’s got some good food. It’s all lively and… yeah, follow the smoke! Someone’s barbecuing and it smells amazing.
I walk up to this street food stand where they’re grilling up all kinds of delicious-looking meat in these massive metal smokers. I ask the chef what his specialty is, he grins and says “Both!” – both chicken and ribs. I order the chicken and rib combo, and watch as he expertly chops everything up.
When my order comes up, it’s loaded. The spread includes these things called Johnny cakes – oh wow, it’s like Newfoundland toutons or New Orlann’s banyans! Deep-fried dough that’s absolutely delicious.
The chicken is incredible, but the ribs? The ribs are even better.. smoky barbecue taste with a little kick-pow spice on it. WOW! The best ribs I ever ate!
This is some of the best street food I’ve ever had – authentic St. Martin barbecue. I give my regards to the chef and a nice tip and head back to the car, completely stuffed. I’m going to boot it back to the villa. That was awesome, I love it. If you visit St. Martin I strongly encourage you to have a roadside meal from these street vendors who are wizards at chicken and ribs – it might be the best meal you ever eat!
Back at the villa, I’m relaxing after that incredible meal when my phone buzzes. It’s a message from Jason, the guy who set me up with the villa, and whose mom is actually from my home in Newfoundland.
“Hey Donny, how’s she cuttin’, buddy? That’s the Newfoundlander in me! I see you had a good time with Iman and Captain Darren. I have another adventure for you this afternoon. Head out to the Grand Case airport and look for Mark. He’s going to give you a really good view of the islands. I’ll see you this evening at Karakter Beach Bar around 7.”
Grand Case airport? Good view? My mind immediately goes to one thing – a helicopter ride, which would be cool! It’d be nice to see the island from above in a helicopter ride. I’ve already seen it from land and from sea. So let’s see where this adventure takes me.
The crew loads up the gear and we head to the airport. I’m genuinely excited – a helicopter tour over St. Martin would be the perfect way to see this beautiful island from a completely new perspective.
We pull up to the Grand Case airport and I see a guy standing there waiting. He’s got this knowing smile on his face that immediately makes me suspicious. We introduce ourselves – he’s Mark, a friend of Jason’s.
When I ask if we’re going on a helicopter ride, Mark explains we’re going to take off, but we won’t land the same way.
“We’re going skydiving,” he says with a thick french accent.
Oh my God! I’m excited! This is unbelievable! I always wanted to go skydiving and I’m putting my trust in Mark. When I ask how far up we’re going, he casually says “not far” – we’ll just take off and go.
Mark starts getting me into the gear – the harness, the straps, everything that’s going to keep me safe when we jump out of a perfectly good airplane. I’m totally kind of nervous about heights and I’m experiencing a series of complicated emotions at the thought of jumping out of an airplane.
But here we are, all suited up, the gates are opening, and there’s the plane – this little Cessna. Man, I’m kind of terrified! We climb aboard and immediately I notice something that does absolutely nothing to calm my nerves…there’s no door on this plane! That just adds to the terror!
The engine roars to life and we start taxiing down the runway. My heart is pounding. The crew on the ground is filming as we take off, and my director has quite bravely or foolishly decided he has to jump too to get some good shots on the way down. And I’m thinking about all the reasons this might be a terrible idea. But then we’re airborne, climbing higher and higher over the Caribbean.
We keep climbing. The island gets smaller and smaller below us. The ocean stretches out in every direction like a blue carpet on a massive floor, the curve of the beaches, the patterns of the reefs, the contrast between the Dutch and French sides – it’s all laid out like a map below us.
Mark is checking all the equipment, making sure everything’s secure. He’s done this thousands of times, but this is my first. My only, maybe, depending on how this goes.
We reach 10,000 feet and Mark taps me on the shoulder. It’s time. The wind rushes like a hurricane. The noise is deafening. I shuffle toward the opening and look down.
That’s a long way down. That’s a really, really long way down.
Mark is behind me and we’re sitting in the doorway now. My legs are hanging out over nothing but air and ocean and a 10,000-foot drop.
I fall forward and out the door. And then I’m just falling.
The free fall is absolutely insane. I’m dropping at 120 miles per hour, the wind is screaming past my face, and my brain is trying to process the fact that I’m literally falling through the sky. The Caribbean is rushing up to meet me, the ocean is sparkling below, and I can see everything – the beaches, the boats, the whole island spread out like a postcard.
WOO! WOW! AMAZING! WOO! WOW!
I’m screaming, but not from fear anymore – from pure, unfiltered adrenaline and joy. This is the most incredible feeling in the world. I’m flying. Actually flying through the air above the Caribbean Sea.
And then – BOOM – pull the ripcord and the parachute deploys. The sudden jerk slows me down dramatically, and instead of falling, now I’m floating. Gliding. Drifting peacefully through the air.
WOOOOO! WOW!
It’s quiet now. Peaceful. still high up, but descending slowly, gently, and I can actually take in the view properly now. The turquoise water below, the white sand beaches, the green hills of the interior, the boats leaving white wakes across the bay.
This is the most amazing thing ever! I’m just in complete awe of what just happened. I jumped out of an airplane. I actually jumped out of an airplane over the Caribbean Sea.
My feet touch the sand. I’m safe and alive. And I just had the experience of a lifetime. This is amazing! This is the best thing I’ve ever done in my life! The crew is there filming, and I’m still processing what just happened. Holy… WOW!
I thank Mark for what was one of the best experiences of my life! I highly recommend facing your fears and going Skydiving in the Caribbean! You will never feel as alive as you do when you land. If you come to St. Martin, head to grand case airport and look Mark up!
I’m still pacing around on the sand, still pumped full of adrenaline, my hands shaking from the rush. That was… I don’t even have words for what that was.
After skydiving, everything else feels calm by comparison. But Jason had said to meet him at Karakter Beach Bar this evening, so the crew and I make our way there as the sun starts to set.
Karakter is right on the beach, tables in the sand, music playing, people enjoying the sunset. It’s the perfect spot to decompress after literally jumping out of an airplane. Jason and Iman and Captain Darren are all here. So we’re just chilling out and sitting back and enjoying this beautiful view. I share my sky diving stories and we all catch up on the day. We’re here for a good time, not a long time, and I feel I’ve known Jason and Iman and Captain Darren my whole life.
That’s the thing about travel – sometimes you meet people and within days, it feels like you’ve known them forever. These guys have shown me their island, shared their favorite spots, set up incredible adventures, and welcomed me like family. We’ve become fast friends.
As we’re eating and talking and watching the sunset paint the sky in shades of orange and pink, fireworks start going off in the distance. Not for any particular reason – just because it’s a beautiful night in the Caribbean and why not?
So far on this Caribbean adventure, I’ve swum with giant sea turtles, climbed a massive rock in the middle of the ocean, met incredible people, eaten amazing food, and jumped out of an airplane at 10,000 feet over the Caribbean Sea.
I don’t know exactly what’s waiting for me tomorrow, but I do know one thing – in St. Martin, every day brings a new adventure. And I’m ready for whatever comes next.
Dirty told me to keep that positive energy, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
Until the next adventure,
Donny Love
Adventures Unknown – The best stories are the ones you live yourself.
Donny Love is the star of the Adventures Unknown Television Series, host of The Donny Love Radio Show, and a Newfoundlander who’s rarely standing still. He’s out exploring the world one adventure at a time — and writing about it honestly, so you know what’s worth doing and what’s not.
Stay tuned for Part 3: Adventures Unknown – The Steepest Zipline In The World – The Flying Dutchman in the Caribbean
