Background
I have always been a Jacque Cousteau fan since i was a kid. I wanted to dive and become a marine biologist when I grew up. I could not swim well, so I couldn't get my PADI thru the normal channels. I did lots of snorkeling whenever I could when travelling and then finally obtained my PADI in the Philippines (Bohol) later in life, at age of 32. I rarely went diving thereafter as I lived in Canada. I managed to get both of my kids into it too and they got their OW Padi at the age of 15 and 16 yrs old. They will have a whole life to look forward to diving. Snorkeling All you need is a good mask and snorkel and you are good to go anywhere in the world. Make sure it has a good silicone seal on the mask - so don't cheap out. You can't go wrong with big names such as Cressi or Mare. Fins are optional unless you have to swim far out or snorkel in shallow waters. You can see just as much snorkeling as you can scuba at ZERO cost. Just learn to hold your breath longer and to equalize. Top spots Puerto Morelos - Mayan Riviera - The national park just offshore from town has some of the best coral gardens I've seen, teaming with marine life. There a nice beach right in front too for apre-snorkeling Aqaba, Jordan - Red Sea - Japanese garden reef is great for snorkeling with healthy and colourful corals. Lion fish and hundreds of antheis and lots of large pufferfish Curacao - Great diversity for off shore snorkeling. It may not be abundant or teaming with marine life but it does offer a good variety - octopus, scorpion fish, lion fish, stone fish, yellowtail, puffer fish, squid, and moray eels. Swim with turtles and millions of fish at Playa Peskados. Koh Nang Yuan & Koh Tao -Thailand - crystal clear waters with lots of anenome fish, Juevenile harlequin sweet lips, black tip sharks. Phi Phi island is great place to see lots of clownfish (nemos) Yal Ku Lagoon - Akumal Beach Mexico - mix of fresh and salt water bring unique marine life. GIANT angel fish (2ft), GIANT parrot fish, and Giant Surgeon fish. At Akumal Beach, there are lots of manta rays, blue spotted rays, spotted eagle ray, barracuda, butterfly giant sunfish Negril Beach - Jamaica - good variety - pomfret fish, conch, moray, eels, scampi, rays Hanauma Bay Oahu - shallow waters full of boxfish, file fish, moorish idol and blue tank. Also great spots at Kapalua Beach in Maui, Popoi Beach in Kaui Lovina beach - Indonesia - very good reefs teaming with marine life it not blasted by dynamite by fishermen Looe Key Reef - Florida Keys - you must take a boat out - tons of moon jellies and Portuguese man of war. But you will be rewarded by seeing Hog Fish, Shark, Barracuda. Also John Pennekamp is great place to snorkel and to see statue of Christ Malindi Beach - Kenya - lots of giant groupers, triggerfish Las Terenas (Samana, Dom Rep) - lobster, flounders, trumpetfish, conch, morays Mangahana Beach (Saipain Micronesia) - Crystal clear reef teaming with butterfly angel and yellowtail and healthy colourful coral gardens (hard and soft) Puerto Galeria - Philippines Nice reefs with Chromis, grouper, cornetfish, French grunts Azul Cenote Mexico - for something different snorkel in fresh water sink holes to see lots of fresh water fish and guppies El Garafon - Cancun - very popular snorkeling spot with underwater art museum too of Isla Mujeres. Doctor's Cove - Montego Bay - Good coral formations teaming with life. Deep waters off beach Scuba The advantage of diving is you can relax and not worry about coming up for air. It's very peaceful down at 18m and it's an incredible feeling when you float on your back and look up at the surface from below. It's like you're in the Abyss or dead with the gateway to heaven above you. An open water certification allows you to go up to 18m down which is sufficient for most dives. It will range in the $350 to $400 US to obtain it. If you have time, do a crash course (usually 3-4 days) while on vacation and get some nice dives in as part of your training. Always ask the ratio - instructor to student. Private lessons are great but may come at a premium. The course now requires you to be a good swimmer, and is all online vs old school book. I don't believe anyone has failed. It's more a lesson in safety protocol. I always found buoyancy the hardest esp. at the 5m stop when coming back up. You don't want the bends ! Top Spots: Bohol - Philippines - great wall diving with abundant of sea life. Seahorse, nudibranch, lionfish, frogfish, mandarin fish, sea snake, leafy dragons and thousands of colorful fish Cozumel Mexico - one the best spots in the world. Drift diving is effortless. Great variety of marine life from giant tarpons to great barracuda, spiny lobster, & rays & jacks. Lots of small fish such as anthias, Indonesia (Gili Islands) - great place with many dive spots. Turtles turtle, sharks, lobsters, coral gardens, thousands of fish. Did 4 dives here. Great facilities Koh Tao - Thailand most dive shops in Asia it has become a mecca for diving in Thailand. One daughter got her PADI there. - Great place to learn or attempt to see Whale Sharks - not me. But tons of fish and anemone Mayan Riviera - Mexico - lots of spots near Playa De Carmen as it's extension of Cozumel Aqaba Jordan - Red Sea - Cedar pride shipwreck was huge and lots of coral already growing. Shore dive so easy. Rainbow reef another shore dive. Lots of giant puffer fish, lionfish, turtles, and reef fish (giant angelfish, fake clownfish, antheis etc..) Cienfuegios Cuba - nice undisturbed reef with coral gardens Curacao, Dutch Antilles - great offshore diving. Great laid back place to get certified esp at Playa Mari or Playa Casa Abao. Seahorses, turtles, eels, abound these waters. La Romana, Dominican Rep - Throne Garden has some nice coral fans but not a lot of sea life. Photo Equipment People will want to capture what they see all the time. You should sometimes just put away the camera and just enjoy what you see in front of you esp when scubaing, instead of worrying about getting that great shot. You are down there for 40-50 mins, so just relax and enjoy. A fish is a fish, so you can see it later on Planet Earth or another Marine documentaries. GoPro 5 Black - Great little camera. It even has a 4K setting but I will rarely film in that format as takes way too much memory and stabilization won't work at that setting. 1080p and 60 fps does just fine. Stabilization is better than the SJCAM but not as good as newer GP models 7 & 8 & 9. You must buy underwater casing if going > 12 metres. Batteries are about $30 for an extra. SJCAM 4000 - great inexpensive camera with great results. Screen and removeable battery. Tons of free accessories come with it. Pic and video quality are good - colours are a bit saturated. But no true 60fps video capturing so slow-mo playback is not the greatest. But at the price, it's a great bang for the buck. Includes all accessories including case, attachments. Make sure it's not a knock off as those are inferior. This camera was very comparable to the GP4 but much cheaper and had a screen. The camera makes for a great back up or second action camera now. Photo Tips:
Diving Tips:
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Anenome Fish & Anenome - Koh Nan Yuan Thailand
Swimming with Turtles - Playa Peskado - Curacao
The Abyss - Schoals of Sardines - Curacao
Coral Formations - Hin Wong Bay - Koh Tao
Diving the Chumphon Pinnacles - Koh Tao, Thailand
Shoal of Yellowtail Fuseli - Tanote Bay - Koh Tao
Conch and Grunt - Samana - Dominican Republic
Stone Fish - Curacao - Dutch Antilles
Giant Claim, Koh Tao
Shipwreck of Cedar Pride - Red Sea Aqaba - Jordan
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Japanese Garden - Red Sea Aqaba Jordan
Underwater Statues of Gili M Island, Lombok, Indonesia
Scuba off Gili T Lombok Indonesia - Family fun
My YOUTUBE VIDEOS
FISH IDENTIFICATION (species I've seen)
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