In love with SCUBA and Snorkeling
When asked what my favorite hobby, sport, or pastime is, my answer is quick and easy: SCUBA and snorkeling! I've always enjoyed activities around the water. You know swimming, skiing, playing on a jet-ski, sailing, boating, you name it. So it was natural when we were on a week long cruise that some buddies and I signed up to get our SCUBA certification. We did and I was introduced to the underwater world, a dreamscape that still blows my mind every time I don the gear and escape beneath the water's surface.
SCUBA and Snorkeling: Doing it safely
Before proceeding, I want to give a plug for the Divers Alert Network. Dive safety is something I NEVER compromise. If you're not familiar with this non-profit group of divers helping divers, check out their website. I'm a member and have been for quite awhile. Also, click on SCUBA diving if you want a pretty good general background and overview from Wikipedia.
From where I live in the continental United States, Cozumel, Mexico and Belize top the list of my favorite dive sites. Probably the biggest reason I like them is convenience. Getting there doesn't take me multiple plane connections and 14 - 26 hours. I've stayed at numerous different places in Cozumel and find them all to be okay. When in Cozumel, I'm there totally for the diving. I always use Dive Paradise in Cozumel. The currents can be strong around Cozumel and learning to "go with the flow" is important. There's no need to fight the currents. Cozumel has a an awesome wall to dive, shallow reefs teaming with huge varieties of fish. Interestingly, I've never seen even one sea turtle in Cozumel. But on a night dive, I finally stopped counting all the octopus.
Not everyone in our family and not all of my buddies are divers. And that brings me to why I like Belize. There's plenty to do in Belize....or NOT. I prefer staying at Victoria House located on the island of Ambergris Caye. There, you're literally on the second largest barrier reef in the world. Just minutes away, you can drop into the warm crystalline waters either inside or outside the barrier which really is great for SCUBA and snorkeling. It's a completely different experience inside from outside. Moments out of the boat, we were swimming alongside 3 HUGE sea turtles. A barracuda was visible in the distance. And that was my first dive there and we'd just started. Here, you don't have to feel guilty about having SCUBA and snorkeling and leaving your non-diving friends behind. They'll be able to find something that entertains even if it's simply lounging and reading a book underneath one of the many palm trees. We enjoyed taking a water taxi in the evenings to several really good off-site restaurants, too.
I've only listed two spots here. Fortunately, I've been able to enjoy loads more. I haven't yet been able to get to The Maldives and I'd dearly love to dive the Indian Ocean. But the getting there!
What about snorkeling? Our group had a really good time snorkeling out of Maui, Hawaii on the island of Molokini. If you're there from December through April, you might actually get to see some whales on the way to and from the island. Molokini in and of itself is interesting. The snorkeling is okay...not excellent. We thoroughly enjoyed our time on the Four Winds II catamaran (mornings are typically smoother water). Now the best snorkel experience I ever had was in Hawaii on the island of Oahu (where Honolulu is located) in Hanaumau Bay. It as honestly like swimming in an overstocked aquarium with the most brilliantly colored fish ever. I even heard the parrot fish crunching on the coral with their sharp teeth. Yes, you can see it, too. These fish have been fed (you can buy food there on the beach or take some frozen peas) for so many years that they're not afraid of people. You're literally swimming with them. I've put a video at the bottom of this showing what it was really like for us. Enjoy! Happy and safe SCUBA and Snorkeling!
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