November 2008

Q&A From Aqua Man

by Roy on November 17, 2008

We get emails often, asking about snorkeling gear that was passed on to the new snorkeler from a friend or family member. This is a great place to post question & answers and actually reminders to all of us. Our expert snorkeler, Aqua Man is happy to answer your questions.

i was snorkeling and the rubber part where the mouth goes in, is broken- it is like split in half probably because i bit down on it too hard. How do i fix it if possible or should i just buy a new one.

Some snorkels have replaceable mouthpieces but I am not sure from your information if yours is one of them. I would suggest that if it is not a replaceable mouthpiece that the next snorkel that you get is. Also if it is a rubber mouthpiece get the next one in silicone. Silicone is more resistant to the environment as well as pool chemicals and will last a lot longer and feel better in your mouth.
To learn how to select a right snorkel for you, read How To Select The Right Snorkel.

Why am i so afraid of the ocean? I like the Beach and i can sit in the really shallow bits, I’m fine in pools to???

It is quite common to have a “fear” of the ocean. It is huge and can be very intimidating. I am a scuba diver and did a lot of diving in lakes and freshwater bodies of water but it was a year before I did my first ocean dive. I walked out onto the beach the first day and went “wow that’s big” (talking about the ocean not anything else). You start thinking of things like how deep and what’s in there and until you actually go and do it, it can make you nervous. I have turned my fear into a healthy respect for the ocean and the more I dive in it, the more respect I accrue.

The night before leaving for my ocean trip, I was too excited to sleep and ended up watching JAWS and JAWS II which really isn’t advisable before leaving for your first Ocean scuba diving trip. When I got into the water though I was a little disappointed at not seeing a shark. I said “a little disappointed mind you. I saw a lot of other neat critters though and I am happy that I am one of those people who are able to explore the other 78% of this earth’s surface.

Find out the neat stuff about the ocean grab a snorkeling mask and snorkel and even begin to explore the shallow areas where you are comfortable. You will be surprised at some of the neat stuff you will see. Knowing more about the cool stuff down there may turn your fear into appreciation.
View our table of contents for our Snorkel Guides which you will find helpful.

Golden Rays Mass Migration

by Cathy on November 15, 2008

Did you have the opportunity to see this in the papers and on the internet? I found the link bookmarked so I can always look back at it and then I realized that I did not share this on our blog. All I can say is WOW!! Can you imagine jumping in the water and snorkeling with these beautiful creatures? What a fantastic opportunity to jump in the water with your snorkel gear… a memory to last a lifetime.

Mr. Nick Allen, had this published on Telegraph.co.uk, June 26, 2008. Sandra Critellis, an amature photographer ran across the beautiful Golden Rays and this is her story….

Amateur photographer captures stunning Golden Rays massing off coast of Mexico

Looking like giant leaves floating in the sea thousands of Golden Rays are seen here gathering off the coast of Mexico. The spectacular scene was captured as the magnificent creatures made one of their biannual mass migrations to more agreeable waters. Gliding silently beneath the waves they turned vast areas of blue water to gold off the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula.

Sandra Critelli, an amateur photographer, stumbled across the phenomenon while looking for whale sharks. She said: “It was an unreal image, very difficult to describe. The surface of the water was covered by warm and different shades of gold and looked like a bed of autumn leaves gently moved by the wind.

“It’s hard to say exactly how many there were but in the range of a few thousand. We were surrounded by them without seeing the edge of the school and we could see many under the water surface too. I feel very fortunate I was there in the right place at the right time to experienced nature at his best.”

Measuring up to 7ft (2.1 metres) from wing-tip to wing-tip, Golden rays are also more prosaically known as cow nose rays. They have long, pointed pectoral fins that separate into two lobes in front of their high-domed heads and give them a cow-like appearance. Despite having poisonous stingers they are known to be shy and non-threatening when in large schools.

The population in the Gulf of Mexico migrates, in schools of as many as 10,000, clockwise from western Florida to the Yucatan.

National Geographic Has Issued Top Ecolodges

by Cathy on November 15, 2008

national geographic logo National Geographic has issued the top 50 most earth friendly retreats in the world. Makes you want to dream. Check this out.

They have broken it down to different countries and in categories. There are 10 properties in the desert, the jungle, in the mountains and in savanna. Now if you are like me, I did not know what savanna was so I went to wikipedia and found that a savanna or savannah is a tropical or subtropical woodland ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses. Very cool! But lets focus on the 10 properties in the Island category.

As much as I have traveled, I am embarrassed to say that I have never stayed at any of these properties, BUT I do have friends who have and I have been to some of the islands. If you have stayed at any of the proprerties, please tell us about your experience.

Kosrae Village, located in Micronesia has spectacular snorkeling. I have snorkeled and scuba dive in the Micronesia islands many times. Though it is far from the states, it is a part of the world everyone should experience once.

Somewhere closer to home, the U.S. Virgin Islands has a beautiful island, St. Johns, which is just a ferry ride from St. Thomas. Maho Bay Camp can be an affordable location for everyone. It is a great island for families and the snorkeling is spectacular.

I was thrilled to see that the caribbean island, Dominica, made the top 50 list. I LOVE DOMINICA! Though I never stayed at this property, Rosalie Forest Eco Lodge, (it is not on the water), this is a great island. It is great for solo travelers and families. Put Dominica on your list to travel.

Rosalie Forest Eco Lodge says it best: Dominica is filled with incredible nature, tropical scenery, beaches, forests, mountains, hot & cold springs, lakes and waterfalls, making it the perfect nature holday destination. The people are warm and friendly, and their cuisine is as diverse as their origins. There is a wide variety of stunning flora and fauna, including several unique species to Dominica. With a typically tropical climate of abundant sunshine and rainfall, it is the ideal ecotourism and adventure vacation destination in the caribbean. The Commonwealth of Dominica was the first country in the world to be officially benchmarked by Green Globe 21 as an eco tourism destination under their community standard.

Not being a big Bahamas fan, I was pleasantly thrilled to find this property on South Andros. Wow, it is definately on my list to visit. The Tiamo eco-lodge is spectacular! Here is the page on snorkeling and what impresses me is that they offer a Nature Concierge Team to take you and explore the underwater world.

A Maldives property, Soneva Fushi, is also on the top list. Though a spa retreat, they do offer snorkeling.

Other islands/properties on National Geographics list is the Seychelles which doesnt look like they offer snorkeling as the water is to deep, but definately worth the visit on their website.

Another property, Vamizi Island, is located in Mozambique, Africa. Though the website mentions snorkeling, I can comment on this as I found their site difficult to get around on. I hope you have better luck than I did. :) The property, Ranweli Holiday Village is located in Sri Lanka, where snorkeling is not available.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post, as much as I had writing it. Travel has been in my blood since I was a little girl and found my career to take me all over the world. Lists like National Geographics has always put me in my travel mode, even if it is in front of my computer.