Tag: Water Sports

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Where to See (and Swim With) the World’s Smallest Dolphins and Penguins

November 29, 2011 at 12:39 PM | by | Comment (1)

Jaunted special contributor Eric Rosen drops us a line from way, way down under...

There’s nothing new about swimming with dolphins these days; it seems like you can hang out with the aquatic mammals pretty much anywhere from Australia to the Bahamas. But during a recent visit to check out post-quake Christchurch, I drove an hour outside the city to the Frenchified hamlet of Akaroa on the craggy Banks Peninsula to swim with some pretty special aquatic life: the world’s tiniest marine dolphins and wild penguins.

Akaroa is a winding hour-long drive southeast of Christchurch through the hills of the Banks Peninsula, where some of the earliest settlements on New Zealand’s South Island were founded. Akaroa actually lies quite near the center of this bulbous landmass, but it’s on the water because its harbor was formed by the collapse of an enormous mega-volcano eons ago.

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Grab Your Headlights; It's Cave Swimming Time at Rio Secreto

Where: Mexico
October 12, 2011 at 11:32 AM | by | Comments (0)

One of our favorite things about staying on Mexico's Riviera Maya is that it's not just about dips in the Caribbean and margaritas by the pool. Clearly, those things rule, but what's even more awesome is that if you get a rainy day, there are plenty of activities to try.

We've found solace in a stroll down Playa del Carmen's Avenida 5 and in the Mayan ruins of Tulum and Cobá. But the best rainy day we've spent in the Yucatan took place underground—exploring the subterranean rivers of Rio Secreto.

Remember those geology lessons from way back? All that talk about calcium forming stalactites and stalagmites? Here, you get a bit of that education but it turns out, learning is way more fun when you're wearing a wetsuit and a helmet with a headlight. Also, we don't remember ever getting to swim in caves at school.

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Learn From Our Mistakes: A Passport's Best Friend Should Be Silica Gel

September 12, 2011 at 4:55 PM | by | Comment (1)

Your passport is valid for 10 years. That's a huge amount of time, definitely enough to go from dork-malork college kid to savvy, suave adult (with a far better complexion) and confuse border agents with the differences between your passport photo and the actual specimen. Lately we've been giving more thought to proper passport care, especially with extra pages added and the need to hold onto the thing for however many more years of showing, stamping, stashing.

Unfortunately our passport's appearance just suffered a blow, courtesy of the crazy-humid air of Southeast Asia.

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See Southern California's Coast from a Kayak Instead of a Surfboard

August 11, 2011 at 1:45 PM | by | Comments (0)

Who needs surfing when you can go kayaking? More and more, people are hitting the Southern California waves on kayaks instead of surfboards. One company taking advantage of kayaking's popularity, Aqua Adventures, has created tours that bring people through the San Diego Bay, across the exotic Coronado Islands in Mexico, and even out to sea for some whale watching.

But the most popular local tour is a 1.5-hour guided tour through the La Jolla, CA Sea Caves, a hangout for sea lions, leopard sharks and other wildlife.

You don't need any kayaking experience to take the tours, which run daily between April 5th and October 15th. Prices start at $50. For more information, visit Aqua-Adventures.com.

[Photo: John Matthews]

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An Up-Close, Exclusive Look at London's Olympic White Water Rafting Course

Where: Station Road, Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, EN9 1AB
July 26, 2011 at 12:14 PM | by | Comments (9)

It's almost exactly one year before the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics and what am I doing? Well, squeezing my butt into a wetsuit is the short answer, but the long answer is heading out on the manmade rapids that comprise the Lee Valley White Water Centre just outside of London, for a sampling of what the Olympians will be going through this time next year, and what the adventurous public can experience now.

Did you ever go to an amusement park with little rides for kids that involved a blue track of shallow water with a slow current that lazily propelled round floating rafts until time was up? The Lee Valley White Water Centre is that, for adults, times a zillion, with the addition of major adrenaline rush.

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OMG. The World's Biggest Slip-and-Slide.

February 1, 2011 at 9:16 AM | by | Comments (0)

Please forgive us for sending you into daydream mode so early in the morning already, but we simply have to share Entertainment Weekly's find of the World's Largest Slip-and-Slide. Now, it's not been confirmed as the largest by an official from Guinness World Records or anything, but one glance at this video and it's quite difficult to imagine anything beating it.

The Slip-and-Slide is really a man-made reservoir—a totally off-limits, no trespassing-allowed one—but authorities should've considered making it of another material if they really wanted people to keep out with their bodyboards. And of course, like much of the best stuff in Hawaii, this reservoir is located nearby some truly breathtakingly lush scenery.

So here's where it is:

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Aquarena Springs is One of Texas' Strangest Scuba Spots

January 13, 2011 at 1:01 PM | by | Comments (0)

For quite some time, Aquarena Springs was home to an amusement park in San Marcos, Texas, but unfortunately that’s no longer the case. However, the place is now run by Texas State University and they’re happy to show you all of the treasures found under the sea.

To keep things preserved for future divers you are not just allowed to jump right into the water here, as you need to take one of the monthly dive authorization courses. Hit the water with conservationists and dive experts to learn the dos and don’ts diving in this area—like when to keep your hands to yourself. Just be prepared to shell out around $230 for the pleasure to do so.

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A Little Baggie May Save Your Smartphone from Death By Snow

January 12, 2011 at 8:41 AM | by | Comments (0)

We dropped our iPhone into a pool by accident recently. It sucked, to say the least. However, with some quick thinking and a $3 bag of rice bought from the corner store no more than 5 minutes later, we managed to save it. Then, while walking and tweeting as the wet and heavy snow came down in New York City last night, we wondered how much more precipitation our phone could take. Today, we think we'll have to stop living on the edge and just do the nerdy thing and buy a protective covering during these heavy weather months, and CleverWraps look like the winner.

Essentially they're just sealable plastic baggies tailored to three different sizes, the better to fit a variety of phone types (from iPhones to Droids to old-school Razrs and other flips). But if you're out walking and texting in the snow and you drop your phone in slush or pocket it into even semi-soggy clothing, this little plastic film could be the difference between shelling out hundreds more on a new phone or keeping with your current one.

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'The Pelham Keys': An Unlikely Winter Dive Spot in Alabama

December 28, 2010 at 2:40 PM | by | Comments (0)

We understand that it’s hard to get the money together to head to the Caribbean to dive, but there’s always plenty of underwater options here in the good ol’ nifty fifty. If you’re looking for something a little more unique and affordable there’s always “The Pelham Keys” in Pelham, Alabama. It might be a strange scuba spot, but all that means is that the diving fun is just a little different.

The place is just around 20 minutes south of Birmingham, and it’s an over 26-acre limestone quarry that has now been filled in with over 850 million gallons of spring fed water. Expect clear waters as you swim through and explore some of the park’s undersea treasures. No coral reefs here, but there is a school bus, sailboat, and two different fire engines.

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Moonlight River Tubing is Yours in Upstate New York

July 28, 2010 at 3:31 PM | by | Comments (0)

Last year we were all hot and heavy over river tubing, but there’s still plenty of wet and wild spots that we missed. For those taking a visit to upstate New York this summer, the Tubby Tubes Company would love to show you around their backyard. They’re only a few minutes away from the tourist traps of Lake George in Lake Luzerne, and they'll be floating families everyday through Labor Day.

Unlike some of our past picks, this place is all about comfort and laziness. No rushing waters here or the need to wear sneakers to avoid a rocky bottom, because with an average depth of just three feet and a sandy bottom, it should be smooth sailing. There’s two different flavors of tubing to choose from with the Buttermilk Float lasting for two hours, and The Lumberjack lasting three hours. The costs for both run between $22 and $26 depending on how long you want to float around.

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Surf For A Cause With A Volunteer Vacation In Ecuador

Where: Canoa, Ecuador
November 18, 2009 at 12:35 PM | by | Comments (0)

Dreading the doldrums of winter already? Instead of hibernating til spring, you could spend two weeks this January volunteering, surfing, and exploring private beaches, all while living in a beach side cottage just outside of Canoa, Ecuador. The Eco Surf Volunteer program matches volunteers with local elementary schools where they work hard teaching the kids English through games, activities and sports. But, they also find time to play hard. Each afternoon volunteers are taken to the area's best surf spots to catch some waves before going on a local excursion to meet indigenous tribes, visit re-forested mangrove islands or explore animal sanctuaries.

The daily schedule for the trip begins at 7:00 AM when breakfast is served before heading to a local school. There is a lunch break from Noon- 2:00 PM, which is when the afternoon surf lessons begin, followed by dinner at 7. Volunteers also have the option to take a free, private surf lesson from Ecuador's Junior Surf Champion and his team. Each night, Eco Surf also plans social activities like beach parties, bonfires or salsa dancing.

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How To Scuba Free And Easy In Saint Lucia

October 28, 2009 at 10:29 AM | by | Comment (1)

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.

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