Left: Caymanas Bay is a good place to take a dip.   Right: Chorus checks the temperature of the water. - photos by Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer

Now when a dreadlocked man with alarmingly red eyes and a noticeably unbalanced gait tells you to go jump in a pool of water, you aren't exactly sure what to do next. It's not really the kind of situation that you come across every day.

I found myself in this strange position recently, and it took me a few minutes to finally come up with a reply. " I ... er ... maybe later," I said.

I was standing over a hole in the ground from which water as clear as crystal was bubbling like a pot on fire. Strange. I was standing there with Norman Grindley, the photographer and the aforementioned dreadlocked man who told us to call him Culture. I didn't ask why. We were in the community called Caymanas Bay in St. Catherine where the most well known attraction is a spring that many people say carries spiritual powers.

The area that surrounds the spring is known as Nature's Paradise. It's well known in St. Catherine, but even within the parish, not many people have ever been there. "Mi hear bout it but I never go there yet," said one woman on the morning we headed off.

"Mi hear say nothing much nuh happen there. Although mi also hear dat the water is very powerful."

Now standing right there with Culture and a dark skinned man in even darker sunglasses who kept muttering something to himself, it was still unclear if it was a happening place to be or not.

I posed this question to Culture.

"Well I tell di I say this place is a spiritual upliftment. There is a spirit in these waters. Everybody who been here say that," he said, slowly.

Regular baptisms

"More baptism take place here than any other place, The Christian dem know bout the spiritual powers and the Rastaman dem been here since ancient days," Culture continued. "Every day another church come here to do baptism. Di amount of church sistren and pastor and elder who say dat dem going to be di one to baptise I, but I tell dem dat I am di one who should baptise dem!" he said.

Splash! Our conversation was interrupted when two young boys jumped into the water beside us, sending a foot of water into the air. Most of it ended up on my head.

"Hee Hee, is jus di levity. You get a baptism," Culture laughed.

Just then, the slender man's cell phone rang and he dipped into his pants pocket and took out a small silver device.

After chatting on it for a while he hung up and turned back to us.

"Is Chorus dat pan di line, him say him a come talk to di I," he said. I wasn't sure what this meant, but soon, another dreadlocked man came strolling down the hill. I realised Chorus was actually a person.

"How di I do?" he said as he approached.

Chorus is a pleasant fellow with a laid back way of speaking. His voice is soft, so I had to listen carefully as he spoke.

We asked him about the supposed spiritual powers of the water.

Inspiration for everybody

"Yes man, that is something I born come here and hear about and now I am 25. It stay like that from ever since. People get healing when dem come to the water, dem get inspiration and all sort of things start to pick up in them life," Chorus said, a serious look in his eyes. "Just the other day a young girl was telling me dat is only since she come here she was able to get rid of a swelling dat been on her foot dem fi months. Is just the spiritual powers allow dat to happen," he said.

Culture spoke up again. "Most of the Rasta singers that popular now, is right here them used to stay and meditate before dem make it big. Is a place where people can come and receive the message and inspiration from the most high," he said.

As he was speaking, a man and a woman had jumped into the water hand in hand. Now they were laughing loudly together.

Is God bless that water

"All people who come here wid dem one another get a closer bond. People might not believe dat but I a tell di I dem dat is true," Culture said, his eyes widening a bit.

On our way back to the roadway, we came across Lenky who lives in the community. He is the one who greets visitors to Nature's Paradise. "Yes man. People have dis place and not even realise the wonders that the water can work. I deh here long time so I see many things. Is God bless that water. It never ever stop bubble from the ground, no matter what kind of drought we having. Is a everyday miracle," he said.