S is for SCUBA dive on a Live Aboard

I first got certified to SCUBA dive in 2006 in Útila, Honduras.  Since then, I make sure I can dive wherever I go. I’ve dived in Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Belize, Chile, Colombia, and Cuba.  I even plan to dive in Poland when I go to Eastern Europe in a couple of weeks.  All of these dives were either shore or boat day trips out to sites. The most I’ve ever dived consecutively is when I got certified in Honduras and dived five or so days in a row. It was amazing.

 My bucket list goal is to dive on a live aboard boat.  Live aboards are trips in which you stay on the boat for five to seven days and dive pretty much as much as you want the whole time. You eat, dive, eat, drink, dive, dive, sleep. Then you wake up the next day and do it all over again.  The boat tours around the whole time so you’re diving in different sites.

I’ve never considered myself all that avid of a diver. It is hard to be when you live in land locked Colorado, but of course, I make it a point whenever I can to get a few dives in whenever I go anywhere near water.  I would love to stay on a live aboard and really devote myself to honing my skills underwater, not to mention see more underwater life than I’ve ever seen.

Live aboads are everywhere there is diving. They are not cheap, but I think they are usually worth it if you add up the cost of each dive individually.  I’m thinking about Bali or The Philippines or Thailand. I’ll spend a week on the boat and then travel around a new country.  

Cuban Blog Day #16 Ask For What You Want. You Just Might Get It

Diving! When you live in Colorado, it’s a little hard to SCUBA dive.  I make sure every trip I take includes some sort of diving so as not to get rusty.  It still doesn’t work all that well. Each new dive, I’m a little nervous and worried that I may have forgotten how to do it.  To ease that worry I’m not shy about telling my Dive Master that it’s been awhile since my last dive.  This usually results in a little extra attention underwater, which in turns relaxes me a bit.

I got to the dive shop and was happy to see it wasn’t a full boat, just a Canadian girl and two older Mexican men.  While getting ready, I casually mentioned to no one in particular that it was a dream of mine to see seahorses.  They are so tiny that they are often hard to spot. Generally the Dive Master needs to know where they are and take you there. They are also bottom dwellers that prefer sea grass beds, so they are usually out of the way of typical dive sites.

We suited up and got situated on the boat.  We didn’t ride far before we stopped and the Canadian and our Dive Master and I jumped in. To my surprise, we were first going to the sea floor to find some seahorses.  We floated on the bottom of the ocean and watched five seahorses tiny enough to fit in the palm of my hand dance up and down in the water.  They were beautiful and magical and everything I’d hoped they would be. I checked that dream off my list. It was hard to leave that spot.

But we had to move on, first to a wreck where there was a plaque dedicated to The Cuban Five.  I had been seeing posters all around Cuba, my favorite being a hand in a high five position, saying, ‘Obama, give us five.’ I did a little research and found out that these are five Cuban spies who were ‘captured’ and are detained in a Miamiprison.  You’d think the destiny of Cubarested solely in these five men’s hands by they way they are honored and revered around Cuba.  I couldn’t believe I was actually seeing this propaganda underwater as well!

After the wreck, I was more comfortable underwater and really enjoyed roaming through The Labyrinth with all its nooks, crannies, tunnels and holes to swim through. The wall was just amazing and teeming with fish and coral. 

We surfaced and went back to land to wait for our next dive. This one was two different wrecks. I saw an awesome lionfish and later learned from one of the Mexican men that lionfish are actually very unwelcome and not endemic to these waters. He told of an aquarium in Floridawhich burst open during Hurricane Andrew and said this is how the lionfish came to be in these waters.  He said in Mexicothey pay people to catch these fish to help keep the other fish around. Such a shame that such a lovely fish causes so much harm.  I also saw a trumpet fish, an eel and the biggest school of parrot fish I’ve ever seen. I mean, it just kept going and going.

They were both great dives, and I was so happy to be back underwater again.  I was also thrilled to see how comfortable and relaxed I was and very much looking forward to more dives in Cuba.

The Mexican men were staying at the all inclusive resort and invited me to a Cuba Libra. I wasn’t sure it would work, but they assured me it would. And it did. I sat and drank with them for an hour or so after our dive. They also treated me to lunch.  We talked about other places we’ve dived. They’d been everywhere, and they invited me to come visit and dive with them in Mexico. I hope to one day take them up on that.

Traveling Tip # 18 Ask for what you want. You just might get it

 

I never thought we’d actually go and find some seahorses. It was just one of those things divers talk about, their ‘White Whale’ (pun intended.)  We shoot the breeze while gearing up chatting about what we have yet to see (side note- My new ‘White Whale’ is in fact a whale of sorts… my diving life will be complete as soon as I dive with a Whale Shark.) I think due to the small size of our group, the Dive Master was able to make my dream happen, but he’d never know to do it if I hadn’t have thrown it out there.  Always, always ask for what you want. It can never hurt.

Cuban Blog Day #16 Ask For What You Want. You Just Might Get It

Diving! When you live in Colorado, it’s a little hard to SCUBA dive.  I make sure every trip I take includes some sort of diving so as not to get rusty.  It still doesn’t work all that well. Each new dive, I’m a little nervous and worried that I may have forgotten how to do it.  To ease that worry I’m not shy about telling my Dive Master that it’s been awhile since my last dive.  This usually results in a little extra attention underwater, which in turns relaxes me a bit.

I got to the dive shop and was happy to see it wasn’t a full boat, just a Canadian girl and two older Mexican men.  While getting ready, I casually mentioned to no one in particular that it was a dream of mine to see seahorses.  They are so tiny that they are often hard to spot. Generally the Dive Master needs to know where they are and take you there. They are also bottom dwellers that prefer sea grass beds, so they are usually out of the way of typical dive sites.

We suited up and got situated on the boat.  We didn’t ride far before we stopped and the Canadian and our Dive Master and I jumped in. To my surprise, we were first going to the sea floor to find some seahorses.  We floated on the bottom of the ocean and watched five seahorses tiny enough to fit in the palm of my hand dance up and down in the water.  They were beautiful and magical and everything I’d hoped they would be. I checked that dream off my list. It was hard to leave that spot.

But we had to move on, first to a wreck where there was a plaque dedicated to The Cuban Five.  I had been seeing posters all around Cuba, my favorite being a hand in a high five position, saying, ‘Obama, give us five.’ I did a little research and found out that these are five Cuban spies who were ‘captured’ and are detained in a Miami prison.  You’d think the destiny of Cuba rested solely in these five men’s hands by they way they are honored and revered around Cuba.  I couldn’t believe I was actually seeing this propaganda underwater as well!

After the wreck, I was more comfortable underwater and really enjoyed roaming through The Labyrinth with all its nooks, crannies, tunnels and holes to swim through. The wall was just amazing and teeming with fish and coral. 

We surfaced and went back to land to wait for our next dive. This one was two different wrecks. I saw an awesome lionfish and later learned from one of the Mexican men that lionfish are actually very unwelcome and not endemic to these waters. He told of an aquarium in Florida which burst open during Hurricane Andrew and said this is how the lionfish came to be in these waters.  He said in Mexico they pay people to catch these fish to help keep the other fish around. Such a shame that such a lovely fish causes so much harm.  I also saw a trumpet fish, an eel and the biggest school of parrot fish I’ve ever seen. I mean, it just kept going and going.

They were both great dives, and I was so happy to be back underwater again.  I was also thrilled to see how comfortable and relaxed I was and very much looking forward to more dives in Cuba.

The Mexican men were staying at the all inclusive resort and invited me to a Cuba Libra. I wasn’t sure it would work, but they assured me it would. And it did. I sat and drank with them for an hour or so after our dive. They also treated me to lunch.  We talked about other places we’ve dived. They’d been everywhere, and they invited me to come visit and dive with them in Mexico. I hope to one day take them up on that.

Traveling Tip # 18 Ask for what you want. You just might get it

 

I never thought we’d actually go and find some seahorses. It was just one of those things divers talk about, their ‘White Whale’ (pun intended.)  We shoot the breeze while gearing up chatting about what we have yet to see (side note- My new ‘White Whale’ is in fact a whale of sorts… my diving life will be complete as soon as I dive with a Whale Shark.) I think due to the small size of our group, the Dive Master was able to make my dream happen, but he’d never know to do it if I hadn’t have thrown it out there.  Always, always ask for what you want. It can never hurt.

R is for Roatan

I visited the islands of Hondurasas often as possible while I lived in Comayagua.  I got SCUBA certified in Utila and advanced certified in Roatan. I established my life as a diver on the islands. I feel in love underwater.

My trips to Roatan were lackadaisical and carefree. I loved island life. I loved diving. I made elaborate plans in my head how I could return to either island and teach there, or simply become a dive bum.  Alas, that never did happen, though I still have aspiration of living on an island one day. Instead, I would visit and relish the island life I so longed for the rest of my time in Honduras. I enjoyed a simpler pace of life there, with rolling blackouts and water outs.  The only traffic consisted of golf carts, bikes and the occasional horse. The rum was plentiful and the people friendly and kind. The diving was incredible and cheap.  The nightlife was always alive.

Another thing I enjoyed about the islands was the language. The first language on the islands is English, though not an English I was ever used to hearing. It was more of sing songy, Jamaican-y English that I couldn’t hear enough of.  I’d eavesdrop on little blonde haired blued eyed girls, natives of the islands, while having breakfast in a café and simply be in awe of their language which I could barely make out as my own.  I found it even more fascinating because the rest of the country spoke Spanish, which I struggled to speak daily while living there.

There is little that would bring me back to mainland Honduras, especially now, as the violence and corruption increases.  But the islands will always hold a special spot in my heart, and I would eagerly return and do another dive.

R is for Roatan

I visited the islands of Honduras as often as possible while I lived in Comayagua.  I got SCUBA certified in Utila and advanced certified in Roatan. I established my life as a diver on the islands. I feel in love underwater.

My trips to Roatan were lackadaisical and carefree. I loved island life. I loved diving. I made elaborate plans in my head how I could return to either island and teach there, or simply become a dive bum.  Alas, that never did happen, though I still have aspiration of living on an island one day. Instead, I would visit and relish the island life I so longed for the rest of my time in Honduras. I enjoyed a simpler pace of life there, with rolling blackouts and water outs.  The only traffic consisted of golf carts, bikes and the occasional horse. The rum was plentiful and the people friendly and kind. The diving was incredible and cheap.  The nightlife was always alive.

Another thing I enjoyed about the islands was the language. The first language on the islands is English, though not an English I was ever used to hearing. It was more of sing songy, Jamaican-y English that I couldn’t hear enough of.  I’d eavesdrop on little blonde haired blued eyed girls, natives of the islands, while having breakfast in a café and simply be in awe of their language which I could barely make out as my own.  I found it even more fascinating because the rest of the country spoke Spanish, which I struggled to speak daily while living there.

There is little that would bring me back to mainland Honduras, especially now, as the violence and corruption increases.  But the islands will always hold a special spot in my heart, and I would eagerly return and do another dive.