Jamaican waters are clear, warm, and full of wonders especially if you dive them. On our first trip to the land of "Ya, Mon" and "No Problem, Mon", we knew we'd found the vacation destination of our dreams. The people are friendly, the hotels are awesome, and the service unique. It has also been discovered that "all inclusive" is the way to go especially if water sports and scuba diving was included.

The dive team at one resort consisted of men and women with cool names like Magnum and Clint or Mr. Michael. Magnum, in particular, became a friend for the week and took the time to teach how to scuba and where to go for some local fun.

During one of his introductory to scuba courses, a question arose as to how he obtained a rather nasty scar on his left shoulder. Taking the opportunity to use the question to emphasize the dangers of the deep, Magnum told us he was down around 40 feet and did not see the shark come from behind him. He had our attention.

The shark, he explained, latched onto his shoulder and began to shake him violently. As his dive buddy approached to help, Magnum told us he stuck his thumb into the shark's eye, which caused him to let go. After swimming to the surface and leaving a nasty trail of blood behind, he and his dive friends made a quick exit into the boat.

Fortunately, during the week, none of us who went diving saw a shark. I think we might have drowned after that story. The day came to leave and Magnum showed up to say good-bye. It was his day off so we appreciated the gesture. We sat and talked a while and promised to keep in touch and then handed over a hand rolled Cuban cigar to him.

He looked in disbelief for a moment and then gently lifted it to his nose. His eyes closed as he inhaled the distinct scent of a fine cigar. "A little like having an orgasm, isn't it?" I queried. "Oh, ya Mon." he explained. "These are like gold here." He took another whiff and that is when I hit him up for the truth.

"The scar" I asked him. "How'd you really get it?" Magnum looked to his right and left to make sure no one was listening and began, "One night, me and my buddies was out drinkin'..."

"I knew it!" I said with a laugh, "I knew it wasn't a shark." He went on to say his friend was pretty drunk and had almost hit something while driving home that night, so he took the wheel. A short while later, he said he fell asleep and hit a telephone pole. The impact sent him through the windshield. "Stick with the shark story" I said. "Why do you tink I tell it, Mon?"

Anyway, it's been many years since we have seen Magnum, and although we meant to, we never really did keep in touch, but we think of him and that trip often.