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Tags: St Lucia Field Trip / SCUBA / Scuba Dives / Jetblue St Lucia Inaugural / St Lucia Travel / Caribbean Travel / Beach Travel / Water Sports / Amy Winehouse / → All Tags
How To Scuba Free And Easy In Saint Lucia
Now that all the hubbub surround Jetblue's inaugural flight to Saint Lucia is over, we're free to focus on the important things, like getting on the beach and into the warm Caribbean waters, and that's exactly what we did yesterday afternoon during a scuba dive at the northern tip of the island, from the Cariblue Beach at the BodyHoliday LeSPORT resort.
It's weird to think that we've been diving for over 11 years now, and yet we learn new things each time we let out all the air and sink beneath the surface. And so for all you seasoned and wannabe divers, we'll let you in on a few things you've just got to know about diving here in the southern Caribbean, but specifically Saint Lucia because duh—we've got the recent firsthand experience.
Our top tips for free and easy SCUBA in Saint Lucia, after the jump.
Tags: Strange Scuba Spots / Scuba / Scuba Dives / Active Travel / Florida Travel / → All Tags
If You Squint Just Right, You Can Pretend To Dive With Mermaids
If you’re still catching your breath after swimming with the sharks, you might want to consider a more low-key choice for your next underwater adventure. Nothing screams calm, cool, and collected than a trip below the water to swim with a manatee or two. We still don’t understand how sailors once mistook these creatures for mermaids, but maybe you can get close enough to figure it out for us.
American Pro Dive will be happy to help you have a close encounter with these big guys and gals. No need to know how to scuba dive, as there’s an option to snorkel with them in the Crystal River as well as in Homosassa, Florida. Instructors will hit the water with you to ensure that the manatees, and you, don’t get too frisky.
Tours run throughout the year in the Crystal River, but it’s winters only for the location in Homosassa. Don’t worry, they have heated and enclosed boats so you can stay comfy when above the water, and flattering wet suites will help you keep toasty when you enter the manatees’ home turf. If you want to turn your whole trip into a Discovery Channel special, you can even take a specialty class following your excursion to learn more about the cute critters.
Related Stories: [Photo: Smudgie's Ghost]
· American Pro Dive - Manatee Tours [Official Site]
· The One Seattle Place Where Starbucks Doesn't Rule: Underwater
[Jaunted]
· Active Travel coverage [Jaunted]
Tags: Strange Scuba Spots / Scuba / Scuba Dives / Active Travel / Seattle Travel / → All Tags
The One Seattle Place Where Starbucks Doesn't Rule: Underwater
Water—especially rain—is one of the first things that comes to mind when you think of Seattle. Despite all this water, underwater activiies are not exactly as synonymous with Seattle. That’s slowly changing thanks to a local Scuba club and their shore dive adventures into Puget Sound.
The Scuba Schools Group has a location in Seattle, and they’d be happy to have you join them in one of their club dives. Don’t worry though, there’s no secret handshake or membership dues at this club, just a bunch of people enjoying the underwater universe. Best of all, the club dives are free, so just bring your gear and get going. Just make sure you have some experience doing cold water dives, because even though its summer, the water is a little chilly.
On August 29, the dive crew will be hitting up the Alki Junkpile. It’s kind of an artificial reef, Seattle-style, where they’ve seen some “cute” grunt sculpin on recent dives. If you can’t make it to that dive, there’s also one planned off the Keystone Jetty on September 27. You’ll be burning through your digital camera battery as you snap off pictures of rockfish and other critters. There’ll be a cookout after the dive, so be a pal and bring something to throw on the grill.
Related Stories: [Photo: Dan Hershman]
· Seattle Scuba Shore Diving [Official Site]
· Say Mazel Tov To Underwater Weddings [Jaunted]
· Scuba coverage [Jaunted]
Tags: Summer-Vacations-With-An-Edge / Sharks / South Africa Travel / SCUBA / Scuba Dives / → All Tags
Summer Vacations With an Edge: Great White Cage Diving In South Africa
Are you forlorn because Shark Week is over? Do you need to get your Great White fix? Do you have between $150 and $3,700?
If so, UnrealDive has an extreme summer vacation for you. The South African expeditions company offers a series of one day outings and extended shark diving expeditions for adrenaline junkies and ecotourists alike. Great Whites are surface feeders so simple boat watching is always an option, but UnrealDive puts customers inside cages for eye-to-eye viewing.
The company boasts a 12 year track record without a single incident; no small achievement given that South Africa has some of the densest shark waters on the planet.
Tags: Indonesia Travel / Cruises / Luxury Travel / Diving / Scuba Dives / Komodo Dragons / → All Tags
A Whole New Type of Safari: Komodo Dragons In Indonesia
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]
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Say Mazel Tov To Underwater Weddings
There’s nothing more special than a bride’s big day, especially when that day takes place under the water. Pro Dive International, out of Ft. Lauderdale, is looking to get into the underwater wedding ceremony business. They’re recruiting priests and pastors to help facilitate their new service, but right now they are focusing on Jewish weddings—complete with the groom smashing a light bulb with his flipper.
The company is testing out using microphones underwater so that the bride and groom can clearly understand “I do.” Video is streamed back to the boat where friends and family can watch, and of course, wonder why their loved ones chose this unique kind of wedding. As long as there’s an open bar, we're sure an underwater wedding is just as good as any other.
For now the dive shop is getting everything ready, but they expect that full wedding packages will be available soon. They’re thinking that things will start at $1,500, and like most weddings, the price will go up from there depending on what you want. At least you can cut out the cost for flowers at a SCUBA wedding, but a nice bouquet of seaweed and algae should compliment any color wetsuit.
Related Stories: [Photo of a happy couple: vonlohmann]
· Pro Dive International [Official Site]
· Fort Lauderdale Scuba Shop to Perform Underwater Wedding Ceremonies [Sun Sentinel]
· Scuba coverage [Jaunted]
Tags: Scuba Dives / SCUBA / Diving / Bonaire / → All Tags
Summer Coral Spawning Means Full Undersea Friskiness
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: [Photo: Wikimedia]
·Divi Flamingo Beach Resort [Official Site]
·Explore A Modern-Day Shipwreck In Nevis [Jaunted]
·Diving coverage [Jaunted]
Tags: Strange Scuba Spots / SCUBA / Scuba Dives / Oahu Travel / Hawaii Travel / → All Tags
Drop The Daiquiri And Dive Into A Shipwreck Off Oahu
If you get a break from the totally rough job of relaxing 24/7 on the islands of Hawaii, you might want to venture beneath the surface of the water. That's because aside from pretty fish, there's a well-preserved shipwreck to check out--if you know where to look.
The YO-257 sits off the coast of Oahu near Diamond Head, and has been hanging out there since 1989. It did originally serve as a fuel boat during WWII—the YO stands for Yard Oiler. After a couple different owners, it was sunk pretty much for our enjoyment. It now sits in 20 feet of water where it provides shelter for the local fishies and gives seaweed a new place to grow.
Tags: Strange Scuba Spots / SCUBA / Scuba Dives / Missouri Travel / → All Tags
A Mine Shaft Scuba Adventure Awaits In Missouri
We were tipped off as to this scuba Missouri spot by Travis Marshall, a freelance writer who specializes in scuba diving/watersports and adventure travel coverage.
About an hour outside of St. Louis sits what was once the world’s largest lead mine. For years, things inside this big hole in the ground were business as usual, as workers came and went through its myriad tunnels and passages during the course of a regular workday. It’s difficult to imagine now, that any of the miners would think their daily office would eventually be turned into a unique scuba location.
Once work ended at the Bonne Terre Mine, the owners turned off the pumps that kept things dry, and sure enough the place filled with crystal clear water. Divers come year-round from all over to check out the billion-gallon lake resort, with specific attention to viewing underwater artifacts from years past, thanks to the 100-foot visibility.
Tags: Strange Scuba Spots / SCUBA / Scuba Dives / Texas Travel / → All Tags
Freshwater Critters Abound At A Texas Scuba Lake
With the economy in the toilet, you might not have the funds to head out on once in a lifetime diving trip, and with that Swine Flu constantly lurking around every corner the only safe place is under the sea. That’s why we’ve compiled some strange SCUBA spots right here at home. If you’ve got a better one (or a worse one), please let us know!
Close encounters with the sharp teeth of sharks or eels may put a damper on a tropical dive, which is the perfect reason for the more finicky to look for a diving spot a little more inland. As far as we know, there’s no sharks within the Clear Spring Scuba Park in Terrel, Texas. However, we just pray to the diving gods that no alligators or crocs have been illegally dumped in by locals trying to keep them as pets.
True to its name, the lake’s visibility is at least 20 feet this week, so you’ll have no problem investigating below the surface. Under the surface you'll find all kinds of bass, sunfish, catfish, and turtles. It kind of looks like you’re diving at the local pet store, but please remember that it’s not, and don’t bring home any fish in little water-filled baggies. There's even a wreck to swim through: the SS Minnow, though not of Gilligan's Island fame.
Tags: Strange Scuba Spots / SCUBA / Scuba Dives / Disney / Walt Disney World / Theme Parks / → All Tags
Keep Nemo Company in Disney's Epcot Aquarium
With the economy in the toilet, you might not have the funds to head out on once in a lifetime diving trip, and with that Swine Flu constantly lurking around every corner the only safe place is under the sea. That’s why we’ve compiled some strange SCUBA spots right here at home. If you’ve got a better one (or a worse one), please let us know!
Although Walt Disney World seems like a never-ending sea of tourists, there is at least one awesome way to escape from all the strollers and crowds.
Go where it's quiet and cool by strapping on that air tank and those fins for DiveQuest, an experience within The Seas with Nemo and Friends at Epcot. As long as you are open water scuba certified, promise not to touch the fishies and stay on your best behavior, you’ll be free to dive around inside of their 5.7-million-gallon saltwater tank.
Tags: Strange Scuba Spots / SCUBA / Scuba Dives / North Carolina Travel / → All Tags
History Lurks Below the Surface of an Old North Carolina Quarry
With the economy in the toilet, you might not have the funds to head out on once in a lifetime diving trip, and with that Swine Flu constantly lurking around every corner the only safe place is under the sea. That’s why we’ve compiled some strange SCUBA spots right here at home. If you’ve got a better one (or a worse one), please let us know!
Are you sick and tired of crystal clear water and colorful exotic fish? Then how does a murky, abandoned quarry just outside Raleigh, North Carolina sound? For almost 30 years, Fantasy Lake Scuba Park has been training new divers and giving experts something less exotic, but more industrial to look at and enjoy. You see, back in the day, quarry workers hit a spring and the place slowly filled up around all of the original quarrying equipment, which was just left in place. Their misfortune is now your reward.
