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/2009/4/25/15487/3638

Wanting to do something active to counterbalance all the beer and pie, we bought tickets for an adventure cruise on a big catamaran called Island 'Ting. Casting off from the docks at 10:00 a.m. under the guidance of Captain Johnny, we broke our fast with scrambled eggs and juice and headed to an offshore reef for snorkeling. As was the case with the previous evening's sunset cruise, it was interesting to get to know the crew, which generally consisted of lifestyle junkies who take fun, low-paying, seasonal jobs around the world. Our snorkeling instructor Misty, for example, alternated between sailing jobs in Key West and Maui, and a fire fighting job in Oregon. ]]> Victor Ozols 2009-04-25T15:48:07-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/4/7/124532/7575

When the Animal Overlords take over, we can rest assured that our own Shira Levine will be safe from persecution.

We're going to try to be more thoughtful the next time we eat sushi and just stick with the faux crabmeat after indulging in peaceful day at the Georgia Aquarium. This the only place in the world where you can swim in a giant fish tank with a couple of 23-foot long whale sharks.

The Atlanta fish farm hosts "Swim with Gentle Giants," swimming and diving tours in their football field-sized, eight-million gallon Ocean Voyager tank. To say the underwater experience is thrilling is an understatement.

These fish (which include massive manta rays and sting rays, guitarfish, zebra sharks, cownose rays and wobbegong sharks) are as friendly as puppies and kitties. They like to swim up really close and skim along your body before darting off into the faux deep blue.]]> shiralevine 2009-04-09T15:14:02-05:00 33.7622905 -84.393905 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/1/20/656/81144

Much like we found something to do in Las Vegas during the day, we have a suggestion for exploring Hawaii at night.

If you’re on the Big Island of Hawaii and somehow find yourself tired with the usual surf and sand activities, then you may want to check out some of the island’s undersea offerings once the sun goes down.

Join one of the many guides off the Kona coast and get down with the manta rays. No need to fear these big critters as they don’t have any teeth or barbs--maybe they're even friendly? There are plenty of opportunities for both snorkelers and divers, so there’s really no excuse to dive in after hours.

Once the sun sets, you’ll meet your guide and review the do's and don'ts. Most of the tours offer up a midnight plankton snack for the rays as well as underwater lighting to get their attention. All you do is float, watch, and try to stay calm as the rays “fly” past you. Depending on your guide, it should set you back about $100 a person.

Related Stories:
·Manta Ray Dives Hawaii [Official Site]
·Jack's Diving Locker [Official Site]
·Big Island Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: TANAKA Juuyoh] ]]> kjb 2009-01-20T15:15:52-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/14/82314/085

This week, Kyle Brown updated us on the budget-friendly scene in the islands. Catch up with his adventures in our Hawaii on the Cheap guide.

We quickly got hooked on snorkeling on Oahu, and soon it was the only thing on our minds when we were searching for a place to spend our time. Thankfully, the Big Island didn't disappoint. The snorkeling spots here were just as great as those on Oahu, if not even more impressive. Here's a look at three of our top picks:]]> kjb 2008-11-14T16:18:28-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/13/81446/773

With natural spectacles like Australia’s Great Barrier Reef under threat from global warming, we know there’s a rush on to visit them before they’re destroyed forever.

But there is another way. Over in Britain, growing your own Great Barrier Reef has become a trendy hobby of late. Yep, the "home-grown coral farm" craze is sweeping the nation with new farming techniques making it possible to grow your own coral reef in a tank in your yard.

All we need now is for some of these hobby coral farmers to make their tanks big enough for snorkeling and tourists will be flocking in. Or make even larger coral reefs and when the Maldives disappear, there'll be somewhere just like home for the Maldivians to move to--after all, they're now saving cash for the day when rising sea levels obliterate their country.

Related Stories:
· Great Barrier Reef in Garden Shed [Ananova]
· Maldives Saves for New Homeland Amid Flooding Fears [AFP, via Google]
· Water Hazard [Jaunted]

[Photo: stuandgravy] ]]> amandak 2008-11-13T09:30:12-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/11/81739/088

Kyle Brown just got back from a budget-minded trip to the islands and is sharing his discoveries all this week...

With the vacation budget in mind, we rented snorkel equipment for the week before heading out. It turned out to be a good decision, as it made it easy to stop the rental car and be in the water within minutes. Best of all, we didn’t catch any diseases (yet) from using someone else's snorkel!]]> kjb 2008-11-11T12:15:11-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/