By Chris Cosci

Welcome to St. Maarten (or, if you are intent on butchering the French language: St. Martin). One of the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Maarten has plenty of sunshine, clear blue water and gorgeous beaches. It offers snorkeling, swimming with dolphins and plenty of other activities. But there is one activity that attracts a growing number of tourists, and you won't find it in your travel brochure: getting blown off your feet by the jets taking off from Princess Juliana Airport.

Because of the small size of the island, the airport is located right by the shore, just past popular Maho Beach. While swimming, you can look up and watch the planes landing right over your head. There is also a designated area to the side of the runway where you can watch planes land right in front of you. At the end of the runway, there is another area of land that is blocked off, with warning signs pointing out the danger of standing there. Obviously, this is where everybody wants to stand.

In this area, you get the full force of the blasts from jet engines during takeoff. The jet blasts can be very strong and have been known to knock vans into the water. In fact, many travel guides are happy to point out that the jet blasts can launch a pebble from the ground at speeds faster than a bullet. But the risk of having a pebble rip through your body is such a petty reason to avoid this visceral thrill.

To turn the experience into a little game, many people try to stand firm as they absorb the impact from the blasts, either by hanging on to the fence or by digging their feet into the sand. There are a few people who could probably withstand the force, but most people are knocked off their feet. In fact, one person recalls watching a plane take off and seeing one of these thrill-seekers get "tossed in the air like a javelin." You just can't buy that kind of excitement.

When asked for a reason for taking part in this little tradition, one man admits, "I couldn't resist." He adds that he and his wife are "both doing things we'd never do in Ohio." That could be because Ohio has a significant shortage of tropical beaches located right next to a major airport, but what do I know?

The popularity of this attraction highlights two major qualities of human nature. The first is our inherent willingness to put our lives at risk for a mere few seconds of exhilaration. If you could stand in front of a moving tractor trailer and get launched forward with anything less than a 100% chance of fatality, I'm pretty sure somebody would give it a shot.

The second is that strong desire to go against any rule, law or warning put forth to us. There are signs surrounding the area behind the runway specifically stating that the jet blasts can cause serious injury. But who do those sign-making people think they are? They think they can tell us what and what not to do? I don't think so.

In fact, I think warning signs can often encourage people to try something they never would have thought about in the first place. If there were warning signs around the Grand Canyon that said "don't slide down the canyon backwards and hang from the edge by your fingertips," you can be sure that somebody would say, "hey, that sounds like a great idea - who are they to stop me from doing that?"

For the airport, these two qualities lead to a no-win situation. Without signs, there would still be some people trying to find the ultimate thrill on the island. Then, the airport would be responsible for any injuries. But with the signs, people are inadvertently encouraged to participate so that they can see what all the fuss is about.

So before you book your next vacation, just remember: there are plenty of exotic locations with lots of sun and scenic beaches. But if you want to add that extra element of testing your mortality, St. Maarten is the way to go.