SCUBA and Snorkeling Trips Archives - Page 7 of 8

Unbelievable Encounters with the Humpbacks!

There is no other way to describe our day, but spectacular! I think it only took 30 minutes to latch on to a male a few hundred yards south of the boat. We spotted him while he was tail slapping and by the time we reached him in the choppy seas, he put on a show. I don’t know if it was for us or to attract other whales as they aren’t sure why they do that, but we were entertained. The only disappointment was the auto focus on my camera got knocked to manual focus while it was in my dry box, and while I knew something wasn’t right, I was shooting on a setting I wasn’t that familiar with and wasn’t sure what was wrong…not to mention our whale was so active there wasn’t time to be messing with my camera, only time to hold down the shutter! Continue reading “Unbelievable Encounters with the Humpbacks!” →

Humpback Whales Putting on a Show in the Silver Bank!

Morning Outing with the Humpbacks

The sun rose around seven every morning, at it was lovely every time! Ready to tackle the whales, we ventured out on the tenders after breakfast. Overall the whales were either difficult to spot or very feisty today. There were not too many that wanted to settle down for us to join them in the water. We tooled around for a few hours following a few groups of whales when finally we set upon a male trying to impress a female. When we approached them closely, we riled them up! Continue reading “Humpback Whales Putting on a Show in the Silver Bank!” →

Snorkeling with Humbacks at the Silver Bank!

Sailing to the Silver Bank

For the smoothest crossing of the year, it sure was a rocky and sleepless night! The captain started up the engines around midnight and we crossed to the Silver Bank, 125 miles offshore. The Silver Bank is a shallow water area in the Atlantic Ocean covering 1,680 km. The average depth is 65 feet, but some of the coral head come close to the surface, especially during low tide. The Silver Bank, located between the Navidad Bank and the Mouchoir Bank, is owned by the Dominican Republic and got its name from a ship wreck (not the one in the pictures) that lost its silver. We arrived Sunday morning around 8 a.m., and spotted humpback whales immediately, as this is a breeding and calving area for the humpbacks. We saw blows coming from a mama with its baby and an escort. The escort is male who wants to mate with the female, but generally doesn’t get that lucky with the mama who has a calf. They were a curious group and came right up to the boat before we even got into the nursery and mooring area. Continue reading “Snorkeling with Humbacks at the Silver Bank!” →

Fire Worms, Scorpion Fish and More….SCUBA Diving Sosua, Dominican Republic

Traveling to Sosua

After one heck of a day of travel, we finally reached Sosua, Dominican Republic after 11pm at night. I actually started my travels on Wednesday, made a short stop in Dallas to see my family, and left for DFW with my friend Rootie at 6 in the morning. After connecting in Tampa and Miami, we eventually landed in Santiago around 9. Santiago, unfortunately is a two hour cab ride from Sosua! We normally would have flown into Puerto Plata, but the airline connections were even worse!

The people here are extremely nice! Our cab driver found Rootie’s sweater in his car, and he brought it to her while we were checking in. Our hotel, Sosua by the Sea, is right on the beach. I look forward to exploring tomorrow afternoon. For the immediate future we had a challenge with the A/C in our room. After an hour, it hadn’t cooled and eventually we realized, while the fan was blowing, no air was coming through the vent!

We planned on melting through the night, but called to have someone fix the problem tomorrow. The staff was extremely attentive and a worker was knocking at the door in a few minutes! They ended up carrying all our unpacked items to another room! We enjoyed a cool, deep sleep night until 5 am when an alarm began beeping in the hallway. Thanks to Rootie’s and the staff’s efficiency, the beep was gone in a few minutes.

I suspect, so far, this sounds like a dumpy hotel and several complaints. Frankly it didn’t really bother me, as the staff is fantastic! And who can complain about a hotel right on the beach, with beautiful views, a great buffet breakfast, and a nice pool area! It was just a short night! Continue reading “Fire Worms, Scorpion Fish and More….SCUBA Diving Sosua, Dominican Republic” →

A Fun Weekend of Diving and Dining in Cozumel, Mexico

Dining in Cozumel

One would probably not expect to hear we enjoyed a good weekend of fine dining in Cozumel, but we did. We have found a hidden gem, Sorrisi. A part of me wants to be selfish and keep it hidden and to ourselves. The other part of me thinks maybe I should share it with a few people because I want it to be open the next time I go, and we hardly ever share the restaurant with more than one other table when we go there. It is some of the best Italian food around. I’d eat there if it were in Denver or Dallas!

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World War II Sites on Peleliu, Palau

Today Bax picked us up at Carp Island “Resort”, and took us by boat to the Island of Peleliu to visit WWII sites and see leftover artifacts. On our way we spotted an ornate eagle ray. Jayden had never seen one and Bax had only seen one in the last five years. They were so excited over it!

EXPLORE HISTORY!

Carp Island, Palau

The Wilderness Travel crew sent us on our way this morning. It was sad to say bye to them all, each with such a different personality, but all so nice. Wilter hardly said a word that many times he faded into the background, but he was a good fisherman and assistant chef. It was Hamilton’s first trip. He gave a great coconut show and could dive deep the one day he came snorkeling with us. Michael, was from Nigeria and always eager to help! Ludy was the head honcho and master chef. All of them seemed like masters of the ocean because they need fish to survive.

Barnum Reef and Turtle Cove

Bax took us by boat to two snorkel sites, Barnum Reef and Turtle Cove. A bunch of white tip reef sharks circled below, and we even spotted a few small black tips. I was blessed to see some squid which I haven’t seen in some time. We saw two more clown triggerfish which I really think are pretty, and a school of hundreds of goatfish. Of course, as the name of the reef suggests, several turtles hung around the reef…at least six! The green turtle had a prettier shell than the hawksbill.

Carp Island Resort

After our snorkel, we paddled to a small beach for lunch and then to Carp Island Resort where we rested for the afternoon. “Resort” was a bit liberal. Camp might be a better description with free-standing, unair-conditioned cabins with a connected bathroom accessible from an outside door. The open air lobby was like a sauna under the tin roof, so we ate our dinner at a covered picnic table while the sun set, which was quite pleasant.

I think we may have been better off camping after our expectations had been lifted to “Resort” level. I recognize many third world countries’ plumbing cannot accommodate toilet paper being flushed in the commode, but if resort is being used in the title then the ability to flush the TP should be a requirement!

Tomorrow brings a lesson in WWII history as we visit the Island of Peleliu, Palau. ETB

Exploring the Rock Islands: Snorkeling the Best Dive Sites in the World

Jackson’s Beach

Boy did we ever have the storm of all storms last night! Rain, thunder, lightening…something rare for Palau. It did offer a nice breeze for the tents, which were relatively hot. Some people might say that relatively hot was an under statement as they were considering sleeping out on the beach or in a hammock like some of the crew. If I were assured I wouldn’t be eaten alive by ants and mosquitos, I may have slept under the stars as well, as they were magnificent. Interestingly, while Palau is in the Northern hemisphere, 4° above the equator, the North Star can’t be seen. Sailors navigate by the Southern Cross and moon.

GO SNORKELING!

Exploring the Rock Islands: Jellyfish Lake and Giant Clam Beach

Jellyfish Lake

This has been a game of careful what you wish for…no rain and LOTS OF SUN…it was a hot day, but also a fascinating day! We started out with a boat ride to Jellyfish Lake, one of the coolest places I’ve ever been. We hiked up some rocky stairs made for giants, over the top of a hill, and back down onto a dock where we jumped in for a snorkel.

DIVE IN!

Exploring the Rock Islands: Milky Way and Einstein’s Gardens

Margie’s Beach

The tents were spread out along the sweeping sandy beach that looked out onto calm, turquoise water protected by a reef to the left which was home to WWII Japanese Zero airplane. A young 19 year old pilot safely landed it on the reef as opposed to crashing the plane Kamikaze style, as they were taught.

EXPLORE!