beaches

Grab Your Snorkel Mask, We are Going to the Best Beaches

by Cathy on July 28, 2010

If these pictures do not make you want to grab your snorkel mask, snorkel and snorkeling fins, nothing will.

Cheapflights.com put together a list of the top beaches that celebrities go to… (and we found it on the ABC News) why am I writing about this on a snorkeling blog? Because the underwater world off of the beaches have great snorkeling. How do I know? I have had the opportunity to visit the 6 out of 10 beaches.

1) Maldives

courtesy of abcnews.com

2) Mallorca, Spain

courtesy of abcnews.com

3) Turtle Island, FIJI

courtesy of abcnews.com

4) South Beach, Miami

5) Anguilla

courtesy of abcnews.com

6) St Tropez, France

courtesy of abcnews.com

7) Lake Como, Italy

courtesy of abcnews.com

8) Bora Bora, French Polynesia

courtesy of abcnews.com

9) Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

courtesy of abcnews.com

10) Bondi Beach, Sydney

courtesy of abcnews.com

To read the captions of each picture and find out who the celebrities who have visited the island, go to ABCNEWS.com.

Snorkelers Need To Be Aware of Their Surroundings

by admin on October 22, 2009

I forgot I had this video and I cracked up laughing again, after I watched it. I had the pleasure of taking 2 new snorkelers (who have never been in the water before) and I had a blast teaching them to snorkel.

As I follow them around with my video, in their brand new snorkel equipment both were so amazed with the underwater world, they were not paying attention to where they were going and BAMMMM… they crash. (no one was hurt.)

Now most have said that I did not warn them since I saw it coming but to tell the truth, it happened so fast that I didnt have the chance. The only thing I am sorry is that I did not let the video continue to run because the 3 of us laughed so hard… well after day one, they never crashed again.


III. Snorkeling Q&A From Aqua Man

by Roy on July 25, 2009

Another part of our job is to go on the internet and answer snorkeling questions that we find and we will now share some with you, as you may have the same questions.

Going snorkeling and Im not the best swimmer, should I be worried? I know how to swim, float, backstroke, etc. But Im not sure how to tread water. I have been snorkeling before, but never without a flotation device. Im worried about staying afloat. Should I be or is it not even a big deal? Will I figure it out, sink, drown, etc?

One thing that is in your favor is that people are more buoyant in salt water than they are in fresh water. I would suggest using a snorkeling vest which is different than a divers’ flotation device (called a BCD). The snorkeling vest is usually worn deflated while snorkeling and is orally inflated when the snorkeler needs to rest. It can be worn partially inflated as well. There is nothing wrong with wearing the snorkeling vest as I feel, even those that swim well should wear one. It adds to a higher degree of visibility in the water because of the color and lends a hand when a hand is needed. Read, Snorkeling Vests – How to Select the Right One.

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 snorkeler and did a lot of snorkeling in lakes and freshwater bodies of water. The first time I went to the ocean, I walked out on to the beach the first day and went “wow that’s big” (talking about the ocean not anything else LOL). 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 go into 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 snorkeling 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 am happy that I am one of those people who are able to explore the other 78% of this earth’s surface.

II. Snorkeling Q&A From Aqua Man

by Roy on July 10, 2009

Another part of our job is to go on the internet and answer snorkeling questions that we find and we will now share some with you, as you may have the same questions.

What are the types of marine life i will see from swimming from shore on beaches on the Riviera Maya?

The most common thing will be Yellowtail Snapper, you might see Turtles, Sea Anemone, Corals, Squirrel Fish, Parrot Fish, and occasional Grouper or two, Eels (green moray and spotted), Sea Cucumber. There are a couple of excellent waterproof books by Paul Humann that list a lot of the fish and marine life that you will see in the area, Reef Fish in a Pocket Guide, Reef Creatures in a Pocket Guide and there is the new Fish Flips Snorkeling Wrist Books that are quite useful also.

What is skin diving that is a water sport?

Actually there is a difference between a snorkeling and a skin diving. Snorkeling remains at the surface the entire time. They remain a snorkeler until they submerge on a breath hold dive. Snorkelers that go below the surface of the water are called skin divers. There is also more of a distinction being made nowadays between skin diving and free diving. People are starting to consider free diving more of an extreme form of skin diving.

Look At The Snorkeling Coloring Page

by Cathy on January 10, 2009

Going on vacation soon? For those who have little ones, here is a great site that is a snorkeling color page for the little snorkelers.

Well, the snorkeling coloring page is just not for the young, here is my page. Photobucket

Where To Stay & How To Get To Holbox, Mexico

by Cathy on August 28, 2008

Holbox is an island that is northwest of Cancun, in Mexico. To get to Holbox, we flew into Cancun and then took a 2 hour taxi ride to the Port of Chiquila. Now depending on the traffic, it could take up to 3 hours, but we were lucky. The taxi driver took us to the ferry which only took a 1/2 hour. A golf cart was waiting for us, to take us to our hotel, Faro Viejo.

Because of the Cancun Airport rules, you should get a one way transfers from the property you are staying at, which will run about $60-$90 per person. If you choose to take a taxi from the airport, it will cost $300.00… way to much. But your other option is to take a taxi to the Cancun Bus Station and take the bus or taxi from that location and pay very little compared from the airport. The ferry cost $4.50 per person, one way. Now you can fly from Cancun or Cozumel but the prices are around $500 a person each way. Dont expect much of an airport though, I have to admit, it is unique as the airport is outlined in conch shells.

When we arrived, I was impressed with the sandy streets, lots of bicycles, even 3 wheelers with carts and rows of golf carts to take you were you are going. The majority of tourists are from the mainland in Mexico but I was surprised with a large community of Europeans.

When we arrived at our hotel, which was down the street from the ferry, I was not impressed. Faro Viejo is an old property and has not been updated for years. Though the staff was very friendly, for the price they charged, we could of done better. We did not have a lot of choices of properties because we booked so late. We had a 3 bedroom unit with a nice sandy patio with a fence which was cute and had an excellent view. With it being over 100degrees not counting humidity, we did not use the patio as much as we should.

Holbox was/is a fishing village (only 7 miles long & 1 mile wide) that provided fish to surrounding Mexican communities including lobster & octopus to the tourists in Cancun. We rented a golf cart and found this fisherman cutting up his catch for his family. When we were out on the boats looking for the whale sharks, we saw hundreds of small red row boats and asked about it. They were fishermen fishing for octopus and hired by one company. The fishermen fish with 4 poles with a hook at the end. And they only get 3$ a kilo which is 3$ for 2 1/4 pounds. Talk about a long day at the office… Fresh fish is standard on all menus on Holbox and caught daily to add to the menus. Myself and the friends I was traveling with, were not fish eaters so I can not tell you how good it was but from observing people at other tables, they all had smiles on their faces.

I did a little searching on fishing in Holbox and wow, do they have fish… here is a website with the Fishing Calendar. When I go back next year, I will have to try it.

The days we were not in the water, snorkeling with whale sharks, we rented golf carts. How fun that was! There was so much exploring to do, something I love to do when I go to a new island. The price was $50 for 12 hours or $80 for 24 hours and the same price all over the island. I love beaches and the water and Holbox has my thumbs up for both! As we drove around (and on the beach) I was quite surprised that in some areas the water was shallow for a mile. Great island for shelling also.

When we were driving around in our golf cart, I stopped at the properties that I would book and I want to share them with you. Some properties have air-conditioned and some not, some have television and others not, so please ask the right questions. During whale shark season, booking are made 4 months in advance, so dont wait. The island can be dirty, much garbage everywhere and a problem that the island will have unless it is taken care of, but the owners of these properties keep it spotless.

Casa Las Tortugas
Villas Paraiso del Mar
Holbox Dream
Hotelito Casa Iguana
Villas Delfines
Hotel La Palapa
Mawimbi