Jaunted

Best Tubing Spots / Tubing / Water Sports / Active Travel / New York Travel / → All Tags

Moonlight River Tubing is Yours in Upstate New York

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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Volunteer Travel / Surfing / Ecuador Travel / Water Sports / → All Tags

Surf For A Cause With A Volunteer Vacation In Ecuador

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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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.

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Adventure Travel / Hawaii Travel / Quirky Travel / Water Sports / Ecotourism / Submarines / Boats / → All Tags

'Fly' Beneath The Hawaiian Waves On A Winged Submarine Jet

Adventure travel company Incredible Adventures has been letting customers pilot high-altitude fighter jets for years. Now the Florida-based company is going from soaring through the air to "flying" under the sea, teaming up with California's Sub Aviator Systems to let people navigate the oceans in company's winged submarine. The Super Aviator looks much more like a jet than it does a sub, and apparently it feels that way too. Per the website blurb, it's a "totally new dimension of flight."

To handle the unique sub you'll need to go to Hawaii this February and be able to hand over between $3,350 and $8,650. But if you're willing to do that they're willing to train you and take you beneath the waves. The Super Aviator runs on battery power but it runs fast—in contrast to a normal submersible where you can stand up and walk, zooming around in this jet requires Indy-500 style seat belts.

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Bahamas Travel / Animal Travel / Animals / Nassau Travel / Water Sports / → All Tags

How To Become An 'Aquarist For A Day' In The Bahamas

What do you do after you've built a 140-acre aquatic-themed luxury resort in the Bahamas and filled it up with over 50,000 marine animals tucked away in various lagoons and displays? If you're the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island, you launch an array of different packages that guests can purchase to interact with everything from mantas to sea lions. These programs are on top of the resort's older offerings, which include the chance to interact with dolphins rescued after Katrina created havoc in the Caribbean.

The new "Snorkel With The Mantas" program starts at $79/person and gives guests the opportunity to swim in waters filled with giant manta rays. Up to eight guests go into the reef at a time, splashing alongside the 10-foot wingspan rays. To round out the experience there are also zebra sharks, jacks, snappers, and schools upon schools of shiny tropical fish. Participants looking for something a little more playful can sign up for the new Sea Lion Interaction, which involves pretty much what you'd expect from the name.

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Water Sports / Active Travel / Snorkeling / Scuba / Diving / → All Tags

Find Freedom Under The Sea With A Freediving Class

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.

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Best Tubing Spots / Water Sports / Active Travel / Texas Travel / Tubing / → All Tags

Texas Tubing Sounds Totally Tempting For Labor Day

Check your calendar, because the end of summer is near! However, there’s no need to panic if you find yourself near Austin for the Labor Day weekend. Not only is Schlitterbahn, one of the country’s best water parks, just around the corner, but there’s also a pretty good tubing spot. We’ve spent a lot of time on the water this season, so we thought one more nugget would hold us over until next Memorial Day.

Canyon Lake is home of River Sports Tubes, and they are all about having fun on the Guadalupe and Comal Rivers. Just remember not to have too much fun since boozing while cruising is totally fine on this tube trip. However, if you’re going on Sunday, just wait to crack open a cool one until after noon. It’s illegal to drink in public before that—way to go Texas.

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Tubing / Best Tubing Spots / Water Sports / Active Travel / Vermont Travel / → All Tags

Tube The Rivers Of Vermont Before They're Back To Being Frozen

When you think of warm weather, Vermont isn’t exactly the first place that comes to mind. However, temperatures this weekend will be in the upper 80s in some places, so it’s fine to put the off the yard work for another week and hit the river. Vermont River Tubing fired up the tubing season in June, and things will run through Labor Day weekend—so you only have a few more weeks to start floating.

Reservations aren’t required, so you can just show up and drop your butt in a tube. It’s only $10 to take a trip down the White River, and you’ll be rewarded with an afternoon of relaxation. If you get lost looking for the place, just ask locals where the Stockbridge Yacht Club is located—they’ll know where you’re talking about.

Things start each day at 10:00, so if you get there around opening you’ll be able to get in a couple trips before the sun starts to set. Lately the river has been doing pretty well, so you don’t have to worry about dragging your lower half along the rocky river bed. Still, wear some old sneakers to protect your tootsies, just in case.

Related Stories:
· Vermont River Tubing [Official Site]
· Seattle's Terrain Is Good For At Least One Thing: Rivers For Tubing [Jaunted]
· Tubing coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of wacky tubers in another location: Evil Erin]

Hurricanes / Tropical Storms / Hawaii Travel / Water Sports / Surfing / → All Tags

A Serious Storm Is A-Brewin' Off The Hawaiian Islands

If you’re hanging out in Hawaii this week, please make sure your tropical umbrella drink is securely placed in a cup holder. Paradise is going to be a little stormy over the next few days as Tropical Storm Felicia nears the Aloha State. The storm was hurricane strength over the weekend, but it has slowly lost its mojo. Still, a tropical storm is serious, so visitors should still be cautious heading out into the surf and keep watch for rip currents.

Despite some beaches being closed on the Big Island, we’re thinking that passionate surfers aren’t going to heed these warnings. After all, the bigger the storm, the bigger the waves.

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Tubing / Best Tubing Spots / Water Sports / Active Travel / Seattle Travel / → All Tags

Seattle's Terrain Is Good For At Least One Thing: Rivers For Tubing

High temperatures in and around Seattle have finally settled down, but residents of the The Emerald City probably still need a good way to beat the heat. Our suggestion is to head a few hours outside of the city proper and make Leavenworth your day trip destination. Not only will you be able to test out your kayaking and rafting skills, but you can also just sit back, relax, and slowly tube down the Wenatchee River.

The tubing season has finally opened on the river, and things will run until the end of summertime—we’re thinking that means Labor Day. To get outfitted for your 2-mile down river journey, the outfitters at River Rider provide fancy tubes equipped with handles and cup holders—perfect for holding your Snapple.

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Summer-Vacations-With-An-Edge / Kiteboarding / Canada Travel / Water Sports / → All Tags

Summer Vacations With an Edge: Kiteboarding off Lameque Island

There's only a few weekends left in the summer and if you're still looking to get away, why not try something different than partying til you puke with your friends at the shore? Why not try a Summer Vacation With an Edge? For the rest of the month we'll be rounding up some summer vacations that won't suck, starting with kiteboarding off Lameque Island in New Brunswick, Canada.

Unless you're a professional kiteboarding, you're gonna need some training, not to mention equipment. The Club Wind & Kite school, headed by its founder and owner, Eric Girard, has put together a 7-day ABC kiteboarding package that includes training, lodging and some other activities like kayaking and bicycling. The 7-day package is $899 CAD and of course, doesn't include airfare. If you want to save some money the package will be discounted 20 percent off from September 5-26.

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Tubing / Best Tubing Spots / Water Sports / Active Travel / Florida Travel / → All Tags

Tube The Rivers Of Florida's 'Redneck Riviera'

There’s plenty of fun in the sun to be had on Florida’s Emerald Coast, the stretch that encompasses much of the panhandle, but sometimes you want a little more than sand and clear water. That’s why, during your next spring break massacre in Panama City, head westward to Milton and book a tubing trip with Adventures Unlimited.

The outfitters offer more than just inner tube travel; they also have canoe, kayak, and even fishing expeditions. However, for those looking for an afternoon float, you’ll enjoy a four-mile trip down the Coldwater River. Nevermind the river's name—you’ll be comfortable—but the organizers do recommend an 80-degree daytime temperature for ultimate enjoyment.

It’ll set you back $17 per person and if you want a separate tube for your cooler, as this is the Redneck Riviera after all, that will be an additional $8 please. Give a call or check online for river conditions, because if the water gets too rough, certain trips are canceled and they’ll ban booze on the river. Lately it’s been green—which means you and your beverages are good to go.

Related Stories:
· Adventures Unlimited [Official Site]
· Float Through The Tunnels of an Old Sugar Plantation In Hawaii [Jaunted]
· Water Sports coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: ian_ransley]