Bubbling on the cays - Night trader risks high seas to service fishermen

Pedro Cays, known for its vibrant fishing activities, isn't just about catching fish -- it's also a hotspot for other kinds of trade.

Bubbla, 36, has tapped into a profitable business, catering to the needs of the predominantly male community. Standing in the doorway of her modest zinc dwelling, she greets visitors with a bright smile, unapologetically rubbing bleaching cream on her chest as she talks about her work.

""Mi provide a valuable service for the man dem over here eno. Mi nuh left mi condoms dem. Mi can't feel a way about what mi do for a living, because mi coulda deh pon di road a clean up rubbish or toilet for little or nothing. Mi can't downgrade the work what mi do, and mi nuh shame fi go a road and sah a wah mi sell," Bubbla said.

The price for her services is significantly higher on Pedro Cays, compared to the mainland. "A just one bruk a man can get fi $5,000 here suh because a nuh land dem deh," she said.

"If a man want mi to spend di night with him, well him have to have him $20,000 or $25,000," she said.

Bubbla told THE WEEKEND STAR that she entered the risky business after being introduced by a friend 15 years ago. She started out as a dancer, trying to escape abuse, and quickly transitioned into becoming a lady of the night.

"Mi friend was a dancer and at the time I was a bartender. Anyway, mi use to talk to dis yute and one night him lick mi and buss up mi mouth, and mi end up go down to the club to her. She end up put mi pon di stage fi work. I was about 21 at the time, and from deh suh a just business mi a do," she said.

Business is booming for Bubbla, who sometimes sees up to seven clients a day. She said that on a good week she can make $100,000, more than six times the national minimum wage of $15,000 per 40-hour workweek.

"Over here alright because what I come here for is what I get, and that is money. ... A my food dis and mi make a lot more than some of the people dem in dem high job," Bubbla said.

To get from Jamaica's mainland to the cays -- about 60 miles by the closest point -- the 36-year-old takes regular trips on a fishing boat to the area where she routinely sets up shop. Prostitution in Jamaica is illegal but widely tolerated.

Meanwhile, the community's fishermen are well aware of the trade, and while some may disapprove, others see it as part of the island's hustle. In addition to prostitution, females are also involved in trades such as shopkeeping, bartending and fishing.

"Pedro Cays is a hustling ground, so the ladies dem come do dem ting. Some a di 'oman dem come and dem depend on dem body to make a money, and mi nah bash dem," said Kenton Ricketts, a fisherman.

However, Ricketts does express concern over how some fishermen prioritise these women over their families.

"Some man naah send money go a dem yard go mind dem yard. Dem make di 'oman dem weh over here weh a sell dem body look like dem better dan di one a dem yard. A several times mi see it, suh a facts mi a talk," he said.