Our Scuba and Traveling Adventures
Farming and Traveling are about as incongruous a set
of interests as you can get!
Maintaining
and caring for our herd of dairy goats, operating a first-class breeding
program, and marketing our goats is an "8- day a week" undertaking.
Add to that caring for our poultry, ducks, peafowl, dogs, cats and other pets-
our schedule is routinely booked solid 10+ months a year. So, when we can plan
a vacation and arrange to "pull ourselves away" from the farm- we try
to make it count! This page is a glimpse of our travels, with a more intense
focus on another one of our prime passions: Scuba Diving.
Most folks probably know a little about Scuba and
Scuba diving thanks to various TV Programs over the years like Sea Hunt
and those featuring Jacques Cousteau. Scuba has also been featured widely in
major motion pictures such as Into the Blue, The Deep, After The Sunset, Fools
Gold, Thunderball, The Abyss, and Open Water, amongst
others.
For those unfamiliar with Scuba, the word is an
acronym for:
S- Self
C- Contained
U- Underwater
B- Breathing
A- Apparatus
Essentially, Scuba is a sports activity allowing you
to breath underwater while carrying your air supply with you. In addition to an
air tank, you also wear a mask and fins (sometimes also a snorkel for your time
at the surface), a BCD (Buoyancy Compensator Device)- which is a vest that
enables you to manage your buoyancy while under water and while at the surface,
a regulator which connects to your tank and allows you to breath (as well as a
second regulator called a second stage or an octopus which can be used in an
emergency by you or your buddy), a weight belt to offset your body's natural
buoyancy, sometimes a wetsuit depending upon the water temperature, a depth gauge
and air supply gauge. Accessories like a dive knife, a dive light, a compass,
underwater video or still cameras, and dive computers can also accompany you
from time to time on a dive.
We are PADI Open Water Certified and have been
working to achieve our PADI Advanced Open Water Certification.
PADI is the Professional Association of
Diving Instructors and is one of a handful of Scuba Certification
Organizations.
While diving opportunities are available in all
climates--and in both salt, and fresh water-- we prefer to dive in warm,
tropical seas, with clear, turquoise-blue waters, and abundant marine life. We
typically arrive at our diving destinations via cruise ship. We've found
cruising to be an incredible value in enabling us to visit the destinations we
desire, while traveling in "all-inclusive" style. Once the ship
anchors or pulls into port, we are typically one of the first passengers
disembarking to rendezvous with our transportation to take us to the dive
center to start our day by logging "bottom time." We typically book
2-tank dives when we travel, but have been able to fit in three-tank dives when
the ship's time in port has allowed. A rule of thumb for us is to dive all
morning, and then return to the ship to drop off our equipment, then, disembark
again after lunch to visit "top-side" attractions on the islands,
sightsee, and shop. The challenge for us is often to balance our time in port
so we are able to enjoy both the terrestrial scenery, and the cultural
treasures that are available in each destination while also enjoying the
abundance of the location's underwater marine resources.
To date, our underwater explorations have all
occurred in the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea.
Antigua
We have visited the island of Antigua on two
occasions. During our first visit in 2007 we spent all our time in port on land
shopping and sightseeing. The capital of St. John's is a bustling town with
lots of opportunities for souvenir purchases. Formerly a part of the British
Commonwealth, Antigua is now an independent nation located in the Leeward
Islands with its sister island, Barbuda. Antigua is encircled by 365 beaches;
one for each day of the year! On our most recent visit in 2009, we had intended
to Scuba while in port, but the seas were a bit choppy and the winds were quite
strong, so we opted for a day at the beach at Dickenson Bay. We would definitely
include Antigua on a future cruise itinerary so we could have the opportunity
to explore the reefs, walls, and wrecks found in her waters.
Bahamas
Chris traveled to the Bahamas twice during his high
school years on family vacations. One trip was to Nassau, and the second to
Freeport. Snorkeling the shallow reefs was a great introduction to the marine
environment and probably was the impetus in his eventual interest in becoming a
certified scuba diver. We look forward
to calling on the Bahamas in the near future for diving the walls and reefs as
well as the chance to experience the thrill of open water shark diving as well!
Barbados
We have been to Barbados on three occasions. While
we have reasons for liking just about every locale we have visited, and while
we don't like playing favorites- we can't resist sharing that we absolutely ©LOVE© Barbados! First and foremost,
the people are some of the friendliest we have come across on our trips. It is
effortless to slip into sublime island time while in Barbados. The island
itself is the eastern most in the Caribbean Region, more than 100 miles east of
the nearest neighbor and situated in the Atlantic. The restaurants are some of
the best we have eaten at anywhere (and we have had the pleasure to dine in
some of the best restaurants all around the U.S. and in Europe). You cannot
pass up the local seafood specialty, flying fish, or the famous Barbados Black
Belly Lamb. Very strong rum punch abounds too! We have had the pleasure to dive
the shipwreck graveyard in Carlilse Bay (a must-see shallow dive for the large
number of ship wrecks as well as the abundant sea life), Asta Reef on a drift
dive, and had a memorable 20-minute surface swim with an enormous Manta Ray.
There is no question that we will be back to Barbados to continue our discovery
above and below the water line.
Bonaire
Bonaire is called the "Diver's Paradise."
Nowhere is diving so unencumbered, pure and spontaneous. You can literally dive
whenever you want-- any time of the day or night. While boat diving is
available, the shore diving is as good as it gets! We actually enjoyed our
first-ever shore dive at the Capt. Don's Habitat house reef in 2009. As you can
see in the photo above we were about to take our "giant stride" into
the warm, clear water right at the Capt. Don's Habitat pier. The second we hit
the water we were greeted by a school of about 30 Palometas. We swam into
deeper water and traveled down the gradual slope of the coral wall and saw
first-hand the results of forward-thinking, progressive marine conservation.
Bonaire has been protecting its marine environment for decades, designating all
the waters surrounding the island a Marine Park. The vast numbers of corals,
gorgonians, sponges and substrate was as healthy and pristine as any site we
had seen to date. We had some memorable encounters with sea life as well…
Danielle spotted some large, long bodied shadows that she at first thought
could have been a couple of reef sharks-- they actually turned out to be 14 foot
long tarpon! And while we were returning to shore after our second dive of the
day, we sighted a large school of big horse-eye jacks (easily 100-150 in the
school) that had come in from deeper water in the late afternoon- no doubt
seeking out a proverbial "early bird special" from the shallows. We
gradually drifted toward them and they eventually incorporated us into their
school, encircling us within inches for more than 15 minutes. What a surreal
experience! While we favor visiting our scuba destinations via cruise ship… we
intend to plan a solid week in Bonaire sometime soon so we can explore more
topside attractions as well as even more underwater sights.
British Virgin Islands
The British Virgin Islands, or BVI, were a stop on our
2009 cruise. We had hoped to book a private scuba excursion for ourselves and a
small group of divers we met during our trip, but the plans fell through the
night before we arrived in port at Road Town as a couple of the divers were
feeling under the weather. We had been looking forward at the chance to dive
the H.M.S Rhone a famous shipwreck in the BVI that has been featured in movies
such as The Deep. Instead, we visited a nice beach at Cane Garden Bay
for most of the day and fit in some shopping before returning to the ship.
We're sure this port will be included on one of our future cruises, and we look
forward to exploring the water around this island group.
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands were the original diving
vacation destination. Three islands
make up this nation: Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac. Grand Cayman
is well known for its 7-mile Beach and as a haven for offshore banking. The
scuba diving here is widely varied and uniformly outstanding. The islands sit
on top of a coral encrusted wall that plunges 8,000 feet into the murky depths
of the Cayman Trench. We arrived in George Town harbor during our 2009
Christmas Cruise with a 2-tank dive booked with a local scuba outfitter-- but
with no cruise pier, ships are required to anchor off shore and tender
passengers to the dock on shore… winds and seas were uncooperative, and after 2
hours of attempting to safely anchor, our Captain gave the order to abort the
port. This was a big disappointment, but it just affirmed our resolve to return
on a future trip.
Curacao
Curacao is one of the "ABC" islands (the
other two being Aruba and Bonaire). Our 2009 Cruise itinerary
only had us in port here for about 6 hours so we had to choose either to spend
our visit under the sea or topside shopping in Willemstad, the capital city and
UNESCO World Heritage site, pictured above. We choose to DIVE! We hooked up
with Atlantis Diving and had planned two shore dives: one to dive a wall and a
nearby wreck called Tugboat and then to move to the wreck of the Superior
Producer. But because we, and our diving companions, were so efficient in
our air usage, we wound up spending a lot longer at our first dive site than we
anticipated. Had we packed up our gear and headed for the second dive site we
would have had little time to enjoy the second dive site and still return to
our ship before its departure from port… so we improvised! We remained at the
initial dive site but for the second dive, we visited a steel pier which had a
cargo ship docked at the time, as well as explored more of the wall at this
location. We were glad we stayed as we had the good fortune to encounter our
first sighting of a school of cuttlefish as well as a very up-close and
personal visit from a green sea turtle.
Dominica
Dominica is promoted as "The Nature
Island", and for good reason. There are no "chain" hotels, no
high-rise buildings, and the place is about as unspoiled as it gets. The
mountainous terrain is lush, the waters are clear blue, and the undersea
environment is pristine. We visited and dove here on Christmas Day 2009… just
us and another couple (Brent and Jackie) whom we met on our trip. Our dive
guide was a consummate host who was named "Bamboo" and he made this a
Christmas to remember! With such a small group, he allowed us to dive our
profiles and literally get our "PSI-worth" out of our air. We were in
port for a whole day, so there was no rush. We did a 2-tank dive and snorkeled
during our surface interval. One of the sites we dove was Champagne Reef, where
underwater volcanic activity releases streams of bubbles and very hot water
from cracks in the reef substrate. Another highlight of our dive day was the
beverage we were served by Bamboo during our surface interval… Sorrell Juice.
We had never heard of this delicacy but it won us over instantly! Sorrell is a
beverage usually served around Christmas-time as the main ingredient is
available at that time in the Caribbean: Sabdariffa Hibiscus Flowers. These
flowers bloom at Christmas and are picked and boiled. The flowers are strained
out and then the liquid is sweetened with sugar. The result is a drink that
tastes like a tropical fruit punch with a very floral nose. It is amazing!
There is a lot to see in Dominica and we have barely scratched the surface- we
will be back and cannot recommend this island more highly to anyone who is
looking for an eco-minded vacation destination.
Dominican Republic
We called on Samana as part of our 2009 Christmas
cruise and had heard a lot of positive buzz about the Dominican Republic and
were looking forward to visiting the only Spanish speaking port on our trip.
This port requires the cruise ship to anchor in deep water and the passengers
are tendered to shore. Upon arriving in Samana Bay, the first thing we noticed
was that the water was brown and full of floating garbage. (Not what we were
expecting to see.) We made it to shore and were inundated with fast-talking cab
drivers trying to sell us tours. Despite the word "No" being the same
in English and Spanish… these cabbies didn't understand the language. We
were harassed until we managed to get away. We eventually arranged for
transportation away from the dock to take us to a waterfall a little bit inland
and then to take us to a beach where we wanted to snorkel. The waterfall was
pretty but only about 25 feet high- not what we were expecting- and the means
to get to the waterfall was a muddy path winding through a jungle with lots of
hills and pits along the way. Another complaint arose because, without
soliciting any assistance, we were accompanied by a local who peppered us with
questions; he elected himself our tour guide. Despite our attempts to dismiss
him, he remained with us the entire length of the path and then after we took a
few snap shots at the waterfall, he demanded payment for his "tour
services." It seems this is a pervasive practice in Samana. We made it to
the beach, which unfortunately was on Samana Bay with its brown water. We
snorkeled anyway and managed to see some struggling reefs about 20 yards off
shore, as well as seeing an abundance of sea stars (a.k.a. starfish), a flying
gunard, and a school of juvenile cuttlefish. Based upon this visit we would not
look to return to this port and would not recommend it to anyone. For the sake
of the marine environment, we hope that steps are taken to avoid using Samana
Bay as a dumping ground for garbage. And for the sake of the tourism industry
which, like most Caribbean islands is the lifeblood of the local economy, we
hope that some immediate changes are made to make visitors to this island feel
more welcome and less harangued.
Florida
Danielle lived in Florida for 2 years as a child.
Chris made the requisite childhood trip with the family to Walt Disney World at
the age of 6. (He's been back to the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and MGM Studios many
times since.) While we have not had the chance to dive in Florida yet-- Chris
did have the chance to lobster dive (free dive) and spearfish while visiting a
friend in Marathon in the Florida Keys over a summer break from college. We
hope to get the chance soon to explore the coral reefs and wrecks of the Keys
and South Florida. In October 2010 we had the chance to visit Sarasota and we
took the above photo (left) at Siesta Key Beach on the Gulf of Mexico at
sunset. Siesta Key has the finest, softest, and whitest sand we have ever
encountered on any of our travels. Even in mid-October the Gulf waters were in
the mid-80's and the beach extends as far as the eye can see north and south
(right photo).
Grenada
Grenada is a lush tropical paradise with very
friendly people. Also known as the "Spice Island," Grenada is known
for its cultivation of nutmeg, cloves, mace, cinnamon and a plentitude of other
spices and flavorings. We visited in December of 2009 and hooked up with Dive
Grenada for two drift dives. One dive occurred at a site called "Purple
Rain"-- so named for the clouds of Creole Wrasse that congregate and rain
down upon this particular reef; the second tank dive was at Kahonee. The two
reefs were crusted in sea fans, gorgonians, barrel sponges and corals and the
marine life was abundant. The waters this time of year were in the low 80s, and
the visibility was excellent. We spent most of our time in port diving, and
look forward to returning here to explore more of the island's topside scenery
as well as get the chance to dive the Bianca C, the wreck of a 600 foot
cruise ship which sunk in 100 feet of water in 1961 after catching fire and
which is often referred to as the "Titanic of the Caribbean."
Jamaica
When we arrived in port in Montego Bay, Jamaica we
were taken aback by the presence of dozens of camoflauged soldiers from the
Jamaican Army bearing automatic machine guns all throughout the port. It was
explained that they were there for our protection as there are often
demonstrations and civil unrest even in the tourist centers of the island. The
downturn in the global economy had impacted Jamaica particularly hard with
boxite (an ingredient in the manufacturing of aluminum) mining coming to a
virtual standstill as a result of the slow down in production in the auto
industry. Once out of the port compound, scuba diving was the order of the day.
In fact, Jamaica was the first time we had completed a three-tank dive! We had
not heard a lot of buzz about Jamaica as a diving destination, but as the
saying goes… "the proof is in the pudding." The reefs in Montego Bay
were healthy and the water was crystal clear and warm. Two things we discovered
during our scuba diving in Jamaica troubled us: 1) the dominant presence of the
invasive non-native Lionfish on the reefs, and 2) the fact that local fishermen
were actually harvesting fish from the protected marine reserves while we were
diving on site. Lionfish, which are a Pacific tropical fish species, have been
found off the mid-atlantic coast of the U.S, as well as in Florida waters, and
the waters of the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. It is probable that an
aquarist introduced the species in Atlantic waters by releasing it from their
home aquarium. With no native predator, and with impressive toxin-loaded barbs
as a method of self-defense, they are rapidly reproducing, spreading and
destroying juvenile fish populations on reefs everywhere they have been found.
Mexico
Mexico offers amazing scuba opportunities on its
Pacific coast and on its coasts that border the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of
Mexico. Additionally, Mexico boasts Cenotes and underground fresh water rivers
and cave diving. Chris has visited the Yucatan Peninsula and has snorkeled at
Isla Mujeres, Tulum, Cancun and Cozumel. We hope to visit Mexico as a port of
call on a future Western Caribbean cruise and dive there.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is one of our favorite Caribbean destinations!
We visited in 2007 and stayed on the island before and after an Eastern
Caribbean Cruise we took at Easter-time that year. We visited San Juan and Old
San Juan, Condado, as well as Fajardo and Humacao. Puerto Rico is often called
"La Isla Del Encanto" (The Island of Enchantment) and for good
reason. The island's culture, food, music and customs are a mix of Spanish,
Latin American, African and Caribbean Indian. The island boasts the only
tropical rain forest in the United States: El Yunque. Walking the indigo-blue
brick streets of Old San Juan transported us back in time, and cuisine like
Canoas, Fried Plantains, and other "comida criolla" (Creole Food)
satisfied our hunger during our visit. Our underwater explorations so far have
taken us to Vieques and Cuelbra, islands off the east coast of Puerto Rico.
Memorable sights included coral heads that were more than 15 feet tall and 15
feet across, and swimming with large schools of blue tangs. When we next find
ourselves here, we're interested in taking a boat trip to Mona, an island off
the west coast where several species of whales, whale sharks and other large
pelagic marine life congregate. We also hope to visit La Parguera, where there
is a Bioluminescent Bay in the southwest corner of Puerto Rico.
St. Kitts
From the air above, St. Kitts resembles a large
turkey drumstick. From an approaching ship, the island's mountainous skyline
resembles the breaching back of a mythical sea monster. Formerly called St.
Christopher-- St. Kitts and its sister island, Nevis, both have extinct
volcanoes and lush mountainous rain forests. St. Kitt's has a population of
green monkeys that outnumber the human residents 7 to 1. While not known as a
dive destination per se, the waters around St. Kitts are home to several
hundred shipwrecks, some dating back to the 17th century. There are also
grottos, hot vents, canyons, reefs and walls and many are being surveyed and
recorded in order to create protected marine parks. We spent our time here in
2009 sightseeing and shopping this time around, but hope to return to explore
its waters.
St. Lucia
We've been to St. Lucia on two occasions, once in
2007, and again in December 2009 during our Christmas cruise. During our first
visit we were awestruck by the beauty of the island and the Pitons, which rise
above its waters. We were unimpressed with the people we encountered. Seemingly
one after another we were met with con-artists, drug dealers, and beggars. We
were even on the receiving end of considerable anti-American sentiment and
criticism- being told by several St. Lucians to "go home." We obliged
by returning to our ship and not spending any of our U.S. Dollars there. We had
intended never to return but as it was a port of call on our two-week 2009
Christmas cruise, we booked a scuba excursion in advance-- figuring this was a
way we could enjoy ourselves while in port. We booked with Scuba Steve's and
dove the wreck of the Lesleen M as well as a reef dive at Anse Cochon in
the Marine Preserve. We had a full boat
of divers (10) and enjoyed meeting folks from Denmark, the U.K and other
countries. All in all it was a good day of diving.
St. Maarten
St. Maarten is another Caribbean locale not
especially known as a diving destination. But, during our 2007 Easter cruise,
we did a 2 tank dive on shallow reefs. The waters around St. Maarten have their
share of historic and artificial wrecks as well. We visited the Dutch side of
the island topside out of Phillipsburg, and would like to return again as the
shopping is outstanding for watches, jewelry, and other normally pricey
items.
U.S. Virgin Islands
Our Easter 2007 cruise included a stop in St. Thomas, USVI. We spent the morning diving both a reef and a wreck and the afternoon strolling through Charlotte Amalie. The wreck was a freighter that had been used for drug trafficking from South America and had been deliberately sunk by its crew when they had received word that the U.S. Coast Guard was en route to intercept them during one of their voyages. The freighter was later heaved out of the water, landing upon a island off the coast of Charlotte Amalie, by a hurricane where it remained until a later hurricane dragged it back into the water where it broke into three pieces. There is a lot more to see in the USVI- we hope to perhaps take another land-based vacation to Puerto Rico, and then take a ferry over to see St. John and St. Croix in the future.
We are in the planning stages for our most ambitious
Scuba vacation yet in recognition of our 10th Wedding Anniversary:
a Scuba trip to the Indo-Pacific Region!
We are considering both land based diving vacation
options as well as live-aboards. We have a long list of locales we would like
to visit in this part of the world and it is proving difficult to narrow down
our wish list.
We are planning to visit one or more of the following
locales:
The Maldives, Indonesia, Fiji, The Society Islands,
Malaysia, New Guinea
Micronesia, The Solomon Islands, The Cook Islands,
French Polynesia
Palau, The Marshall Islands, and The Phillipines.
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