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Month: February 2017

in Diving, News, Travel Posted by SaltyDogs

Caribbean all-inclusive resorts Diving Sometimes Included

As the region where the modern-day all-inclusive was born, the Caribbean is chock-full of resorts that come with unlimited food, drink and play. Planning a getaway in the sun is a no-brainer, but choosing a resort that fits the bill is another story. Whether you’re traveling with the kids or in the mood for an adults-only holiday, check out our best-of-the-best for families, foodies, couples and those seeking adventure.

Family time

Bigger is better on the southwest shore of St. Maarten, where you’ll find the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort, the largest all-inclusive (395 rooms and five restaurants) on the Dutch side of the dual-nation island and the first and only resort with a watery playground just for kids. Coming in at 4,000 square feet, Aqua Park is splash-central with animal-themed slides with water just 20 inches deep, making it ideal for kids over 3 years old. For grown-up onlookers, the pool deck is a comfy perch with loungers and sun umbrellas. Maho Bungalow Kids Club features an indoor slide that connects to a loft for dance classes and arts and crafts, and a 2,500-square-foot outdoor funhouse. Other kid-friendly features include treasure hunts and a tree house on the beach. “Kids can play and swim all day and for lunch, they choose between a slice at Pizzeria Napoli, big buffet at Ocean Terrace or nachos and burgers at the Palms Grill,” says Jeriesha David, who has been entertaining kids at the resort since last spring. The resort fronts Maho Beach next to the Princess Juliana International Airport where kids of all ages are spellbound watching the big jets come in. Sweetening the pot, kids under 12 stay, play and eat free, and the nightly rate for 13- to 17-year-olds is $45. When the sun sets, pajama parties, disco nights and movies by the pool keep families entertained. Rates through April 16 start at  $160 per person, per night based on double occupancy (rate dips to $127 per person, per night based on double occupancy for travel April 17-Dec. 22 ).

On a 75-acre ribbon of prime Grace Bay oceanfront real estate, Beaches Turks & Caicos is one of three Beaches all-inclusives in the family-friendly fleet (two are in Jamaica). The ginormous 758-room, suite and villa resort is also home to a 45,000-square-foot Pirates Island Waterpark with a wave pool, water slides and lazy river. More kid-pleasers include the Xbox Play Lounge, Club Liquid Dance Club for teenagers, Kids’ Camp for 3- to 5-year-olds and a nursery for wee ones under 2 years old. Larger-than-life Sesame Street characters roam the sprawling resort posing for snaps and tucking kids in bed at night. Picky eaters will find plenty of variety at 19 restaurants, sun tanners like the 12-mile-long alabaster beach and the whole brood can splash around in six pools, three with swim-up bars and one just for toddlers. For kids on the go, there’s the Junior Golf Club, Kids Scuba Program, tennis and a boatload of water sports. Rates start at $330 per person, per night for adults; $61 per person, per night for children ages 2-16; kids under 2 stay gratis.

The first all-inclusive in St. Thomas, Bolongo Bay Beach Resort is family-owned for four decades. The 74-room resort on the south side of the U.S. Virgin Island offers unlimited water sports like kayaking, windsurfing, aqua tricycles, snorkeling, stand-up paddle boarding and scuba lessons in the pool. Home to St. Thomas Dive Club, tours explore the coral reefs and wrecks at the bottom of the sea and aboard the resort’s own catamaran called Heavenly Days, families swim with sea turtles and sail to nearby St. John: the most laid-back of the U.S. Virgins. For parents and teens older than 18, Snorkel Booze Hunt is a 30-year-old resort tradition where snorkelers scour the bay for big bottles of Cruzan Rum distilled next door in St. Croix. Those with energy to burn sign up for deep-sea fishing tours, golf at Mahogany Run, horseback riding, day trips to sky-high Paradise Point  and duty-free shopping in Charlotte Amalie where the cruise ships dock. Rates start at $595 per room, per night until May 1.

Romantic resorts

Making a big splash in Jamaica, the Caribbean’s first villas built over the water are open at Sandals Royal Caribbean in Montego Bay. Over-the-top from infinity-edge soaking tubs, rope hammocks above the waves, gigantic teak beds and glass-bottom floors, the 2,000-square-foot suites also come with butlers, 12-year-old Appleton Estate rum and Molton Brown amenities in the massive bathroom with a rainfall shower. Built along a wooden boardwalk, the sweet suites area is connected to the resort’s offshore island called Sandals Cay, where you’ll find the Jerk Shack and Royal Thai — two of eight restaurants at the 227-room resort. “With these suites, guests experience a direct link to the Caribbean Sea,” says Gordon “Butch” Stewart, chairman of Sandals Resorts. The five villas come with nightly rates of $1,435 per person including expedited immigration and resort transfer from Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport, which is a short 10 minutes away. Twelve over-the-water bungalows (slightly smaller and without private infinity pools on the deck) will be ready in the spring starting at $1,078 per person, per night.

Peek inside the Caribbean’s first overwater bungalows

Marrying rustic with romance, Nisbet Plantation Beach Club in Nevis is the only beachfront plantation-turned-resort in the Caribbean. Across the channel from St. Kitts on the northeastern side of the smaller sister isle, the 30-acre all-inclusive (breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner) is home to 36 lemon-hued wicker-furnished cottages that sit on a palm-fringed 18th-century sugar and coconut plantation. Its history reads like a love story as the home of Fanny Nisbet, who married British Navy Captain Horatio Nelson in 1787 after he visited the plantation. With a AAA Four Diamond rating and honored by TripAdvisor as one of the Top Resorts in the World for Romance, the resort keeps the theme with a trio of fine restaurants including The Great House, built in 1778. To kick-start the day, Coconuts is the breakfast go-to for — wait for it — coconut pancakes. Weddings are popular on the palm-flanked great lawn or seaside on the beach with champagne-hued sand — and to celebrate the occasion, a coconut palm is planted in honor of the newlyweds.  For couples looking for a nicely wrapped package, Nevis is for Lovers includes candlelit dinner on the beach, breakfast in bed and a couple’s massage. Rates start at $1,009 per room through April 1.

Sandals LaSource Grenada is unplugged romance in a Sky Pool Suite with a soaking tub for two, solar-heated ocean-view infinity-edge plunge pool, premium spirits and a butler who arranges dinners on the beach and bubble baths pour deux. Sprawling over 17 acres, the posh 257-room and suite resort on the southwest coast is sweet on romance with swinging hammocks, hanging chairs built for two, chocolate buffets, five pools and 10 restaurants. Fronting a sugary swatch of Pink Gin Beach, where the water is so clear it shimmers past the rocks, couples surf, dive, explore down under on a glass-bottom boat or tie the knot on the waterfront pier. “We arrange 24 weddings a month,” says Deannette Johns, the resort’s wedding captain, “but only one couple each day marries at sunset.” If you forgot to pack the bling, a duty-free jewelry store is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Celebrating comes easy at a six-pack of bars where the Grenada Sunset — stirred with passion fruit, coconut rum and mango — is a fruity refresher. Add-ons worth the splurge include Scents of Love couples massage at the Red Lane Spa, a Champagne and Seafood cruise, and the Spicy Island tour which visits the Belmont Chocolate Estate and the picturesque waterfront capital of St. George’s. Rates start at $255 per person, per night.

Active all-inclusives

On a 300-acre island 2 miles off the northeast coast of Antigua, Jumby Bay, A Rosewood Resort is AAA Five Diamond for those on an escape mission from the 9-to-5. Accessible by small boat from the mainland (about 10 minutes), 40 rooms, suites and villas come with views of the beach and Caribbean Sea. Eco-focused before it was trendy, the resort produces its own electricity, the nursery houses thousands of trees and flowers and the only way to get around is on foot, golf cart and bicycles (no cars allowed, guests get loaner bikes). The beaches are protected areas for Hawksbill turtles and popular with nature buffs who come to see the endangered sea turtles during nesting season and also during the summer Hawksbill Turtle Experience. Other incentives to get active include three tennis courts (two lit for night play), 3 miles of hiking and biking trails, croquet lawn, a 25-meter lap pool, lawn bowling, putting green and a fitness pavilion with a yoga deck. In the water, there’s no shortage of calorie-burners like windsurfing, kayaking, snorkeling and paddle boarding. For the bird-watchers in the brood, white egrets and blue pelicans also call the island home. Chill-outs include massages at the Sense Spa, cocktails and locally caught spiny lobsters at five restaurants and bars including The Estate House, the oldest building on the island dating back to 1830. Rates through April 22 start at $1,850 single or double occupancy.

On the west coast of Barbados, all-inclusive at the 76-room Mango Bay comes with paddle boarding, snorkeling, kayaking, water-skiing and pedal boating. For those with scuba diving on their vacation to-do list, complimentary lessons are offered and for an afternoon on the water, there’s glass-bottom boat cruises and cavorting with the Leatherback and Hawksbill turtles that call the west coast home. Sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean’s swells, this side of the island is the calmer side and favored for the pink and white sandy beaches and gentle surf. In the town of Holetown in the Parish of St. James, the beachfront hotel is a short stroll to the upscale Limegrove Shopping Center and home to Julian Restaurant, where bands perform nightly. Rates start at  $670 per room, per night, based on double occupancy.

It truly is a holiday for the body at The Body Holiday on a secluded cove on the northwest coast of St. Lucia. Surrounded by 40 acres of sweet-smelling gardens along Cariblue Beach, the 155-room resort with five restaurants and one bar is a magnet for those who enjoy more exercise than it takes to balance a piña colada in the pool. Activities include archery, spinning and yoga classes called Spoga in Tree House Spin Studio, golf and tennis. Keep moving with cycling along the coastline, hiking in the mountains and sunrise power walking on the beach. In the water, there’s plenty to choose from like swimming lessons, two-tank boat diving, kayaking, sailing and snorkeling. For those who like to plan ahead, the resort offers a customized activity schedule arranged prior to arrival. Perks are creative like a pillow menu, herbal tea and cookie turn-down and daily treatments at the spa with a heated marble massage bed. Personal trainers are on hand for those serious about getting in shape. Rates start at $700 per person, per night.

Wine and dine

Foodies give the thumbs-up to the curated culinary experiences at Spice Island Beach Resort on Grenada’s Grand Anse Beach at the edge of the Caribbean Sea. With a AAA Five Diamond rating and member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, the 64-suite resort is beachfront elegance with stellar service, superb dining and spectacular suites with ocean-view whirlpool tubs and Phillip Starck designs. Where Prince Harry popped by for lunch during his recent visit to the Southern Caribbean, dining choices range from Oliver’s, where the five-course dinner menu changes every three weeks (herb-crusted lamb rack with coconut rice is a standout), Sea & Surf Terrace and Bar for a light bite and a Spice Island Classic cocktail potent with sparkling wine and the island herb called sorrel and a bowl of deliciously addictive flash-fried green banana chips. The resort is all about eating local. “Many of our staff have backyard gardens,” says Janelle Hopkins, deputy managing director, “we buy what they grow like lemons, tomatoes and callaloo rather than import from outside the island.” If you particularly like a dish on the menu, ask chef Jesson Church to show you how to make it and he’ll happily set up a mini-cooking lesson. Rates start at  $1,387 per room, per night, based on double occupancy.

Those who prefer their lobster and mango served with a side order of dramatic views are in for a treat in St. Lucia at Jade Mountain. High above its sister resort Anse Chastanet, distractions are minimal in the upscale suites with no TV’s or phones (there is Wi-Fi ) and no fourth wall, leaving the impeccably appointed sanctuaries open to the  warm  breezes. On the southwest coast coveted for vistas of the mighty Piton Peaks and the Caribbean Sea, gourmands bunking in one of 29 suites with infinity-edge pools or Jacuzzis take their pick of haute cuisine at a quartet of restaurants. Michelin-starred executive chef Stefan Goehcke and James Beard-winning chef Allen Susser prepare works of art on a plate. Dining venues include Jade Mountain Club wrapped around an infinity pool, and the seaside Trou Au Diablo for a curry-filled West Indian flatbread called a roti and a frosty mug of Piton Beer to wash it down. Wine pairing menus at The Treehouse — which really is a tree house — are a big hit, while at Emerald’s small plates are perfectly shareable.  “As the resort has its own farm,” explains Karolin Troubetzkoy , co-owner along with her architect husband Nick, “we deliver a farm-to-table experience with our own organic produce complemented by our handcrafted artisanal chocolate harvested from our estate cocoa trees.” For fans of the sweet stuff, the Chocolate Alchemy package is chock-full of chocolate cocktails, chocolate-themed breakfasts in bed, chocolatey spa treatments, a tour of the Emerald Cocoa Estate and a class in the chocolate lab where choco-philes create their own bars. Rates start at $1,680 per couple for travel until April 15.

In Antigua, it’s all about coconut and codfish at the St. James’s Club on the southeast coast. On 100 acres, 240-rooms, suites and villas are close to four restaurants and the seaside grill on Mamora Beach. Rainbow Garden is where you’ll find chef Dave Ralph cooking up an island storm of delectable edibles like shrimp and salty codfish dressed up in a tomato garlicky sauce, sides of callaloo and boiled bananas and his savory bowl of Fish Water filled to the brim with snapper and peppers. Ask for the national dish called fungee — pronounced foon-jee and sometimes spelled fungi — which is a robust mash of cornmeal and okra that looks and tastes like polenta. “Every cook adds his or her own touch to the recipes,” explains Chef Ralph as he flits about the open-air restaurant, “these are dishes I have eaten since I was a small child and now as a chef, it’s my pleasure to encourage our visitors to try them.” For a sweet finish, coconut dumplings with a cinnamon sprinkle and rum balls infused with real rum hit a home run. Rates start at $195 per person, per night.

https://youtu.be/pcT3wvBFfP0

in Diving, News, Travel Posted by SaltyDogs

Fiji shows off sharks – Hawaii should do the same

PACIFIC HARBOUR, Fiji — As the divers’ air bubbles sashayed to the surface 100 feet above, their eyes focused on the scene emerging in front of them.

A 10-foot female bull shark appeared, almost mirage-like, out of the blue beyond. Another entered, stage left. Then one on the right. And another.

Soon a dozen sharks were in view, some swimming within several feet of scuba spectators lined up to watch along a row of coral and rocky rubble.

 

Bull sharks are the main attraction at a dive site in Fiji’s first marine national park.

Courtesy: Alana Hong Eagle

A few certified dive masters orchestrated the show. Some hold dual roles as marine biologists and sheriffs of the sea, working to enforce the laws of Fiji’s first marine national park while educating a steady stream of tourists on the importance of shark conservation.

One swam over to a submerged trash can that the dive operator had placed for the show. He pulled out a tuna head and with a flip of his wrist let it float away, its lifeless eyes unblinking.

A 9-foot bull shark cut through a school of smaller fish, devouring it in a couple of bites. A few of the dozen divers who paid to see this world-renowned spectacle emitted muffled squeals of joy through their breathing regulators.

As Ben Saqata of Beqa Adventure Divers explained on the boat ride out to the lagoon for the dive, these apex predators are key to maintaining balanced ecosystems. They keep species down the food chain in check so those animals in turn do not dominate the food sources below them, and so on.

He said he’s seen this no-take zone become a spawning ground for other fish, and there’s been a spillover effect, pleasing local fishermen who ply the waters outside its boundaries.

Sharks are revered by many Fijians but face threats from fishermen who target certain species for their meat or fins. Protecting them has been the reserve’s primary mission, but the benefit has extended far beyond by generating millions of tourism dollars for the local economy.

 

Ben Saqata of Beqa Adventure Divers is a marine biologist and deputized by the Fijian government to enforce the laws restricting fishing inside the Shark Reef Marine Reserve.

Courtesy: Alana Hong Eagle

Hawaii’s Conservation Efforts

Hawaii officials have been looking to places like Fiji for marine management ideas, given their similarities as remote island chains with economies driven largely by visitors who travel from afar to experience the natural resources.

Gov. David Ige announced in September his commitment for the state to “effectively manage” 30 percent of its nearshore fisheries by 2030. It’s unclear what that will entail, but it has at least set a course.

The plan does not have specific shark provisions and the governor, through his spokeswoman, declined to comment for this report.

Ige has expressed concern about Hawaii’s marine ecosystems in a broader sense at recent environmental conferences, including the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s World Conservation Congress in September, where he raised the issue of climate change and its disproportionate effects on island communities.

 

Gov. David Ige during a press conference at the IUCN meeting in Honolulu in September.

Cory Lum/Civil Beat

A new marine reserve to protect nearshore waters may not be in the state’s future. But officials are looking at the process Fiji went through to establish its park

The idea of incorporating local knowledge, the best available science and traditional practices, as Fiji, the Republic of Palau and other nations have done, is being used to manage smaller areas around Hawaii, said state Department of Land and Natural Resources Director Suzanne Case.

The north shore of Kauai and west side of the Big Island now have so-called community-based subsistence fishing areas. Others are in the works for Maui and Oahu. Each has its own management measures specific to the area, developed by those communities in conjunction with the state.

DLNR spokesman Dan Dennison said the department doesn’t have any internal expertise on sharks and deferred to University of Hawaii scientist Carl Meyer, who did not respond to requests for comment. The state Division of Aquatic Resources also did not respond to a request for comment.

 

Blacktip reef sharks are one of several species regularly encountered in the Shark Reef Marine Reserve,

Courtesy: Alana Hong Eagle

“I’m sure that Hawaii can learn from anyplace in the world that’s trying new things,” said William Aila, a fisherman, diver and former head of DLNR who now serves as deputy director of the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.

“If you take a look at the community-based fisheries management initiatives that are going on around the state, you have sort of this lab of fisheries management that’s coming from the ground up,” he said.

“I know for a fact that those folks are researching everything that’s happened in the past in Hawaii, everything that’s happened in other parts of the world, and that’s being included in their individual assessments of what they’d like to see happen,” Aila said.

‘Conservation Project Running A Dive Shop’

Beqa Adventure Divers, based on the south shore of Fiji’s main island, has been taking customers out to dive the reefs of Viti Levu since 2004 when the Shark Reef Marine Reserve was established.

The reserve, which became a national park in 2014, offers exhilarating sights of several shark species amid plentiful corals and a wide range of fish of all sizes and colors.

The company’s director, Mike Neumann, said its offering a lot more than good diving.

“We’re a conservation project running a dive shop,” he said. “It’s not the other way around.”

 

A gray shark cruises by during a December dive in the Shark Reef Marine Reserve in Fiji.

Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat

He acknowledges that not everyone supports feeding the sharks. Critics say it changes their natural behavior and can have other consequences, but Neumann pointed at studies showing little to no effect on the shark populations in the reserve. He noted there have been no shark bite incidents during any of the tours.

One study found the contents of their stomachs was less than 1 percent tuna, which is what the dive shop feeds them. Another found less diversity in the sharks going to the site; the bulls were outcompeting the tigers and other species.

“People who feed sharks are called fishermen — not a few dive operators,” Neumann said.

The bigger point, he said, has nothing to do with feeding or not feeding sharks, but instead the reserve’s value as “a proof of the concept that something like this can be done in conservation.”

 

Ben Saqata, center, a marine biologist with Beqa Adventure Divers, says there’s been a spillover effect from the reserve that helps boost fish populations beyond its boundaries.

Courtesy: Alana Hong Eagle

Beqa Adventure Divers partnered with Fiji’s government and neighboring villages to establish the reserve and now runs the park’s day-to-day operations.

Its employees include marine biologists who conduct shark research that’s been cited in international studies. All the workers are deputized fish wardens who have police powers to enforce laws banning fishing. That makes up for the government’s lack of resources for enforcement — a major issue in any marine protected area, including the massive Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument around the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. 

Customers pay a marine park fee to dive in the reserve. The money goes to the villages in exchange for giving up their right to fish there.

Neumann said their waters have proven more valuable as a protected reserve than a fishing ground. A 2011 study determined shark diving contributed $42.2 million to Fiji’s economy the previous year.

 

Viti Levu, the main island of Fiji, is receiving a steady stream of international visitors, many of whom are coming to dive with sharks.

Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat

“You can’t protect jaguars if you don’t protect the jungle,” Neumann said.

Shark conservation efforts have increased in recent years in Hawaii but there’s debate in the scientific community over whether Hawaii’s nearshore sharks need further protection.

Unlike in Fiji and other parts of the Pacific, sharks are not targeted in Hawaii for food and the state passed a ban on the trade of shark fins in 2010.

The real threat to sharks in Hawaii comes from their food sources being depleted, be it from commercial and recreational fishermen or habitat loss due to polluted runoff.

Counting The Sharks

Scientist Marc Nadon of the Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research at the University of Hawaii and his colleagues wrote a paper in 2012 estimating that the number of Pacific reef sharks had plummeted 90 percent in Hawaii.

The study found reef shark populations to be below 10 percent of the level they should be around populated islands, but could not determine the reasons for this depletion. That paper speculated that commercial and recreational fishing and an overall reduction in the amount of fish the sharks eat could explain why.

A follow-up to that study is expected within a few months, which could make its findings more defensible. The original study was criticized by some people because it relied on the observations of divers towed behind boats at a maximum 30 meters’ depth. The follow-up study uses cameras that extend down to 100 meters or more.

“We’re not saying there are no more reef sharks in the Main Hawaiian Islands, they’re still there. We’re talking about abundance,” Nadon said.

“Most people just snorkel around the main eight Hawaiian Islands and that’s their experience of what this is,” he said. “But if you go to remote areas of the Pacific, you almost don’t need the data. You just see it.”

Designating certain waters as protected marine areas would not be enough to stop the decline in reef shark stocks, Nadon said.

“The recent implementation of marine national monuments at most isolated U.S. Pacific islands may substantially increase the probability of persistence of reef shark populations, but effective enforcement and additional fishing regulations elsewhere would also be necessary to slow the decline of these species,” he said.

 

A 2011 study determined shark diving alone contributed $42.2 million to Fiji’s economy.

Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat

Scientist Kim Holland of the University of Hawaii’s Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology was among those skeptical of the findings that showed reef shark populations at such low levels in Hawaii.

Just because people do not encounter sharks as frequently in Hawaii as they do in places like Fiji does not mean they are not around, he said, noting poorer water visibility as one reason.

“There’s a lot of hidden shark biomass in Hawaiian waters,” Holland said.

He was careful to make the distinction between nearshore sharks, like blacktip reef sharks, and open-ocean sharks, like tiger sharks. The latter category faces significant threats, he said, because they are targeted for their fins and killed as bycatch.

If there has been a depletion in nearshore sharks, Holland said he would agree with Nadon it’s likely due to insufficient food, which would mean that addressing fishing could help.

“One of the real pressures on our reefs is gill nets are still allowed to be used in Hawaiian waters and not in the traditional sense — Polynesians only had so much capacity,” Holland said.

Restricting gill nets would help control fishing pressure on the reefs, he said, which would in turn help maintain healthy shark populations.

“It’s a hard nut to crack though because of the intersection between modern fisheries biology and advocating for traditional harvesting rights,” Holland said. “You get into that whole tension between modern fisheries management and traditional gathering rights.”

 

Sharks are plentiful in Fiji’s Shark Reef Marine Reserve.

Courtesy: Alana Hong Eagle

That’s a familiar battle in Fiji. Neumann, the shark dive director, said the problem is that the villages there have been fishing the same waters for generations but the fish population did not keep up with the human population.

“You can go anywhere down the coast and there is nothing there,” he said. “But how do you tell subsistence fishermen that they have to manage their resource?”

To Aila, the answer could be in the Hawaiian concept of reciprocity.

“It’s not only about the ‘right’ to fish,” he said. “It’s about, I have a responsibility to fish and in how I conduct myself.”

In order to continue fishing, Aila said, “we have to make sure we give back in terms of management or on a personal level a relationship — cleaning up marine debris or fishing lines.”

Neumann, who has spent time in Hawaii and is close with many in the science and conservation communities here, said he isn’t holding his breath for Hawaii to take strong actions to protect its waters even though the state’s economy and the public’s health depends on it.

“Unless the government gets some balls, it’s not going to happen,” he said. “The question for Hawaii is what kind of ocean do you want to show your tourists?”

 

in Diving, News, Travel Posted by SaltyDogs

You Can Swim With Sharks Here

When it comes to bucket-list adventures, swimming with sharks is near the top for a lot of adrenaline junkies. Many of the adventures on the list require scuba diving, but at some locations, even non-divers with a desire to get up close and personal with the top of the food chain can jump in and face their fears.

Bahamas, Bahamas, and more in the Bahamas!

I don’t want to scare the non-shark lovers away from the beauty of the Bahamas, but there are sharks out there. From least scary to the most, here’s where to get your Bahamian shark fix.

Compass Cay Marina is home to a large number of well-fed, friendly nurse sharks. In case you don’t know it, nurse sharks are more like a giant catfish than a great white. You can walk right into the shallow water near the fish cleaning station and pet these gentle guys.

Stuart Cove’s in Nassau has been doing shark dives safely for decades. Caribbean reef sharks feed on fish-on-a-stick as divers kneel in the sand in awe. Reef sharks are some of the least aggressive species of shark. (Forget about what you saw on Shark Week.)

As your fear subsides and you crave more sharks and more excitement, check out the folks at Jim Abernethy’s Scuba Adventures in Fort Lauderdale. They operate live-aboard dive boats with regularly scheduled shark trips in the Bahamas. Expect to see tigers and hammerheads, as well as the Caribbean reef sharks.

Hawaii

There are several shark species in the Pacific waters surrounding the Hawaiian Islands. Sightings of tigers, hammerheads, blues, and even great whites are not all that uncommon. And while divers can expect to see these guys almost anywhere while diving in Hawaii, the Oahu’s North Shore is the place to be for cage diving. Hawaii Shark Encounters takes shark education seriously and strives to educate customers about the need for shark conservation while providing them with a thrilling swim with sharks inside the safety of a cage. No diving skills are required — just bring your courage.

Fiji

Scuba diving in Fiji is a definite bucket list adventure for many divers. And the fish many hope to see most is shark. Beqa Adventure Divers can make that happen for you. Sharks are protected in the Shark Reef Marine Reserve, so no worries about questionable practices. This is an uncaged dive, but per the company’s website, it is a carefully managed feed, where participants observe, but do not interact with the sharks.

Guadalupe Island, Mexico

Home to a large population of great whites, the waters off the Mexico’s Baja coast, attract divers willing to brave cold Pacific waters for some time in a cage watching the top fish of the ocean. Nautilus Live Aboards operates six-day adventures from July to November utilizing submersible cages that descend to thirty feet for a better opportunity to observe the sharks. You meet the expedition in San Diego, motor to Ensenada, cruise to Guadalupe, then spend three full days in the cages watching the predators. Non-divers are allowed, as air is supplied by hoses attached to the boat, but a minimum of a Discover Scuba course is recommended.

 

 

in Diving, News, Travel Posted by SaltyDogs

Hawaii Really Quick Island Guide

Some of the most reliable pleasures of Hawaii travel include exploring its national parks, multiethnic cuisine and indigenous culture. A luxurious spa treatment rarely goes amiss, though some may prefer the riskier adventure of scuba with sharks. Here’s an island-by-island look at what’s new in those various vacation modes:

– Jeanne Cooper

Maui

Online reservations are now required to view sunrise from the summit district of Haleakala National Park. The cost is $1.50 per vehicle, payable via www.recreation.gov up to 60 days in advance; the receipt and photo ID must be presented to enter the area between 3 and 7 a.m. The fee is in addition to park admission, which costs $20 per car and is valid for three days. Note: The park holds 30 spaces in reserve until 24 hours before the next sunrise, so die-hards can always try to rebook quickly if skies are cloudy.

Meanwhile, in the park’s Kipahulu district, the tiered pools of Oheo Gulch (nicknamed the “Seven Sacred Pools”) have been closed indefinitely following a rock slide Jan. 3 that prompted concerns of further slides, especially during the typically rainy winter months. Check the park website for updates. www.nps.gov/hale

Oahu

Sea Life Park’s new Shark Tank Experience allows novice and experienced divers to swim with the sharks — blacktip and whitetip reef, sandbar and hammerhead varieties — in a 300,000-gallon aquarium. The daily adventure takes place at 2:30 p.m.; admission to the park is included in the $199 fee (www.sharktankscuba.com).

If you’d rather eat than think about the possibility of being eaten, new options appear as regularly as surf in Waikiki. Royal Hawaiian Hotel is marking its 90th anniversary by opening the first stand-alone bakery among island hotels. Open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, the Royal Hawaiian Bakery sells classic and tropical-themed pastries, such as Koloa pineapple coffee cake and haupia cream brioche. www.royal-hawaiian.com

One hotel down, at the Outrigger Waikiki, the Hula Grill Waikiki now serves brunch seven days a week, from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; locally sourced poke tacos, strawberry mochi waffles, local eggs and ahi katsu sandwiches reflect island style (www.hulagrillwaikiki.com). The new Waikiki Yokocho in Waikiki Shopping Plaza takes its inspiration from Japan’s food-filled alleyways (yokocho), offering 14 intimate restaurants and bars. The latest to open is 28-seat Tsujita Ramen, known for its Ajitama Tsukemen ($13), a slow-cooked broth with soft-boiled egg accompanied by thick noodles and other toppings. www.waikiki-yokocho.com, www.tsujita-hawaii.com

Honolulu’s Kakaako neighborhood has attracted two spin-offs of popular restaurants. Piggy Smalls, a Ward Village offshoot of Chinatown’s the Pig and the Lady, offers Vietnamese specialties such as “pho-strami” banh mi sandwiches and vegan pho (www.thepigandthelady.com/piggysmalls).

Kauai

Visitors to Poipu Beach no longer have to wonder what’s the story with the four towering tikis overlooking 13 acres that for years were covered with brush and weeds. A new viewing platform and walkway sport five interpretive signs sharing detailed stories of Ke Kahua O Kaneioluma (“the Kaneioluma complex”), first mapped in 1959 and including a centuries-old heiau (temple), rock walls, home sites, games arena and fishpond. www.kaneiolouma.com

Big Island

Visitors to the Kohala Coast looking for other evening entertainment will soon be able to see first-run movies in a new cinema with leather seats, cocktails, wood-fired pizza and more. Currently under construction, the three-screen Waikoloa Luxury Cinemas plans to open this spring in Queens’ MarketPlace. www.hawaiicinemas.com

There’s a new way to view Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park (www.nps.gov/kaho) as well as the historic and cultural sites of Kailua-Kona and Keauhou. Using an all new Hydra-Terra amphibious tour bus, Big Island Duck Tours (www.bigislandduck.com) takes 40 passengers on a tour/pub quiz that cruises down 7½ miles of Alii Drive, then heads to Honokohau Harbor for an actual cruise past ancient fishponds and a former Hawaiian village. Tours start at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday-Saturday; the cost is $49 adults, $35 ages 2 to 18. www.bigislandduck.com

Lanai

While the reopening of the Four Seasons Lodge at Koele has been pushed back till next year, the other resort on Larry Ellison’s island continues to increase its luxury quotient. At the Four Seasons Resort Lanai, the eight treatment rooms at the new Hawanawana Spa include four couples’ suites with side-by-side treatment beds, rain showers, and a cozy living and dining area.

Given that most guests from the mainland spend hours waiting for connecting flights in Honolulu to Lanai, the resort has opened its own airport lounge, on the second floor of Honolulu’s Overseas Terminal. Guests can check into their room; book dinner, a spa treatment or other activity; and enjoy free Wi-Fi, movies, food and drink, among other amenities. www.fourseasons.com/lanai

Molokai

Ferry service from Maui ended in late October, increasing pressure on the limited nonstop flights to the island. Hawaiian Airlines’ Ohana (www.hawaiianairlines.com) offers daily service on 48-passenger turboprops from Honolulu, Maui’s Kahului airport and Lanai, while Mokulele Airlines (www.mokuleleairlines.com) and Makani Kai Air (www.makanikaiair.com) offer daily service from Honolulu on nine-passenger turboprops.

Book flights and lodging early for popular events such as the Molokai Ka Hula Piko Festival, June 1-3, www.kahulapiko.com, or the Molokai 2 Oahu Paddleboard World Championship, July 30, www.molokai2oahu.com.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yuM_WDV25M

 

in Diving, News, Travel Posted by SaltyDogs

Haputo Beach – Guam

This weekend we find ourselves along the island’s northwestern coast, hiking down a beautiful cliffline path to one of Guam’s most beautiful beaches.

Designated as an ecological reserve in 1984, Haputo Beach covers about 252 acres of coral reef and limestone forest. Please keep in mind that the area was declared a preserve in order to keep out invasive species, and to maintain the secluded beach’s beauty.

The beach is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places because it’s the site of the ancient Chamorro village of Haputo.

This hike requires you to have a military identification card, special military authorization, or at least a friend with base access.

Access to the beach is through Naval Communications Station (NCS), in Finegayan, Dededo. Enter the Navy base by turning in at the access point, which is directly across from the Shell Gas Station and left of the old NCS McDonald’s.

Thankfully, the Navy base has lots of descriptive signs pointing to the Haputo Beach trailhead. Be sure to follow them and any other regulations while on the base.

At the parking area, directly across the hike entrance, you can read signs about the ecological preserve.

Haputo Beach

Follow the trail that, a little past them, leads into the jungle and toward the ocean. As you descend, sometimes you’ll have stairs underfoot, and sometimes you’ll be walking on bare, and, at times, loose ground. Be aware of your footing.

For most of the half-mile or 20-minute trek to the bottom, you’ll be shaded by the jungle canopy.

The beach, ocean, and shining horizon of the Philippine Sea are also visible along most of the way.

A little more than halfway down, you’ll reach a pretty stable staircase – about 200 steep man-made steps – from which it’s just a few minutes to the beach’s crystal blue waters, which are great for snorkeling in calm weather.

After reaching the bottom of the staircase, follow the rest of the path to the beach. You made it!

Now, while Guam is an island with dozens of beautiful and pristine beaches dotting its coasts, this beach is definitely on another level. It’s a wonder it hasn’t been more widely featured.

Lined with soft white sand, clear of any rocks, and an abundance of trees to settle underneath, Haputo Beach is naturally manicured by Mother Nature herself, and would find no competition from Tumon Bay beaches, or any other for that matter.

Take some time to soak in the secluded area and vast beauty that is mostly yours for a little while. Also be sure to take advantage of the snorkeling and jungle exploring the hike offers.

Respect your surroundings

While snorkeling, please be careful and considerate of the life in the preserve. Be sure not to step on or damage any coral. Because the waters are secluded and, for the most part, untouched by man, you’ll find lots of brightly colored coral here, along with a variety of fish and other sea life.

Another added feature to the beach is its place in the Chamorro civilization’s history. According to Guampedia, the beach was the site of the ancient Chamorro village of Haputo, which was allegedly captured and burned by the Spanish in 1678.

In the thick jungle situated against the cliff and behind Haputo Beach lie remains of this ancient village.

Put on your Indiana Jones hat and – without fear of rolling boulders or hostile warriors, of course – check out the latte stones, among which Chamorro life would have been bustling four centuries ago.

Since the jungle is very much overgrown, there is little to no trail to follow. Thankfully, the jungle area is not so vast, however, and at any given spot, you should be able to find the colorful tags dotting trees to get some sort of guide to the latte stones.

As you pass a variety of flora – including coconut trees, bamboo forests, and taro plants – you should stumble upon the latte. There is actually one large and intact latte stone with smaller stone fragments of what are possibly other latte stones and ruins.

To return to your car, retrace your footsteps back up the stairs and cliffline, and remember to leave only footprints behind. Happy hiking!

in Diving, News, Travel Posted by SaltyDogs

Great Barrier Reef Scuba Diving – Third Death In Three Days

A British man has died while scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef in the third death in as many days in waters surrounding the natural wonder.

The 60-year-old man was diving on Agincourt Reef near the popular tourist resort of Port Douglas when emergency services were called on Friday.

He was rescued from the water after being seen with his breathing regulator out of his mouth, the Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators said.

barrier-reef-8.jpg

The great Barrier Reef (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The company’s executive director, Col McKenziem said: “After an extended effort with no response, the diver was declared dead.”

He had been a passenger on a Quicksilver tour boat and was diving with another person for the second time that day, when he was found on the ocean floor at a depth of 15m.

A doctor who was flown to the reef gave the man CPR on the Silver Sonic vessel and used a defibrillator, but he could not be resuscitated.

Mr McKenzie said: “Accidents like this are a tragedy for the surviving family members, the crew and the passengers.”

The Silver Sonic has operated for 11 years, carrying 230,000 divers without a fatality, according to local authorities.

The Great Barrier Reef – In Pictures

The man, a certified diver from England, was travelling with his wife.

His death came after two French tourists – Jacques Goron, 76, and Danielle Franck, 74 – died while snorkelling on Michaelmas Cay, near Cairns, on Wednesday.

They were spotted floating in the water by staff working for diving company Passions of Paradise, chief executive Scotty Garden said.

The couple, among a French group of 21 people, had “pre-existing medical conditions and were accompanied by a guide when they were in the water”, he added.

Queensland Police said their deaths were not believed to be suspicious, with a cardiologist telling the Australian Broadcasting Corporation jellyfish stings may have triggered cardiac arrest.

 

 

in Diving, News, Travel Posted by SaltyDogs

Snorkeling with Irukandji Jellyfish Kills Five Tourists at Great Barrier Reef

A British tourist has died on a trip to the Great Barrier Reef after swimming in an area suspected to be plagued by killer jellyfish.

The 63-year-old man, who has not been named, was killed during a snorkeling trip at Moore Reef– 25 miles off the coastline of Cairns, in Queensland, Australia. He is believed to have been just feet away from the reef pontoon when he had a heart attack clinging to a safety ring.

A rescue helicopter was sent but emergency response crewmembers could not revive the man.

His death came the same day a 43-year-old woman was rushed to hospital by helicopter to Cairns Hospital in a critical condition after being pulled from the water off Green Island unconscious.

The incidents have heightened suspicions of attacks by Irukandji jellyfish in the area, one of the world’s most venomous creatures.

On Jan. 30, three children suffered suspected Irukandji stings off nearby Fitzroy Island, just under 20 miles from Moore Reef.

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Last month, several beaches in the area, including Three Cairns beach, were closed to the public following sightings of the jellyfish.

This is the fifth death in the last three months at the Great Barrier Reef.

In November, two French tourists died only minutes apart when they were snorkeling. Their deaths were followed by that of 60-year-old British scuba diver David Lowe from Sheffield, who was found on the ocean floor during a holiday with his wife.

At the time, cardiologist Dr. Ross Walker told ABC News, “I think it’s highly likely they were stung by Irukandji. Irukandji are the size of your little fingernail, they’re very small, you can’t see them.

“Let’s look at the fact and probability. It’s highly unlikely that two people are going to die within minutes of each other just because they’ve got underlying medical conditions.”

Professor Jamie Seymour said, “Because the water temperature has increased, it allows them to go further and further south.”

This story originally appeared on The Sun.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzRhNxy-b00

in Diving, News, Travel Posted by SaltyDogs

Obama Snorkeling with Sea Turtles off Hawaii

ABC’s World News Tonight closed out the show Monday evening with a spotlight on President Barack Obama snorkeling off the coast of Hawaii for the National Geographic Channel. Anchor David Muir could barely contain his joy as he led into his report. “Finally tonight here, President Obama taking a dive in a place he helped protect,” he stated, while sounding elated.

“They’re images unlike anything we have seen before,” hyped Muir, “A sitting president snorkeling in open waters.” The location the president was swimming in was Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The president expanded the size of the protected monument area through an executive order back in August of 2016.

According to LiveScience, the president expanded the area “after Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), along with conservationists and marine scientists, urged the president to protect the region’s waters and marine life.” “The monument is now 582,578 square miles … an area more than twice the size of Texas,” they added.

Muir was completely enamored with Obama’s remembrance of his mother, “It’s a place he grew up with, a place he told the magazine that, along with his mother, helped shape his love of nature.” “She’s the kind of person who would wake me up to see a full moon if it was particularly spectacular. Yeah, so I give her a lot of credit,” Obama told NatGeo.

“11 days before the next president, the current one and a question he’s often asked,” Muir coyly fawned:

People always ask, “Why do I stay calm in the midst of crazy stuff going on?” Well, I always tell people, I think part of it’s being born in Hawaii and knowing what it’s like to jump into the ocean and understanding what it means when you see a sea turtle in the face of a wave.

The president’s interview was a part of a National Geographic Channel documentary titled “Sea of Hope.” The program also highlights the discovery of a new fish species, which had been named after the president. Tosanoides Obama is its scientific name, but it’s also known as the “hope fish.”

While ABC and Muir were swooning for Obama snorkeling in the calm waters off the coast of Hawaii, they were turning a blind-eye to the turbulent waters of the Strait of Hormuz where the USS Mahan was harassed by Iranian boats and was forced to fire warning shots.

 

The President of the United States, Barack Obama arriving on Midway Atoll Midway on September 1, 2016 to commemorate his use of the Antiquities Act to expand the boundaries of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.
The President gave interviews to National Geographic Magazine writer Craig Welch and to Dr. Sylvia Earle, National Geographic Explorer in Residence.

 

in Diving, News, Travel Posted by SaltyDogs

Channel Islands National Park Resets Guided Kayaking and Snorkeling Tours

A 10-year concessions contract has been granted to the Santa Barbara Adventure Co. to lead kayaking tours and snorkeling tours at Channel Islands National Park/Patrick Cone

Much of the beauty and wildlife protected within Channel Islands National Park can only be seen from the water, and soon, guided sea kayaking and snorkeling tours will be available at Santa Cruz Island without a reservation for the first time.

The park gave Santa Barbara Adventure Company a 10-year concessions contract to run guided sea kayak tours, snorkel equipment rentals, guided snorkel tours, and limited convenience item sales at Scorpion Anchorage on Santa Cruz Island. The company, doing business as Channel Islands Adventure Company, has provided guided sea kayak services for more than 18 years and has operated in Channel Islands National Park since 2007.

“This is a significant step towards improving visitor access and enjoyment,” Superintendent Russell Galipeau said in a release. “The contract will, for the first time in the park’s history, afford visitors the opportunity for guided kayak and snorkel tours on the island, with no prior reservations needed.”

The park’s 2015 General Management Plan directed the transition of the Scorpion Area Kayak Guide Service from a limited, commercial-use permit to a concessions contract. Scorpion Anchorage is a Marine Protected Area and part of NOAA Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.

“To be selected by the NPS is a huge triumph,” Santa Barbara Adventure Company owner/director Michael Cohen said on the company’s blog. “We are excited to be able to continue to bring school groups, veterans, and travelers from all over the world to our beloved national park.”

The new contract will take effect on March 1. Details of tours are available at Santa Barbara Adventure Company’s website.

 

in Diving, News, Travel Posted by SaltyDogs

Along with Scuba Diving, Try These Ocean Sports!

If your idea of a great vacation involves adventure, adrenaline, and taking a break from the ordinary, then the Caribbean islands are calling your name. While the region’s pristine white sand beaches and turquoise waters tend to call to mind images of lounging on the beach with a colorful cocktail in hand, the islands are also a playground for adventure sports enthusiasts.

We’ve teamed up with global cruise line Royal Caribbean to highlight eight unforgettable adventure sports that are sure to make your next island getaway nothing short of epic. Whether you’re an experienced thrill seeker or a newbie adventurer, you don’t want to miss these experiences on your next Caribbean vacation.

  • JMichl via Getty Images

    Brushing up on your superhero skills? You’ll want to add kiteboarding to your arsenal of adventure sports. Blending elements of windsurfing and wakeboarding, kiteboarding traces its origins all the way back to China circa the 13th century, when sails were used to propel travelers’ canoes. Several centuries and technical innovations later, kiteboarding today ranks among the most exhilarating sports, with its combination of high-speed surfing and serious airtime for jumps and tricks. While the sport requires a certain amount of physical fitness to operate the kite and board, beginners can get the hang of it by taking a lesson taught by a local expert.

    With its smooth cross-shore trade winds and warm waters, Barbados offers great kiteboarding for all levels. There are several kiteboarding schools located around the island, and beginners will do well at the sheltered Freights-Bay, while experienced kiteboarders will love the wavy conditions at Silver Rock and Long Beach.

  • arrowsg via Getty Images

    Taking sci-fi dreams to new heights, the flyboard is a techie thrill seeker’s dream come true. Powered by pressurized water connected by hose to a nearby jetski, flyboards let their riders soar more than 25 feet above the water—and even dive below the surface and shoot back up, superhero-style. Marty McFly would be proud.

    Give the see-it-to-believe-it sport a try in St. Maarten, where the protected waters of Simpson Bay provide a great backdrop for trying your hand at flying. Check out Flyboard St. Maarten for rentals and lessons, and make sure someone in your crew is positioned onshore to take lots of pictures of your crazy feats. After soaring high above Simpson Bay, be sure to wander through the colorful, busy streets and sample the delicious French and Creole flavors that define St. Maarten’s cuisine.

  • David Neil Madden via Getty Images

    There’s just something undeniably cool about surfing. In 1778, Captain James Cook recorded the first written description of the sport. He described a surfer as someone with the “most supreme pleasure while he was driven so fast and smoothly by the seas.” While mastering the art of surfing takes balance and practice, even beginners can experience the supreme pleasure of catching a wave along the many surf-friendly beaches in the Caribbean.

    Gentle trade winds, miles of pristine coastline and hundreds of offshore reefs: Puerto Rico is home to world-class surf that attracts professional wave riders from around the globe. There are also plenty of spots mere mortals will be able to surf too, located near charming beach towns like Rincon and Aguadilla. Rent a board, book a lesson, and get ready to hang ten.

  • ICHIRO via Getty Images

    If flyboarding or surfing feels a little too risky for your crew, try parasailing: a great alternative for kids and anyone who may not be an athlete, but still wants an ocean adventure. Parasailing is the equivalent of a great beach day with an even better view: you and your companion will be strapped into a harness on the back of a small boat and then rise high above the ocean waves as a colorful parachute propels you forward. There are plenty of ways to experience the underwater adventures of the Caribbean, but parasailing is the best way to take in a truly unique bird’s-eye view of the stunning scenery.

    The lush natural beauty of St. Kitts makes a perfect vista for parasailing. Take in the natural beauty of this mountain island as well as historic sites like Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, a former British fortress now preserved as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

  • 4FR via Getty Images

    Stand up paddleboarding (SUP) is perfect for those eager to put their upper body strength and balance to the test. SUP is quite a core workout even in flat waters. If you’ve mastered your balance on the board, try a yoga session at sea. The budding sport combines yoga sequences with the fluidity of the water for a balance-enhancing workout.

    Aruba is a great place to try SUP and SUP yoga. Check out the calm waters of Palm Beach for rental options and great conditions to practice your balance. Once you’ve mastered your downward seadog, celebrate at one of the plentiful bars and restaurants along the west side of the island.

  • 4FR via Getty Images

    Combining elements of water skiing, surfing and snowboarding, wakeboarding is all about balance. Riding on a short board towed behind a motorboat, wakeboarders can catch impressive air by leaping over the waves while performing spins and tricks. Newbies can just enjoy the thrill of getting up on the board and zooming past the shoreline.

    Wakeboard rental shops can be found on several Caribbean islands, and you can’t go wrong catching some air along the coast of St. Lucia. With its stunning volcanic beaches and the twin peaks of the Pitons as your backdrop, there’s no shortage of postcard-worthy landscapes to take in as you cruise behind your guide boat. Beginners will get the hang of wakeboarding techniques with a quick lesson before grabbing the tow rope.

  • Antonio Busiello / robertharding via Getty Images

    Scuba divers love the Caribbean, and for good reason. From warm waters ideal for coral reefs to thrive to the hundreds of species of marine life that make their home in these incredible underwater environments, scuba divers will feel like kids in a candy shop amongst the Caribbean’s many reefs. And while certification requires divers to master the sport’s breathing techniques and complete about five offshore dives, the effort is well worth it.

    Head to Honduras for some of the world’s best dive sites. Located 30 miles off the coast, the Honduran island of Roatan boasts some of the most diverse coral reefs in the whole Caribbean. From undulating sea fans to giant barrel sponges to turtles, stingrays and even sharks, a dive into the shallow reefs along Roatan is an unforgettable experience.

  • cdwheatley via Getty Images

    Originally created thousands of years ago by Eskimos for hunting and fishing expeditions, modern kayaks let you get up close and personal with aquatic life. Nearly anyone can paddle around calm waters in a kayak, making it a perfect entry-level sport for new adventurers and families. Just sit down, grab your paddle and life jacket, and off you go!

    The pristine coastline of Curacao is a perfect spot for your crew to kayak. From bay tours that take you to great snorkel locations to kayak trips through the Spanish Water (Curacao’s largest lagoon), there’s no shortage of stunning sites to take in as you skim along the water’s surface. Or try a night kayak tour to experience the thrill of the ocean by moonlight!

    https://youtu.be/i0gOWVGig7A

 

Get your adrenaline pumping and make your next island vacation unforgettable by trying a new sport. Royal Caribbean is the only cruise line with ships that feature FlowRider surf simulators, zip lines, rock climbing walls and even RipCord® by iFLY® sky-diving simulators for an endless array of memorable onboard experiences! Royal Caribbean is the perfect choice for thrill seekers looking to take their travels to the next level, so book your next awe-inspiring adventure by visiting RoyalCaribbean.com today.

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