The Banana Boat aka the Death Boat

I’m going through some of my old photos and I came across my Punta Cana vacation I took a few years ago with 3 of my friends. I was in university at the time and going away on an all inclusive vacay was just what I needed. A time to relax, work on my tan, party, eat and of course almost die on the banana boat. Yes, that’s right. I almost died on the banana boat. Ok, I’m exaggerating but I remember thinking, for a split second, that I was going to die in the water because my friends and I decided to ride this ridiculous banana boat. But before I tell you how I almost died twice on the banana boat let me explain what it is.

It is an inflatable boat that is yellow and somewhat in the shape of a banana (hence the name, duh). It can hold about 4 to 6 people and it is pulled by a speed boat. Now it sounds pretty safe and fun right? Well, the driver of the speed boat tries to flip the banana boat upside down by turning and crashing into waves. I know, it still doesn’t sound that bad. Sounds like fun. But trust me, the way our driver was crashing into the waves and flipping our boat, I seriously thought I was going to die. As the banana boat makes its first turn, I was trying to hold on, but everything is going so fast, I ended up flying into the water, hitting my friend in the shoulder with my foot, swallowing a gallon of salt water and coughing like crazy.   Crashing into the water like that was not fun for me.  My body turned to jello and I felt like I landed on a tonne of bricks.  But I decided to give it another try.  I knew what to expect and I thought maybe I just need to hold on tighter.  Plus, I didn’t want my $5.00 to go to waste now and I was trying to convince myself that maybe the second one won’t be so bad.   One of my friends decided she’d had enough and went on the speed boat (smart move).

So now I’m back on the banana boat, holding on for dear life but I ended up flying into the water, swallowed another gallon of salt water and my bikini top manages to come off (thank goodness I was wearing a life jacket). That’s when I decided I wanted to live and f*&$ my $5.00. THAT’S IT! I’ve had enough. I put my bikini top back on and swam to the speed boat.  I think I was still shocked that I had survived and for some reason I just couldn’t get on the speed boat.  Plus, the driver was no help at all. He sees me and all he can say is “Lift yourself up”.  Uhhh a little help here buddy! Didn’t you just see that I almost died?  You would think he would put out his hand and pull me up. NOOOO! Let’s me make me suffer even more. I finally managed to get on the speed boat and joined my friend.  My other two friends decided to stay on.

So if there is anything I learned from my trip- never ride the banana boat again! I know there are people who find this type of thing fun, but for me I think I’ll just lay on the beach, sip on some rum and coke and tan.

p.s. I feel the same way about jet skis. I had a similar experience where the person driving was turning and trying to make us fall off. In the process, I ended up flying into the water, my ankle hit my husbands mouth and he chipped his touch. Maybe I’m just not good with water sports?