There is a principle about water that seems to continue to confuse and mystify modern man. Even though the principle was explained by someone who was born somewhere around 287 BC, the concept of why things float and why they sink continues to vex people. The man was Archimedes. A noted astronomer, inventor, physicist, mathematician and engineer, Archimedes explained that, “any body fully or partially submerged in a fluid is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced.”

His explanation has withstood the test of time in the scientific circles but those people who know scientists soon realize that when they explain things it can sometimes sound like a foreign language for those listening. We as lay people want an understandable explanation that doesn’t require a slide rule or calculator.

The following is my, keep it simple stupid (KISS), explanation on why things float and why they sink. To give it more relevance and more personalization I am going to use you, the reader as the example in my explanation of “Archimedes Principle” on buoyancy.

The first thing that has to be understood is that when you get into a body of water, that body of water is going to have to make room for you. In effect you are pushing the water out of the way when you get in. If you filled a bathtub to the very top with water, then get in, the water level will raise enough to make the tub overflow.

If you were to have a Libra Scale big enough for you to be on one side and all the water that you pushed out of the tub one the other, it would determine whether you float or you sink. If the water weighs more than you it will hold you up making you more buoyant. If the water weighs less then you will be less buoyant. As a living human being, the simple act of breathing in and breathing out while you are in the water will have an effect of floating and sinking. When you inhale you will be occupying more space in the water and when you exhale you will occupy less space.

If you ask someone to write a list of common things that sink in water, you might see items made of metals like steel and items made of rock or concrete. Since the inanimate objects on the list do not breathe then their buoyancy would seem to be fixed. We could logically assume that everything made of those materials will sink. This “logical assumption” would be incorrect. If it were true then a steel cruise ship would therefore be impossibility. Though the ship is in fact made of steel, it is how the ship is constructed (the shape) that is the reason that it floats. The rules of Archimedes Principle will still apply.

The difference between the steel objects that are associated with sinking from the list and the steel ship is the shape. 1,000 ton steel marble will occupy less space in the water than a 1,000 ton steel ship and even though both objects are made of the same stuff and weigh the same, this steel ship is going to be bigger than the marble by design. The steel ship’s buoyancy will become more negative the minute 1 person steps aboard and will continue to become more negative with the addition of passengers, crew and cargo. Ships can and have sank before but this is usually due to the structure being compromised below the water level.

Another thing that can affect whether an object floats or sinks is the type of water in which it is placed. Salt water is heavier than fresh water. If a bucket filled with salt water and a bucket filled with fresh water were placed on the Libra scale the bucket containing the salt water would definitely outweigh the bucket filled with fresh water. What this means to you is that you float better in the ocean than you do in freshwater lakes. For those wanting to impress their friends, 1 cubit foot of fresh water weighs 62.4 pounds while 1 cubic foot of saltwater weighs 64 pounds. In places such a the Dead Sea and Salt Lake is Salt Lake City, Utah, the salt water in those areas weighs even more than the salt water found in the oceans.

There are still those people in the world who have trouble staying afloat in salt water. If you are one of those people, fear not, for there are man-made items out there that are designed to help. For snorkelers, a snorkeling vest is the way to go. They can be partially inflated with air, which will push more water away from you resulting in additional buoyancy. This writer feels that snorkeling vests should be worn whenever anyone engages in the sport of snorkeling. In addition to the vest, another item, which will also help to add to a person’s buoyancy, is a wetsuit.

Wetsuits are made of nitrogen injected neoprene rubber. This combination, by design is very buoyant. In addition to the buoyancy, they also increase the snorkeler’s ability to retain body heat, which is lost rather rapidly in water and provide protection against accidental contact with marine life.

With all the factors that can affect buoyancy, it is my hope that if you made it this far in reading, then you will have learned a bit more about it. Now go out and impress your friends with your newfound information.

What a fun few days we had in Cancun. Before Sarah and I went on the Jungle Cruise, we went snorkeling outside of the condo where we stayed in Cancun. It was basic and shallow so when we walked out to the water, we found that because of the heat and how shallow the waters were, the fishies were no where to be found. Our solution was not as we expected. We walked down the beach were we were hoping to find rock or in this case, boulders in the water where the fish would have shade.

Our experience is a good example of first observing your surrounding area before you get in the water. While the beach is beautiful and the sound and feel of the ocean is awesome, we had to be careful. There was a strong wind which brought the waves cracking to the shore. Watch our video.

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.

We arrived in Holbox (prounounced Hole-bosh), Mexico on the 19th of August. Never heard of the island? Well neither did I, until some friends who went to Cancun for their anniversary told me about their adventure with the whale sharks. After I heard about it, I knew I had to go soon.

The scientists predict that the whale sharks have been in Holbox for hundreds of years but it wasnt until almost 5 years ago that some fishermen spotted them, not realizing what they really discovered. 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. The first season, which is middle of June through early September, Holbox only had 1500 tourists which included Europeans & Americans. In 2007, this little island had over 17,000 tourists.

What is a whale shark? It is a shark and the largest fish in the world. These gentle giants can grow up to 60 feet long and up to 15 tons in weight. The whale sharks visit Holbox to feed on plankton in the summer that swim near the surface of the waters. The filter feeding fish, sieve the tiny food, plankton, through their large gills. This offers us a great opportunity to see the docile creatures in their natural habitat. Notice in this picture, our guide, Diego, compared to the whale shark in size.

Our day in the water was a spectacular experience and something everyone should do at least once in their life. We used Holbox Whale Shark Tours and was thrilled with our guide, Diego who spoke excellent english. They provided mask, fins & snorkels but I prefer to use my own, as I am fussy with using rental gear and having other peoples body fluids on my mask & snorkel. I wore the U.S. Divers Trek Fins, the Aeris Moray 2 Mask and the Oceanic Ultra Dry Snorkel.

We went in teams of 2 with Diego and sat on the edge of the boat and waited for the Captain to get the boat in front of the whale sharks mouth. He told us when to go and when to slide in the water. (No jumping in the water was allowed, as this might scare the whale sharks.) This video will show you how the boat was close to the whale shark and how snorkelers (swimmers in their case) were following the whale shark.

I was the last to go in the water and I was anxious. As I watched everyone take their turns, I could not wait to see these beautiful creatures up close. I was like a kid in a candy store. So my first reaction was, OH MY GOD… I am in the water with the largest fish in the world, how exciting for me. But there was a trick that was not explained. When you slide in the water, the whale shark is coming at you and you need to hurry to their side as their eyes are on the side of their body and you dont want them to ram you.

When you get to the side you better start kicking to keep up with this large fish. In this video you will be able to see Diego in size compared to the whale shark. And when you are kicking to keep up, dont forget to breathe.

Because it can be exhausting, snorkelers had the option to take a second & third time in the water with the whale sharks but many denied their turns. And this is why I had the opportunity to get in the water 8 times. Lucky me!

This was such a great opportunity that I am making plans already to go back in July. If you would like to join me for 3 nights, watch here for our announcement or email me and I will put you on my list to email.

One of the most awesome and dangerous adventures that you may have in your lifetime is to snorkel with the rays in Stingray City Grand Cayman. They go flying through the water at break neck speeds and they sneak up on unsuspecting snorkelers slipping across any exposed skin with their warm feathery touch. The snorkeler is lulled into a false sense of security. The rays become less in number as the sun sinks on the horizon and soon after the mighty orb makes its green splash into the distant blue of the ocean the rays disappear. The snorkeler bathed in the euphoric warmth soon begins to notice that the night still holds that warmth from the invisible touch caused by the rays. By then it is too late. The damage caused by the rays has already taken hold. The warmth continues to strengthen. The skin begins to taken on a reddish hue which becomes tender to the touch with the passage of time. The skin continues to redden and the tenderness can intensify to the point where the mere act of putting on a shirt can become unbearable. Ahh but do not believe that the rays of which I speak are those of which Grand Cayman has become famous. The rays I am talking about are the Ultra Violet Rays from the sun.

Ultra Violet rays are waves of electromagnetic radiation which are invisible to the naked human eye but can have adverse and damaging effects to the naked human body. The main source of most of the Ultra Violet (U.V.) rays is attributed to our sun. The effects of the sun’s UV rays on bare skin can range from varying degrees of sunburn, premature aging of the skin all the way to cancer. Limiting exposure times to the sun is the most obvious form of protection against the harmful effects of the sun but because everyone is different, setting time limits for exposure that would suit everyone would be impossible.

Snorkelers are more at risk for the serious forms of sunburn on unprotected skin because of water’s ability to absorb heat. A human loses heat in water 20 times faster than they would in air. Because the water is constantly cooling the body, the snorkeler doesn’t realize they are sunburned until after they have been out of the water for awhile.

The various sunscreens on the market are often used with success out of the water but their use in water can make them less effective as the water may wash them off. It has been also suggested that the chemicals used in various sunscreens can have an adverse effect on the reefs and other marine life as the leech into the water. The best preventative so far for snorkelers is to cover bare skin with rash guards, dive lycra skins, neoprene shorties or even one piece neoprene jump suits.

Rash guards are usually long or short sleeved shirts made of lycra and/or spandex material which provide a suitable barrier against the sun’s harmful rays. They are form fitting and breathable, allowing water and air to circulate along the skin. Dive Skins are one piece and made of the same materials but covering more of the body. Neoprene shorties and jumpsuits (also form fitting) are made of a closed cell 2 to 3 millimeters thick neoprene rubber with a stretchy nylon laminate material both inside and out. The shorty is traditionally short sleeved with the neoprene extending to near the knee in the lower portion of the suit. The jumpsuits are usually long sleeved and long legged. What ever your choice; an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to protection against U.V. rays.

Now about our friends, the Southern Stingrays… there are a few incidents in the world that have harmed humans but like any other underwater creatures, we are visiting their home and respect their space.