| Date |
Rating |
Location |
Description |
How we did it |
| 2008;
Jan 27 |
3.5 *** |
Mexico, Yucatan / Mayan Coast |
Ocean a bit murkey, tons of fish. Highlight was Cavern diving in
cenotes |
Cavern diving was the highlight of this trip. It's not cave diving,
cavern diving is much safer, with many requirements and restrictions to
avoid dangerous circumstances. Cenote caverns were quite different from
anything else I've done. Not much life, but fun to see stalactites and
stalagmites completely underwater! The top layer is cold fresh water,
and the bottom layer is warm sea/salt water leading to helioclines and
thermoclines. Easy to handle, and fun to play with. Best visibility and
pictures were near cenote openings to see light streaming into the
water. |
| 2005; Dec
13 |
3 *** |
Thailand |
Ko Phi Phi very clear, Krabi and Phuket not so clear. |
The Andaman Islands are supposed to be spectacular, though slightly
primitive. In Thailand, the best diving appears to be further away from
larger cities. (like many places :-) |
| 2005; April 05 |
4 ***** |
Australia; Great Barrier Reef |
Cairns is a good entry point; many live-aboards depart here and you
can stay on nearby islands. |
I took a trip with Taka and it was excellent. The boat and crew were
top notch. Note they let some people sign up last day or waiting list to
pay 1/2 price for a bunkroom berth. I took a shared cabin with 1 other
person & recommend it as you get your own bathroom. Seasickness pills
are a MUST. Much of the diving was similar to a good day in Hawaii.
Highlights were feeding the cod at cod hole (see the video) and finding
rockfish during a night dive. |
| 1997; Dec 05 |
1 * |
Jamaica; near Negril |
Many local reefs were mainly dead, no fish to be seen. Some all
inclusive resorts include free scuba. You get what you pay for. |
Very disappointing, perhaps other areas of Jamaica have fared
better. Many people live here in destitute poverty. I'd imagine they'd
fish anything they could to keep from being hungry. |
|
1997; Feb 18 |
5 ***** |
USA, Hawaii; Big Island, Kona |
The big island has the clearest waters for diving. Kona has many
outfits. |
Feb was whale season, and we heard them singing during every dive.
(but did not see them underwater) We saw dolphins from the boat, and at
one point they swam by us underwater, singing in tandem with the whales.
Spectacular. We stayed at the King Kamehameha hotel on the pier, so
morning dives were 5 mins away from waking up. |
| 1995;
Aug 10 |
4 **** |
USA, Hawaii; Kaui, Big Island, Oahu |
Kaui diving is mainly out of Poipu, this island is known for its red
dirt, visibility sucked. |
On Kona I got my advanced open water license. The local outfit was
awesome and took me out on days when there was no one else. Specialized
service! The manta ray night dive is not to be missed. We saw many of
them and pet them. Other cool animals: octopus, lobster, free swimming
eels, petting pufferfish. |
| 1994; ?? |
5 ***** |
Mexico; Cozumel |
Caribbean drift diving at its best. Not a lot of fish. Superb 200
foot+ visibility. Awesome coral structures and tunnels. |
This trip spoiled scuba diving for me, other places paled in
comparison. When USA Hawaii was $100 for a 2-tank dive, it was $50-$60
here. Bring your own octopus/computer if you have it, local equipment
often problematic. Drift diving at 60-90 feet with clear visibility to
the bottom at 200 feet below makes you feel like your flying. Nitrogen
narcosis helps too. |
| 1993; May 12 |
3 *** |
USA, Hawaii; Maui |
Primarily shore diving; boat to Lanai and Molokini fun too. The
waters were not very clear for this trip. |
This was our first trip since getting certified. Shore dives were a
great way to take it slowly at first and get used to Scuba and all the
checks. We saw sharks, eels, turtles. La Pelouse bay not that great, but
memorable for almost swimming to another island. |
| 1992; May 05 |
3 *** |
USA, Hawaii; Maui, Lanai |
Tried an intro to scuba diving program of Lanai. |
I was hooked! It was a small group of about 10 people and 2 dive
masters. We had 3-4 hours of instruction, then took a catamaran to Lanai
where the waters were crystal clear. We only went down about 30 feet,
but it was slow paced & comfortable, and a magical experience. We have a
short video clip (low quality). |
| TBD |
|
|
Maui trip with Mom, Lanai |
|
| |
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|
Maui trip with Kerstin, caving and a dive or two. |
|
Northern California has very cold water. On the plus side, you see different
fish, colorful starfish, tall kelp forests. On the other side, you have to wear
tons of equipment, making it hard to move. Dive sites are a ways from home, so
either 3-4 hours of driving are required, or overnight camping.