As the weather begins to turn a bit colder and a bit gloomier in the US, we're already seeking out a winter "light at the end of the tunnel." While doing some wanderlust brainstorming, along with a wide variety of flight searches, we recently came upon the option of escaping the blustery Northern Hemisphere for a little—or a lot—of sunny, summery Southern Hemisphere.

What screams Middle-of-January escape more than a diving trip to some of the most beautiful coral reefs on the planet? We knew that would get your attention. Celebrating its 30th anniversary as being named a World Heritage Site, the Great Barrier Reef lies just off the coast of Northern Queensland in Australia. Don't worry, this is no where near the floods from last year and, we mean, it's more than 600 miles away. ]]> jetflyboy 2011-10-25T12:17:21-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/12/3/35118/3344

Spend your holiday in a hammock.

When December hits, people get excited for snow, treats and spending time with family. But for many of us that translates into non-stop shoveling, nasty fruit cake and yet another family screaming match. Forget Christmas this year—and the stress that comes along with it—and head to the Dominican Republic.

And how about this for a relaxing non-holiday: an all-inclusive vacay at Excellence Puta Cana that costs $123 a night for stays through December 23. ]]> Jennifer Kester 2009-12-03T09:04:37-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/4/72552/08713

Scuba diving is definitely a great way to get in touch with your inner Flipper, but all that equipment is a drag on your freedom and anyone who has ever gone snorkeling wishes that there were a way to just have a few more seconds underwater. Well, if you decide to take a class with Performance Freediving, the dream can come true.

Instead of just seconds under the sea, you’ll now be breaking personal records of both time and depth. Some people easily hold their breath for over five minutes and can dive to over 100 feet below the surface. There’s even classes that focus on spear fishing, in case you get bored during your dive and want to hunt for some dinner. ]]> kjb 2009-09-04T12:59:46-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/27/3050/50075

Chilling in an Aman Resort in some exotic location is already pretty enticing, but we've just heard that this hotel group has got a luxury cruiser happening too, based out of their Amanwana resort on Moyo Island, Indonesia. And we want to get on it.

The 105-foot cruiser, called Amanikan, looks a bit like a romantic old trading vessel, but is full of all the necessary luxury inside in its three cabins. They are running a trip called the Komodo Expedition which includes five nights of cruising (with days full of diving) and two final nights at the island resort. While you're on the boat you get to visit Komodo dragons and stop by the Komodo and Rinca Islands to see wild horses, deer and monkeys as well, not to mention all the sea life you'll discover while diving and snorkeling.

Exotic luxury doesn't come cheap, of course. It'll cost you upwards of $22,000 for you and a mate for the week, including everything except alcoholic drinks. But getting up close and personal with a dragon and then retreating to exotic luxury might just be worth it.

Related Stories:
· All the Pretty Seahorses [Jaunted]
· Where to Find Komodo Dragons in Their Natural Habitat [Jaunted]
· Indonesia Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: Amre Ghiba] ]]> amandak 2009-07-31T09:15:42-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/6/26/71153/8652

If you’re into watching coral getting frisky, a resort in Bonaire should be on your short list for a summer diving trip. The Divi Flamingo Beach Resort has set up diving trips based on the prime periods for watching the coral do the nasty. The best chance of witnessing the coral spawning takes place four to eight nights following a full moon, and the resort is more than ready.

Scheduling these special dives for August, September, and October, the resort hopes that these will be the lucky days for both divers and the coral. Boulder Star, Brain, and Branching coral are just some of the varieties that will be getting busy under the waves. There’s Sea Rod coral too, but we’ll be mature and skip the obvious jokes about that species.

Packages for this trip start at $950 per person, and you’ll get seven nights at the resort, breakfast buffet daily, unlimited shore diving, and one free night dive during the spawning. If you’re more of a prude and would rather give the coral some privacy, the resort also allows you to create your own dive package. You’ll be able to avoid all the provocative behavior and just keep your eyes focused on the fish.

Related Stories:
·Divi Flamingo Beach Resort [Official Site]
·Explore A Modern-Day Shipwreck In Nevis [Jaunted]
·Diving coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Wikimedia] ]]> kjb 2009-06-26T09:02:18-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/3/2/122538/1811

On August 1, 1970, the ferry boat Christena foundered and sank off the Caribbean island of St. Kitts, victim to two open hatches and a passenger roster which packed the ship to nearly twice its official capacity. Nothing can erase the memory of the 233 Nevisians killed in the accident, but SCUBA divers will soon get the opportunity to explore the site of the Christena.

Scuba Safaris, operating on Nevis, already offers trips to explore another local wreck, the River Taw (a coastal freighter sunk in 1985 now covered in tube sponges) with single-tank dives starting at $65. Official packages for the Christena memorial dive haven't been posted yet, but the trips are expected to focus on the wealth of wildlife which has sprung up in the wake of the disaster -- the sea renewing itself and healing the ecosystem.

Related Stories:
· A Haunting Story (Remembering the Christena Disaster) [The Anguillian]
· Dive Into Nevis History [DiveNews.com]
· Scuba Courses [ScubaNevis.com]

[Photo: Harvey S. Cohen] ]]> egw 2009-03-02T16:26:14-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/2/5/13438/97491

A tropical vacation ain't exactly a hard sell this time of year. (You think it will really hit 20 degrees in New York today? Break out the sunscreen!) But the U.S. Virgin Islands' new website, VisitUSVI.com, gave us three more reasons to go Caribbean:

We've never gone diving and they'll take us as we are. A new diving promotion USVI operators are rolling out takes aim at newbies like us, from the middle-school-aged to the novice spouse. We don't have any prices yet, but we hear the new daylong packages include training in the morning to get you in the water, seeing the sights, by the afternoon.

Carnival in St. Thomas is the new Carnival anywhere else. It's later (kicks off April 29 with a local food festival) and guaranteed to be less crowded. St. John and St. Croix have their own carnivals (held around the 4th of July and just after Christmas, respectively); when we cornered USVI Commissioner of Tourism Beverly Nicholson-Doty, she shrewdly refused to say which was her favorite. Guess we'll have to figure it out ourselves.

If we can only get 20 of our friends to go, we can get a sweet deal. The Department of Tourism just launched a group rewards promotion where large groups get a $50 credit per person that can be used on the islands. And the only thing better than getting out of the rest of winter would be taking all our nearest and dearest with us.

Related Stories:
· In Case Anyone Has Any Money Left, The US Virgin Islands Are On Sale [Jaunted]
· Obamacation in the Virgin Islands [Jaunted]

[Photo: *Hiro] ]]> egw 2009-02-05T15:01:00-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/