The Stone Money Island

This week I want to tell all of you about my dream dive location. Just 7,818.69 miles from Austin, Texas, you will find my fantasy destination: Yap, Micronesia. This miniscule island is known as the best location in the world for swimming with 1,000-pound manta rays.

Map of Micronesia Showing Yap
(Picture From http://www.dankainmicronesia.com/maps.html)

Yap is one of the last remaining islands whose culture remains resistant to Western influence. The indigenous people of Yap still perform their cultural dances to pass down their legends and rich history. The women remain topless and wear traditional grass skirts, while the men don brightly colored loincloths. The men and women also carry on traditional village life by fishing, weaving and sailing. The people of Yap are known to be shy towards outsiders, but tourists are treated kindly if they respect the Yap culture and people.

Yap is also known for it's stone currency. The value of each stone disc depends on the size and its history. The largest stone discs can be up to 12 feet in diameter. The scarcity of the stone discs and the effort necessary to acquire them are what gives the stones their value. Currently, stone currency is no longer being produced and the money supply is fixed. Do not worry, readers: U.S. currency and credit cards are also accepted at most places, but travelers checks are suggested.

When visiting Yap, Micronesia, for scuba diving, the place to stay is the Manta Ray Bay Resort. This resort was built with divers in mind and offers convenient dive facilities and equipment storage a few steps from the rooms. However, if diving is not your vacations purpose, the resort offers island tours, fishing and kayaking, as well as pampering at the Taro Leaf Spa.

Mnuw Ships Bar and Grill
(Pic From http://www.mantaray.com/restaurant-and-bar.php)

The Manta Ray Bay Resort offers a dining experience you will not soon to forget at the Mnuw restaurant and bar. The Mnuw is a 170 foot Phinisi schooner from Indonesia with three dining decks and two bars. At this unique restaurant you will find amazing food influenced by a mixture of Asian, European and local culinary traditions.

As for the diving, Yap, Micronesia, is known for its manta rays. The "gentle giants" have wingspans ranging from 10 to 20 feet and are not threatened by a diver's presence.

An amazing time of year to go diving with the manta rays in Yap is mating season, which starts in late November and lasts through March. During this time divers can see a breathtaking display of manta rays swimming in lines of 12 or more following females as they soar through the water. The Yap waters also offer a diverse amount of marine life besides the manta rays, including sharks (shark feedings are a regular attraction for divers), rare mandarin fish, turtles and many species of tropical reef fishes.

At this point, I know you are asking yourself, "well, how do I get to this must-dive location?" To answer  your question, Continental Airlines serves Yap through either Guam (Gum) or Palau (ROR) airports. However, I have read some warnings that arranging flights to Yap can be difficult for the average traveler. Fortunately, Manta Ray Bay Resort can help you book your flight with no booking fees when you arrange your hotel stay with them.

I hope you will share my dream of diving with Yap's manta rays, and that you book your trip today!

Key West... Not Just A Place To Party

What comes to mind when most people think of Key West, Florida? Is it Duval Street, booze-cruises, Ernest Hemingway, drag shows, the infamous Sloppy Joe's Bar, or the islands unofficial drink, the margarita? If scuba diving in The Dry Tortugas is not on your list, it definitely should be!

The Dry Tortugas islands were first discovered by Ponce De Leon in 1513 and were named Las Tortugas because of the abundance of sea turtles. The 'dry' was added later as a warning of the lack of fresh water on the islands. These islands have been known as "The Dry Tortugas" ever since.

The Dry Tortugas reefs are known to be some of the healthiest in the Caribbean because of the small amount of human interference that has occurred there. While diving, the marine life you will see includes sharks, sea turtles, grouper and a variety of other tropical fish. 

Divers in Dry Tortugas
(Pic From: www.drytortugas.info)

One of the highlights of diving in The Dry Tortugas is exploring the Sherwood Forest reef tract. The Sherwood Forest reef is estimated to be over 9,000 years old and remains an important breeding ground for multiple fish species. 

In addition to Sherwood Forest there is the famous Avanti Windjammer shipwreck located near Loggerhead Key. The vessel is 261 feet long and in excellent condition. The dive is 18 to 21 feet deep and is considered appropriate for a novice diver yet also enjoyable for an advanced diver. 

The only problem with diving in The Dry Tortugas is the lack of one-day dive excursions. Most likely you will have to take a live-aboard dive trip for three to five days of your trip to Key West, unless you have the luxury of your own boat. A highly recommended charter company is Sea-Clusive Customer Charter Company. The company offers up to six dives a day, comfortable living quarters and customizable dives to fit any dive level.

After you pull into the port on your final day of your dive excursion, Key West has numerous activities to offer for the rest of your stay. Your first area to explore should be Duval Street in the heart of downtown Key West.

Extending from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, Duval Street is home to Sloppy Joe's Bar, as well as world-famous drag shows for the adventurous at 801 Bourbon Bar. Of course, it also boasts plenty of tourist shops to find the perfect souvenir T-shirt to take home.

If Duval Street is too much for you to handle, there is a historical side to Key West that can be found at the Hemingway House and Museum . The house was built in 1851 and became Noble Prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway's home in 1931. The house remains almost the same as it was in Hemingway's time, from the beautiful furniture to the presence of the descendants of Hemingway's beloved six-toed cat. This piece of treasured history is one you can't miss while in Key West.

If you have not had enough of the Dry Tortugas, I would recommend you take a trip to Fort Jefferson. Fort Jefferson, in The Dry Tortugas National Park, is 70 miles off the coast of Key West and is easily accessed by seaplane or ferry. Fort Jefferson is well-known for its rich history and wonderful snorkeling. 

Aerial View of Fort Jefferson in The Dry Tortugas National Park
(Pic from: www.worldtourismplace.com)

Fort Jefferson was built in the mid-1800's and is America's largest coastal fort. It was originally built to protect the Gulf of Mexico shipping-lanes, but was never finished due to construction problems and Yellow Fever outbreaks that plagued the island. It later became a military prison during the Civil War and held the four men convicted of participating in President Lincoln's assassination. Today, Fort Jefferson is a National Monument that provides tours, snorkeling, bird watching and camping.

So whether you're looking for next year's spring break destination or just want to live aboard a boat and dive for a few days, Key West and The Dry Tortugas could be the right place for you! 

Pura Vida

When most people think of a trip to Costa Rica, an image comes to mind of flying on zip-lines through the air like monkeys or reeling in the big-one while deep sea fishing. While both of these activities are some of my favorites when visiting Costa Rica, scuba diving is still what I look forward to the most each year.

My family and I have visited the Quepos and Manuel Antonio area of Costa Rica every year since I was in fifth grade, and it has become a place I hold close to my heart. In fact, I was reluctant to write this week's post on this location because I fear it will one day become an over-commercialized tourist attraction like so many best kept secret locations do. But, deep down I knew this place had to be shared.

Manuel Antonio National Park
(pic from:http://skvots.net/costa-rica-national-parks.html) 

This Costa Rican "diamond in the rough" is most well-known for the Manuel Antonio National Park. The park includes 1,700 acres of land mass and 135,906 acres of marine reserve. Manuel Antonio includes four white sand beaches and never-ending lush jungle. The ocean surrounding Manuel Antonio's reserve is the prime location for scuba diving, and it is where most dive tours are conducted.

Available Manuel Antonio Dive Sites
(Pic From: www.oceansunlimitedcr.com) 

Now let's talk about the kind of diving you can expect. As I said, most of the good dive sites are located within the reserve and are relatively easy to get to. I recommend planning your dive trip during the dry season (Dec-May) because the visibility is better than in the wet season (June-Nov), but either way you will be able to see some amazing marine life. Depending on the dive site's depth, you could see anything from angel fish and trumpet fish to sharks and eels. If you are lucky and it is the right season you may even see the migrating humpback whales.

The dive company I recommend is Oceans Unlimited. Oceans Unlimited has a very knowledgeable and helpful staff. I was impressed with the company because it really catered to everyone's dive abilities. 


Oceans Unlimited separated our tour group into an advanced group and a beginner group, allowing everyone to dive at their own comfortable speed. Considering that my dad had not seen scuba gear, let alone used it since he was 27 it was comforting that he didn't have to try to keep up with the advanced divers. The company's rates are relatively inexpensive and transportation to and from your hotel is also included.

La Mariposa Pool and Hotel
(Pic From: http://centralamerica.com/cr/hotel/mariposa.htm)

 Between Manuel Antonio and Quepos there are all sorts of hotels that fit any price range. My family and I were fortunate enough to stay at La Mariposa the first time we visited and have stayed there since.

Hotel La Mariposa is located on the highest point in Manuel Antonio and is known for its breathtaking views and unearthly sunsets. It is a relatively small hotel with only 62 rooms, a restaurant (with the best breakfast I've ever had), and three perfectly-placed pools for watching the sunset. Its quaint and attentive atmosphere made me feel like I was the only guest at the hotel and that my experience at their establishment was all they cared about.

Costa Rica's friendly locals and rich culture welcomes all visitors who are looking for a memorable time. So pack up your dive fins, buy a new swimsuit and schedule your flight today!

Saba, the Island for Divers

My adventure began on Wednesday night, two days before spring break, when my roommate asked me to join her and her family on their spur-of-the-moment trip to St. Barthelemy ("St. Barts"). Realizing my passport was expired and my family was out of the country, I started my search for a miracle that would allow me to board the plane to St. Bart's on Saturday.

Fortunately, after two trips to Houston, two passport applications and a generous man who took pity on an absent-minded college student I was on a plane headed to the paradise known as St. Bart's. 

Sadly, my roommate is not scuba certified, so I anticipated that our group would only snorkel. Although I was upset that I would not be able to tell all of you about my personal experience diving in St. Barts, I did not want to miss out on the opportunity to research the island and report back to all my followers about the diving in the territories of the Leeward Islands.

While on a sunset cruise I questioned the crew about the best dive sites, the visibility and the sea-life a diver could expect while diving around the islands. When I asked about the best location for diving, the man thought about it for about two seconds and pointed into the distance at a nearby island and in a thick, French accent muttered, "Saba."

Glorious Saba Island
(picture from J2venture.com)

Saba is a Dutch island located in the Lesser Antilles, southwest of St. Barts. The volcanic island is only five miles long and has an estimated population of about 2,000 people as of 2010. The island is known for its Saba National Marine Park; scuba divers come from all over the world to explore the park's mysterious depths. Saba is interesting because it does not have beaches on the island, so if your looking for white sands to relax and drink piña coladas on you might want to try one of the other Caribbean Islands.

Notorious Saba Runway at Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport
(Picture from Oddee.com)

Besides the magnificent diving, Saba is known for its treacherous runway at the Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport. This runway has established itself as one of the most dangerous runways in the world. The runway is 1,300 feet in total length and there are no overrun areas on either end of the runway, where cliffs immediately drop 200 feet into the sea.

Now that I've sufficiently terrified you, I thought I would describe the Saba diving experience in more detail. While there are exciting shallow reefs and walls for less experienced divers, Saba is known for it's awe-inspiring pinnacles (summits of underwater mountains) that begin at about 85 feet deep. While diving among the pinnacles you can expect to see numerous large fish and pelagics such as sharks and sea turtles. Saba's marine park is different from most marine reserves in that it was founded before diving tourism was popular in the area. This is why the reserve remains undamaged.

 When researching Saba's dive shops I found two that seemed promising. The first one is the Saba Deep Dive Center. The shop was opened in 1981 and was Saba's first "dive shop." Saba Deep offers multiple dives each day including night dives. They will also help you plan the rest of your trip by booking hotels, providing transportation and of course planning your dives.

The second promising dive shop is Saba Divers and Scout's Place Hotel, which is a convenient and unique combination of dive shop and hotel all-in-one. The Saba Divers dive center offers multiple inexpensive packages for every diver's needs, with a discount for each package if booked in advance. Your package will also include transportation to and from Fort Bay each day you dive.

Saba Divers Dive Center

While I missed out on the opportunity to dive in the crystal-clear water surrounding Saba Island, I do not want the same to be true for you. Don't let Saba's runway scare you out of booking your flights today; you will get to experience the dive of a lifetime.

  

Learn While Traveling

Most scuba divers acquire their scuba certification in their neighborhood pool or at the local dive shop, leaving them with a lackluster first impression of scuba diving. Instead of taking scuba lessons next to the 5-year-old swim class, why not take your first breath under water next to a school of Banded Butterflyfish?

Odyssey Expeditions Yacht in St. Lucia (Kat McDonnell)

For the ultimate first-time scuba experience I would recommend Odyssey Expeditions. Odyssey Expeditions offers a once-in-a-lifetime chance to live on a yacht with fellow divers for 14 to 28 days while you gain your certification. Odyssey offers multiple voyages throughout the summer in either the British Virgin Islands or the Windward Islands.

I personally gained my Open Water Diver certification while participating in the Windward Island North SEA Voyage. My voyage was specifically organized for previously certified divers to obtain their PADI Advanced Diver certification. The Odyssey crew was extremely flexible and offered to certify me if I could arrive two days before the planned departure.

I was nervous that I would not reach the level of the other divers before our departure, but my instructor was very patient and supportive throughout the certification process, which put me at ease. By the time the others arrived, I had grown so comfortable that it seemed like I had been born with a regulator in my mouth.

I highly recommend the method of being certified in the ocean because it makes you more comfortable than beginning divers who have been certified in simulated scuba situations like pools. There is no replacement for the actual experience of being certified in open water.

While on my voyage I not only gained multiple scuba certifications but also traveled all over St. Lucia and Martinique. I experienced the culture first-hand and had numerous adventures including a hike to the top of the volcano, Mt. Pele in St. Pierre.

My overall experience with Odyssey Expeditions was unforgettable and I would highly recommend the program to anyone. So if you love to travel and want to become scuba certified then Odyssey Expeditions is the place for you!

There are still openings for the 2011 summer voyages so hurry and request a brochure off their website today!