Have no fear, however, some of the best conversations I’ve ever had, have been “non” conversations. It’s amazing how easily we can communicate without the spoken word. Of course, as scuba divers, it is essential we have a basic form of non verbal communication, a global language of hand gestures to indicate basic commands and questions such as: go up, go down, stop, how much air do you have or look at the big shark!

Here in Indonesia, our dive guides have a smattering of English words and I have an even smaller smattering of Bahasa but I had a lengthy and hilarious conversation yesterday with Eddy, my guide, underwater. It went something like this:

Eddy found a scorpionfish and pointed it out to me. This is an extremely poisonous fish, well camouflaged within the reef and if you are not careful, you can fall victim to it’s excruciating sting as I did one day a year ago by stepping on one off the beach. Anyways, Eddy pointed out the fish. I returned his gesture with a pantomime motion of stabbing it to death. Since my unfortunate encounter, I wish them all ill fortune (in a simple joking manner!). Eddy agreed with me saying we should kill it and eat it. Not being one to indulge in seafood, I waved off his invitation to dine and pointed to my foot with a stamping motion indicating my past history with the fish.

Here we were at 70 feet under the water with schools of fish swirling around us, concentrating on telling stories!

Eddy wiped his brow in understanding and what I thought was sympathy and then a huge burst of bubble erupted from his regulator. He was laughing hysterically at me probably for doing something so dumb as stepping on the fish! He laughed so hard his mask flooded. I rubbed my eyes with closed fists to tell him that I was a cry baby from the pain of the sting which sent him into more peels of laughter. Of course, laughter being infectious, it send me into giggles as well.

So here we are the two of us, masks flooded, doubled over in fits of hilarity, bubbles bursting from our mouths over a simple story of the worst pain in my life as the current hurls us down the reef. We kind of slapped each other on the shoulder and then just continued with our dive. We didn’t talk about it after the dive, the whole story had been told and understood under the sea, conversation over.

Sometimes it’s the wordless conversations that are the best way to communicate and build a base for a friendship.  I wonder what Eddy and I will “talk” about today in the blue?

To Your Adventures!

Mantagirl

Finding the pieces of your greatness

In life, we are all building our own personal jigsaw puzzle. I call it a greatness puzzle.

We are each individually building the masterpiece that we call our life and to do that, we’ve got to put together our own puzzle. So as we go through life, we look for pieces of that puzzle and we piece it together as we go along.

Some of the pieces of my puzzle have included climbing the world’s highest mountains, scuba diving with sharks all over the world and starting a non profit foundation. Recently, I’ve begun to show others how to Live Adventurously like my wife and I have been able to do.

I believe in the greatness of all humanity. And I know that it is through exercising our greatness that we all connect with our purpose and create our masterpiece. It’s what we are here to do. It is important to understand that greatness is for you. Really, it is. A lot of people get uncomfortable around that word when applying it to themselves but greatness probably isn’t what you think it is.

Demystifying Greatness: It Isn’t Just for Athletes and Rockstars

[Greatness] consists not in doing extraordinary things, but in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.

- Angelique Arnauld [adapted]

Greatness is an inalienable human quality that each and every one of us is born with. It is the birthright of all humanity. It’s up to you to decide if you are going to exercise your greatness or not and that is the ultimate expression of freewill. You have a gift to give the world – find it and share it. That is how you step into your greatness. If you don’t know what you’re great at, shut your eyes for a moment and think about that thing – you know – that thing you do so well. It could be building new companies or baking cookies, teaching children or taming lions, creating computer code or cleaning bathrooms. It doesn’t matter what it is. We’ve confused greatness with social stature and paycheck size. Greatness is never limited by social, economic, political or geographical factors. Greatness isn’t so much the what as it is the how. Imagine a world where everyone lived in their greatness. How much better a life would that be for all of us? We can’t help but appreciate and benefit from someone that is lighting up the world for all of us no matter what they are doing or how they are doing it.

We’ve all heard the term visionary. If you’ve ever wondered what makes someone a visionary, it is someone that knows what their greatness puzzle looks like. They’ve got the box top with the picture on it, have found all the pieces with flat edges to build the outline and are actively finding pieces and fitting them in to create the picture.

Most people have an incomplete picture and find pieces by chance as much as by design for their puzzle. Many people don’t even realize they are building a puzzle and aren’t looking for pieces at all. These are the people that just wander through life and live it by default instead of any kind of design. These are also the people that seldom get what they want out of life.

Start thinking about your greatness puzzle today. First, know that you’ve got a puzzle to build. Exciting as hell? You bet. Next, think about what you want your puzzle to look like. What is going to define your life? On your deathbed, what are the things you would regret never having been, done or had? Don’t worry if your puzzle picture isn’t totally complete – nobody’s is until our last day on earth. Start finding the pieces with flat corners and building your outline. Now get busy looking for the other pieces and have a blast.

To Your Greatness-

Sharkman

Beautiful beach at Harbour Village Resort

Do you want to:

Do some great diving with a fun group of people?
Hone your dive skills under the supervision of top instructors?
Finish up a diving certification?
Get a great deal on a vacation?
Have a once in a lifetime adventure?

If you answered “Yes” to any of those questions, then you belong with us.

What’s the adventure?

A group of fun friends is getting together for a week of diving, snorkeling, exploring, partying and chilling out in one of the best dive destinations in the Caribbean.

Who Dives With Us?

We travel with a fun and diverse group of people who love adventure and having fun.  We travel in style and like a margarita or glass of wine at the end of the day.  It doesn’t matter whether you are a beginner or highly experienced, its about sharing some great dives during a fun week in the sun.  We have people that are just beginning and others with hundreds of dives.  Some divers have non diving spouses/partners.

Private beach dinner at Harbour Village

Lifelong friends are made with Global Diving Adventures

What’s the DEAL?

Harbour Village Beach Club (member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World) is the top boutique resort on Bonaire and they put together a great deal for us.  Plus when you go with us,  all the diving instruction including open water certification, advanced certification, nitrox certification and u/w photography instruction is free.  Yes, free.

What to Bring:

We can help with any gear rental you need and recommendations if you need to buy any gear.  Other than that, its bathing suits, t-shirts and flip flops.

What not to bring:

Attitude … unless its your happy diving attitude!

Whatever we do, it's ALWAYS a blast!

Details you want to know:

DATES Nov 5-12 2011
Package Price: (P/P based on double occupancy):
$1375.00 diver Courtyard or Marina View Room;
$1120.00 non-diver Courtyard or Marina View Room;
$800.00 per person upgrade to Beachfront Suite

Included: 7 nights Accommodations with continental breakfast at Harbour Village Beach Club , 6 days of diving (2 boat dives per day and unlimited shore diving -weather permitting), group transfers, services of expedition leaders including all certification courses taught, slide shows, shore snorkeling, sailboats/kayaks/tennis courts/jacuzzi and fitness center at Harbour Village and other fun stuff on the island.
Not Included: Air transportation, meals except breakfast, travel insurance, dive insurance, beverages, items of a personal nature, departure tax where applicable, excess baggage fees, SCUBA or snorkel equipment, marine park fees where applicable, dive staff gratuities.

ARRIVAL AIRPORT: Bonaire (BON)

WHO IS ORGANIZING AND LEADING THIS TRIP?

Ridlon and Carin Kiphart are highly accomplished expedition leaders, have guided on all seven continents and are members of the prestigious Explorers Club.  Together they have over 12,500 dives.  Ridlon is an accomplished underwater photographer and Carin was recently inducted into the SSI Platinum Pro 5000.

HOW DO I JOIN?

All you have to do is say, Yes.  Send us an email here.  We will need a 25% deposit, some paperwork and then you’re space is reserved.

We hope you will be inspired to join us!

To Your Adventures!

Mantagirl

Young Island, the dive and party place of the jet set will be OURS this August 6th-13th as we launch a James Bond style takeover of the floating sensation, the Coconut Bar.

Happy Times at the Coconut swim up bar on Young Island

Before the fall rolls around, soccer practice starts and your evening computer programing class sucks you in…..get away for one last summer fling.  

We are gathering our excellent friends, dive buddies and beach babes for a week of diving, beaching and just plain chilling out!!

We have teamed up with the incomparable Young Island Resort and Dive St. Vincent (who can resist owner Bill Tewes charm (?)) to search out the rare and the way cool critters that live in the waters off beautiful St. Vincent.

Great critters in the clear, blue Caribbean

We’ll dive in the mornings leaving ample time to explore the lush island of St. Vincent, enjoy the beach, the pool, or swim out to the coconut bar and enjoy the company of friends.

It’s a one week easy getaway to the blue waters of the Caribbean with Global Diving Adventures!

Stuff you’ll want to know:

DATES    Aug 6-13
Package

Price: (P/P based on double occupancy):

$2650.00 diver Superior Cottage

$
2950.00 diver Deluxe Cottage

$3550.00 diver Luxury Cottage with Private Plunge Pool
Included: 7 nights Accommodations at Young Island Resort, 5 days of diving (2 dives per day -weather permitting), BLD for seven days, group transfers, use of underwater digital camera and video, services of expedition leaders including any specialty courses taught, nitrox certification, slide shows and other fun stuff on the island.
Not Included: Air transportation, travel insurance, dive insurance, alcoholic beverages, items of a personal nature, departure tax where applicable, excess baggage fees, SCUBA or snorkel equipment, marine park fees where applicable, dive staff gratuities.
ARRIVAL AIRPORT: St. Vincent (SVD)

Email us for more information or to join us!
Sharkman@globaldivingadventures.com

To Your Adventures!

Mantagirl

For Mantagirl, it’s….well…manta rays of course!!! Why? I’ll explain, but first there seems to be a lot of confusion over different species of rays. Let me try to clear that up.

The three rays you are most likely to see snorkeling or diving in tropical oceans are the sting ray, spotted eagle ray and manta ray. They are very easily distinguishable from each other. Scientifically, they are all the same down the line of scientific classification through Order. They are all Elasmobranchs (cartilaginous fishes) and are all of the order Myliobatiformes. At the family level they split. Ah…yes, so many families split up these days…….

Anyways…..

Sting rays are named for the barb at the base of the tail and are the animals of stupid Steve Irwin fame. They feed mostly on mollusks and crustaceans and use smell and electro receptors to detect their prey in the sand. You can find them on the bottom often concealed in the sand. They are not aggressive and use their barbs only in self defense. These are the rays that people “swim” with at Stingray City in the Cayman Islands.

Sting rays like this Southern at Sting Ray City live on the bottom

Spotted Eagle rays are named for their white spots on the top of their bodies and reach a length of 8 feet measured wingtip to wingtip. They also have a defensive barb at the base of their tail. These magnificent rays have large heads and powerful mouths for crushing the shells of their main prey, mollusks and crustaceans. They are not bottom rays but powerful ocean swimming rays. While they skim the bottom for food, you will not see this ray laying on the bottom of the sea.

Spotted Eagle Rays are cean swimming rays that feed in the sand

Manta rays, in my opinion are the most stunning member of the ray family. And also the largest. The largest ocean going Pacific manta has been measured at 22 feet across!! They do not have barbs on their tails and do not feed in the sand. These rays are plankton feeders and use two fins on either side of their mouths to scoop and filter planktonic material out of the water. These cephalic fins are rolled up when not in use and open when the rays are either feeding or being cleaned at cleaning stations. Most mantas are countershaded for protection with white bellies and black tops, however mostly or all black mantas are not uncommon. Each manta has a distinct pattern of spots and splotches top and bottom.

Mantagirl filming three circling mantas at a cleaning station

So now that you can identify the different rays, let me tell you why I LOVE mantas. To me, they are the ballerinas of the sea. They are incredibly graceful and I get the feeling that they simply love life, making great loops and turns in the water. This is how they feed, by making huge back rolls scooping up plankton. It just looks like so much FUN! When they come into a cleaning station, they make long lazy turns like a 747 in the sky, allowing the cleaner fish to do their job.

They have these incredible piercing eyes behind their cephalic fins which seem to stare into my eyes whenever I am watching them. But it’s a kind stare, more of a gaze than a glare. I can, and do watch them for hours!

The best way to observe mantas is to go to a cleaning station. Give them some space around the station and stay outside of their “circle”. Then just settle in on the bottom and wait. The mantas become easily relaxed with you watching and will often become curious. Often, they will circle over your head and at times, I’ve even had to duck!! Each time they circle past those eyes captivate me! THIS is why manta rays ROCK!

Sit quietly and the mantas will often come right to you

Like all humans, when we have these kind of encounters, we like to think that we’ve made a special connection to an animal, that perhaps we’ve “bonded”. Maybe we do and maybe we don’t but the lasting memory of the experience leaves an impression for a lifetime.

What’s your favorite critter? Share your story!!

To Your Adventures!

Mantagirl

Global Diving Adventures is a premium provider of guided SCUBA diving vacations and advice on travel, adventure & the adventure lifestyle.  We provide our guests and friends the experiences and knowledge to live an extraordinary life through adventure.

Yesterday on Facebook, a friend named Jennifer commented on one of my photos.  She mentioned that she had tried scuba diving but had a bad experience.  This made me very sad.  But it was also not the first time I had heard this comment.  In fact, I hear it quite often.  So today I thought I would post to encourage all of you out there who have had a difficult, bad, scary, or downright frightening first experience in the water to try it again.

There is NOTHING in the world that compares to the feeling of scuba diving, the freedom of swimming free in the water and hanging out with the fishes.  Would YOU Like to be the one in manta photos I posted yesterday?  You can!!!!

This could be you!

So….here are five beginning tips that might help you turn a bad experience into one of a lifetime.

1. If you are nervous or afraid of trying scuba diving, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

You are not alone. Most people are nervous their first time on scuba

Understand that most everyone has this feeling.  You are relying both on unfamiliar equipment and often an unfamiliar instructor for your life support.  From the time I decided I wanted to learn to dive to the time I signed up for my course an entire year was wasted. I was that nervous.  Now, 25 years and 7500 dives later, it has altered the path of my life and become my greatest passion.

2. ASK QUESTIONS!

Many people do not ask questions when they go into new situations and so their fears remain.  If you don’t understand something, no matter how small and insignificant it may seem, ask your instructor.  My fear has always been flying and I used to be afraid that someone would open the door at 35,000 feet and we would all be sucked out of the plane.  Seem like a dumb thing?  Yep!  But I finally asked someone the question and learned that it was impossible to open the door while traveling 500 mph at 35,000 feet.  So, with education, I alleviated my fear.

3. TELL your instructor your fear.

Let your instructor know that you’ve tried this before and what happened.  If your fear is claustrophobia, or deep water or whatever, your instructor can explain the reasons not to have the fear you have.  I had a student once who was terrified of fish!!!  I never would have figured THAT one out!  Many people are claustrophobic and I am the world’s biggest claustrophobe!  BUT under the water, I feel like the world is totally open in front of me and I have none of that fear. An instructor can help you get over your fears, but you have to TELL them what they are.

4. Have the RIGHT equipment and conditions.

Be sure to have the right fitting equipment!

Again, since you are new to the sport, you probably don’t know what is the right equipment.  But you do know that if your mask is leaking something isn’t right.  If you experience a leaky mask, stop and ask for one that does fit your face.  If something doesn’t feel right you will obsess on whatever it is and you will have a miserable experience whether it is fins that don’t fit or your BCD that is digging into your back.  Just an aside, I think the mask is THE most important piece of equipment to be comfortable with.  If it is foggy or leaky you will have more of a tendency for panic.  So here is an important idea that I instill in my students.  Even if you cannot see (meaning your mask is flooding or leaking or foggy)  you CAN still breathe and while it may be uncomfortable and inconvenient, it can be easily solved, even underwater.  However, first and foremost be sure to have properly working equipment. Also, be sure to go out on a day with good weather conditions.  Rough seas and poor visibility can add stress to your experience.  Be patient and wait for the right time.

5. Find the RIGHT instructor!

Don’t be afraid to ask for credentials!  You are entrusting your life to your instructor.  Find out about them and if you have a nagging feeling that this is not the right person to teach you, find someone else.  Trust me, 23 years ago, you DID NOT want me as your instructor, just ask my little sister (sorry Cathy!).  Of course, since you are new to this whole sport, you probably feel you don’t know the right questions to ask.  You might ask how many first timers they’ve taken under or how long they have been teaching.  But if I were nervous about it or especially if I had a bad experience in the past, I would be sure to ask for the most patient instructor.  Also, many women prefer to have women teach them.  Don’t be afraid to make your request.  I love teaching women and instilling confidence in them.  I think that this is THE most important tip.  Find someone you know, like and trust or someone who will take the time to understand you and your fears, to give you this experience of a lifetime.

Find the right instructor for you. Here are three right here!

Find a patient instructor to show you the ropes!

Honestly, did you really like beer the first time you tried it?

How many things in your life were perfect the first time?  How many things did you not enjoy on your first try? Don’t let the fact that you had a poor first experience with scuba keep you out of the water the rest of your life.  Give it another go.  I KNOW you can have an amazing experience under the water and find a whole new world down there.  This post is for all the “Jennifers” out there who I encourage to try again!

Trust me!  I’m a scuba instructor!

To your Adventures!

Mantagirl

Global Diving Adventures is a premium provider of SCUBA diving vacations and advice on travel, adventure & the adventure lifestyle.  We provide our guests and friends the experiences and knowledge to live an extraordinary life through adventure.

Check us out at www.live-adventurously.com!

We all travel differently.  Mainly because we value different things.  Where do you put your emphasis?  How do you spend the dollars that you’ve allotted for your vacation?  It’s something to think about and plan for.  Perhaps if you put less dollars into getting there you could stay longer.  Or if you stayed in a nicer hotel it would impact your overall experience.  Maybe taking the cheap way out by traveling off season means your holiday is rained out and therefore ruined…. I recommend spending some time to determine what is important to you before you purchase.

Getting There

The Flight- First class or Economy??

For some, getting there in style and comfort is above all.  It’s first class flat bed seat or nothing.  Perhaps it’s because they are physically larger or taller and traveling around the world in an economy airplane seat would wreck them for a week.  The overall experience traveling first class is definitely less stressful and more fun.  You are treated with actual respect, offered a beverage in a real glass and served almost real food.

For me, economy does fine (though I love the upgrades when I get them).  I would rather spend my money elsewhere.  Often, I will take a flight with more stops or one that is less convenient to save money and put those resources to better use.  Fortunately, I am not a big person so I can survive economy.  I just slap on the noise canceling headphones, curl up in the seat and go to my happy place.

For some, it's the only way to travel.

Transit Overnights

Transit overnights can add a lot of cost to getting there.  But, again, it depends on what is important to you.  At Changi airport in Singapore for instance, there is a beautiful Crowne Plaza hotel you can stay at very conveniently and in luxury for about $200/night.  However, I can also grab a sleeping room inside the airport and pay by the hour.  I can get a good night’s sleep for about $50.  Again, when I travel, I prefer to put my money to use elsewhere rather than getting there.

Being There

Hotel/Resort

I am a firm believer in that you get what you pay for.  But here as well, think about what is important to you.  I have seen many people choose a budget hotel and then complain about the service and amenities.  However, you don’t have to stay in five star luxury to have a good time, unless that is what is important to you on a vacation.  And for our guests at Global Diving Adventures, good friends, good food and luxury accommodations are just as important as great diving.  So we focus on providing both.  This August we are hosting a group in Isla Mujeres.  Total cost for the trip will be about $3000/person for the week inclusive.  Yes, we could run the trip for $1500 BUT we would not be using the luxurious Villa Rolandi on a gorgeous beach with all the amenities.  Having a beautiful view, perhaps something romantic, a spacious junior suite the best food and highly experienced guides is worth a little extra.

Luxury travel with Global Diving Adventures, join us HERE in August 2011

I firmly believe you get what you pay for

Time of Year

Here is where many people get into trouble when they plan a trip.  You can find all the deals you want on the internet.  You can find incredible deals anywhere if it’s in the off season.  And here again, I say, you get what you pay for.  A few years ago, I was in Australia at a dive shop on Heron Island.  A diver was bitterly complaining about the dive conditions and the weather and how he could have had better diving if he had stayed in the Caribbean.  Then he blamed his travel agent.  I turned to him and explained that he had booked his trip during the middle of the rainy, low visibility season and that was not his travel agent’s fault.  He needed to be diligent about his research.  BUT….he got a deal…Some deal that turned out to be!  I knew it was the poor season to be there but it was the only time I could get there.  So I prepared myself for the rain and low vis and looked on it with a professional  eye for it’s potential for a future trip during the best dive season.

What Will You Remember?

You won't remember what you paid but you WILL remember this!

Price vs. Experience

And how many people care more about the price than the experience?  Well, I believe that it depends on when you ask them!!!  Ask people when they are planning the trip and they are all about saving money and the deal they are getting.  Ask them when they are ON the trip and they have a crummy hotel room, it’s raining and there are no whale sharks in sight because it’s not the right season.  People want the cheapest price first and then complain that their expectation did not meet their reality.

I’m not saying you can’t have an experience of a lifetime on a budget.  What I AM saying is to pay attention to where you are spending your money and make sure that you get the experience that you are expecting.  Down the road you won’t remember what you spent on that trip of a lifetime but you WILL remember the experience.

To your Adventures!

Mantagirl

check out our upcoming adventures at, www.live-adventurously.com.

Great friends, luxury travel!

Global Diving Adventures is a premium provider of SCUBA diving vacations and advice on travel, adventure & the adventure lifestyle.  We provide our guests and friends the experiences and knowledge to live an extraordinary life through adventure.

500+ sq ft villas to pamper our divers at Xandari

Pampered at Xandari Resort in San Jose

While in the San Jose area, we got out to see the sights taking a scenic drive up to Poas Volcano which cleared in and out giving us some views deep inside the crater followed by a great hike through the cloud forest while, Jorge, our guide taught us about the great flora in between joking around. We’ve known and worked with Jorge for about seven years so we had no doubt he would hit it off with everyone! He instantly became one of the family! We sampled the local strawberries just coming into season, found a rarely seen Quetzal bird, sampled Costa Rican Coffee and laughed A LOT! Ruben, being Columbian, found the bumper sticker, “Juan Valdez drinks Costa Rican Coffee” pretty hilarious!!

Carin and Liz sample the "just in season" strawberries

Ruben our Columbian, "What DID he think of this bumper sticker?"

Great fun siteseeing in the Central Valley

On the way down to the coast to meet the Argos, our dive boat, we welcomed a few more divers to our fold and headed down to one of the highest and most exciting zip lines in Costa Rica. Al strapped on his helmet cam and off we went flying through the forest. The fastest line was over 50mph!!! What a riot!!!! And of course, since we had Liz and Lee along, we stopped after the zipline for a celebratory Imperial, the local cerveza!

One of the highest zips in Costa Rica!

Over 50mph on this one!

Luxury on Board the Argo in Cocos Island

The Argo complete with luxury AND a sub!

We arrived at Argo mid afternoon. The Argo is the Undersea Hunter’s most upscale dive boat. With eight large and well appointed cabins, we were definitely traveling in style!!!! We were also loaded with Deep See, the incredible deep diving submarine, capable of taking the divers to a depth of 1000’!!!

The trip was specifically planned for the dry season in Costa Rica to give us the best chance of a smooth crossing. The thirty six hour ride out to Cocos Island can be a gut buster if you are prone to seasickness and can be a day and a half of misery! However, we had beautiful, calm seas and a sunny day to enjoy and made it in just 31 hours!

On the drive to Cocos!

Even Rebreather diving at Cocos Island!

We took advantage of the crossing time to surprise the divers with a special treat. One of Ridlon’s dreams was to do a rebreather expedition to Cocos. So we decided to bring along Ron Benson of Silent Explorers to give the divers an introduction to the true silent world underwater. Ron gave an inspiring talk, explaining the advantages as well as the intricacies of diving rebreathers. EVERYONE, including the crew was interested and attended the talk. Even for the divers who did not want to actually dive the rebreather, it was fascinating to learn! Ron brought both a KISS and a REVO rebreather for everyone to try, an INCREDIBLE experience.

Ridlon then gave a refresher talk on Nitrox since everyone would be diving on it to give longer bottom times at intermediate depths. Carin went about the business of setting up the dive gear, leaving the guests worry free to simply enjoy the day.

Before we knew it happy hour was upon us!!!!

Diving at Cocos Island with Undersea Hunter Group

The next morning we cranked up the tunes and got ready to dive!!!!! We planned the trip specifically for both the dry season and La Nina. During a La Nina, the water temperatures drop and the cool water brings the hammerheads and other sharks up shallow. However, sometimes you plan everything perfectly and it just doesn’t happen the way it’s supposed to. Welcome to dealing with mother nature! This La Nina is proving to be one of the strongest ever and exceptionally cold water brought nutrient rich upwellings. We had temperatures ranging 80 and visibility of 100’ in the very shallow waters of the southern sites like Dos Amigos but also 58 degrees and 30 foot vis at Punta Maria. So every morning, we scoured the dive sites sometimes checking three or four sites before finding the best one to dive. Having really cold temperatures deep, however, brought all the fish to the surface. We had HUGE schools of fish in the shallows but the hammerheads seemed to elude us most of the time.

The Yellow Team!

The Blue Team!

At Dos Amigos dive site, Cocos

That doesn’t mean we didn’t have fantastic dives!! Ridlon’s group had a spectacular dive at Shark Fin Rock with two dolphin playing with them for over 20 minutes! My group had a dive at Submerged rock with a gorgeous yellow fin tuna racing through a school of green jack with eight almaco jack on its heals. The “normal” predators of the reef like the trevally jack, simply sat in a school off the rock and let the “big boys” take over!

And how about the Deep Sea Sub at Cocos Island- What a Thrill!

One of the highlights of the trip was the sub. The Deep Sea sub works with both scientific teams as well as recreational divers. During our trip, the sub worked with the crew from “Ocean” who were there tagging hammerheads and tiger sharks. Five of our group also took the plunge to see what the world looks like at 1000’. For sure it was our deepest dive in our log books and an experience of a lifetime!

Deep Sea getting prepped for a dive

Ron, the rebreather instructor was the hit of the party! The majority of the divers gave the rebreather a try. And the outcome was that once they got down in the sand with no bubbles and waited quietly, schools of 25-30 hammerhead sharks flew overhead. They were not skittish or shy and at one point one hammerhead’s tail even hit Ron’s video camera! Wow, we now saw the amazing advantage of diving rebreathers! Once the first diver saw that, everyone lined up to give it a go!!!!!! Ridlon even managed to get fully certified to dive the KISS rebreather.

Ridlon gets rebreather certified!

Mike learns on the rebreather

The Shark Tribe- a Great Family of Diving Friends

It was fantastic to have many of our long time divers with us again such as Lee and Liz, Mike and Marcia, Raoul, and Ruben and Marilyn. It’s like a family reunion when we all get together. But it’s just as fun to welcome new divers to our group. We were joined on this trip by Mike from Florida whom we met diving in Fiji in March as well as Al, a long time skydiver who found us on ScubaBoard! Ron, our rebreathing instructor from Minnesota became an instant tribe member and Eric and Anne from France gave the group a great international feel. Rounding out the group was Janet and Dwight who found out about us through the Los Angeles Underwater Photography Society. So people are finding us through everything from our website to ScubaBoard to chance meetings in Fiji! It’s so much fun!!!

The seven days of diving went way too fast! We celebrated Eric’s 100th dive and Mike’s 200th as well as my birthday (we’ll just skip the numbers on that one!). We had bbq’s and waterfall hikes, happy hours and naps. We laughed until we couldn’t laugh any more and the wetsuits never dried from logging LOTS of bottom time.

Be careful celebrating 100 dives with THIS crew!

On the way back to Xandari for our last night of the trip, we hiked through Cararra National Park to see macaws and monkeys and cruised up the river to spot crocodiles and spoonbills.

It was an adventure filled two weeks and a great time had by all! Please join us for an upcoming adventure. To join our newsletter list and keep up on all the happenings of our tribe of divers, simply email me at: mantagirl@live-adventurously.com.

The 2011 "shark tribe"

We hope you will be inspired to join us!

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In a place as “fishy” as Raja Ampat, you expect to see anything and you do.  And as Dr. Seuss had a hand in the landscape, Disney went to work on the fish. If I were in charge to create a perfect seascape exhibit for Disney, I would come to Raja Ampat for inspiration and guidance.

The fish populations are healthy here in Raja Ampat

Like most dive areas, Raja Ampat has species that fill each niche in the ecosystem, the leading role if you will, but then everyone else fills in as extras and I do mean everyone.  Take Chaetadon for example, those pretty yellow butterfly fish.  In the area where I have been the past few days, the “eye patch” butterfly is probably the most seen.  Yet, my friends from other destinations are here too!  The Double Saddle butterfly fish of French Polynesia and the Pyramid butterflies of Palau are present.  And then there is Bennetts and Lined and Chevron and Ornate and Klein and Meyers and Oval Spot and and and….  What are they all doing here????

The Anthias and every species of Fusiller are in residence.  The number of blenney species defy logic and the Wrasse, well, what DOES one say about the Wrasse?  To begin with they are the most numerous family of fish on the planet and now here in Raja Ampat, I can’t even begin to count the species or even find them all in the book.  It seems to me that fish were created HERE, and then, in order to populate the rest of the ocean, various fish were picked out of the fish soup and given homes across the world.  I won’t even attempt to talk about the anemone fish.  I think the only ones I haven’t seen here are the endemic Fijian red and black anemone fish, because, well, of course, they are endemic!  And…given time, they will probably come here for vacation one day.  It seems that EVERY species in the fish world knows about Raja Ampat.

Hawkfish on a dendronepthia soft coral

gorgeous reefs!

So, I want to describe for you one of my dives today.  Suffice it to say that they have all been wonderful but this one was different.  This time of year, the visibility is not at its all time high, plankton fills the water which is fine as it is the life giving sustenance of the ocean.  Without plankton, we wouldn’t have the incredible life we do here.  So we are diving at a site called, Love Potion #9 (don’t ask, I have no idea!).  We marvel at the soft coral life on three submerged pinnacles and snap macro images of the anemone fish and wide angle shots of the sea fans.  Then we come around the west side of the small island in about 20 feet of water about 70 minutes into the dive.  There is a small cut about 100 feet wide and as we kick through the mild current running through here we notice the fuzzy water.  Fuzzy water or blurry water, occurs where two different temperatures mix.  Sure enough as we come up into the shallower water the temperature on my gauge inched up to 87.  But besides the fact that this is extremely warm (alarmingly warm) water, something magical happens.  The visibility opens up like a parting cloud.  Gin clear water lies before us.  And the fish apparently like it too.  HUGE schools of fish plaster the reef and I can barely see through them.

Disney came immediately to mind.  I couldn’t have stocked an aquarium with more fish and clearer water.  I felt certain I was diving in an artificial environment.  I waited for the loud speaker to announce that the E ticket ride was over.  The late afternoon sun streaming down completed the perfect picture.  We sat mesmerized in the cut so long our dive guide came back to see what had happened to us.  We were frozen in the moment in awe.

Eventually, somewhere around 90 minutes into the dive, we surfaced.  The planned night dive was scratched from my day’s itinerary as I wanted the image of this dive to stay etched in my mind for the rest of the day because I know that tomorrow, more magic awaits.

To your Adventures!

Mantagirl

The species list reads like a who’s who of the underwater world, everything from wobegongs to flasher wrasse to giant mantas.  It truly is the center of biodiversity for the planet.  Many species we only see a handful of, but that is in keeping with the way I learned about biodiversity.  I was told to picture a glass jar filled with colored marbles.  If there are only blue and white marbles, there will be many of each color, a good example of poor biodiversity.  However, if you have a multitude of species, and thus a multitude of different color marbles, then the jar will be a kaleidoscope of color but with only enough room for a few of each.  This is how I would describe Raja Ampat.

The creation of Disney and Dr. Seuss I'm sure!

But let’s get back to Dr. Seuss and Disney.  Let’s set the backdrop for this amazing multi act play.  As I’m swimming along the incredible slopes and walls, I am humbled by the sheer size, number, and health of the sea fans here.  It is truly an enchanted forest of fans.  They cover practically every square inch of available benthic space.  I first picture a sea of little Japanese women with their colorful fans all open and waving in the current.  But then I realize that this is more surreal and Dr. Seuss comes to mind.  I have visions of the oversized and truly mythical horn instruments in the books and I see these oversized and seemingly mythical sea fans in the same light. The colors are a palate of muted white, pink, yellow and green.  The impressionist painters could not have picked a more perfect blend of pastels and they remind me of children’s sidewalk chalk. I become lost in the never ending forest of beauty.

Sea fans everywhere the color of the rainbow!

In what little extra space is available on the floor of the sea, bright colored dendronepthia in hues of red and purple squeeze in along with squat yellow and green soft corals that remind me of stalks of cauliflower.  Black and white and green crinoids perch themselves on top of every available soft coral.  As delicate as china, green and yellow tubestrea hard corals shoot up like pine trees in the ever crowded forest.  Black coral trees, six and eight feet high, sway in the current.  Finally, sprinkled throughout, the eye catching colors of the sea squirts complete the landscape.  Their white, orange and blue gourd shaped bodies creating a lookout for blennies on the go.

Dr. Seuss has illustrated this landscape, I am certain.  Disney, ever the creator of magic, filled in the gaps with over 1300 species of fish, to create an unthinkable stage.