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Apr 21, 2012 01:02:57   #
krashzmom Loc: Columbia, SC
 
I just wanted to put some of my first snorkeling pictures and almost my last. These started in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. They really played havoc with the eco system by feeding fish and that's why they were so abundant in the first pictures and to be honest, it was fun playing with them. We moved on to the British Virgin Islands where we found The Baths. The shallow water through these massive boulders had little fish in the water from 12" deep to about 4 ft. deep and when you got out to deeper water, the same fish only 4 times larger were there. It was amazing. We got caught in a tropical storm and had to ferry back to the American Virgin Islands to fly home. I had studied the weather, etc. for that time of year to make sure it was safe and it was the first tropical storm since 1957. (go figure) Two weeks after we returned I had a brain hemorrhage and no one thought I'd live through it. My husband said I told him (I have no memory of the whole month in ICU) that I'd die happy after the underwater and traveling adventures we'd had. I still say that even though hanging around for more is good too. :-) :oops: :-D The Virgin Islands weren't our favorite but the Baths were great.

That's not my leg. :)
That's not my leg. :)...









The storm started making the water murky.
The storm started making the water murky....

The rocks in back were the maze over and under water.
The rocks in back were the maze over and under wat...



It's hard to describe unless you've been there.
It's hard to describe unless you've been there....

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Apr 21, 2012 08:57:12   #
George H Loc: Brooklyn, New York
 
Mom,
As you know I am glad you decided to hang around. For these to be some of your first photos, I applaud you. I would have loved to see what you would produce if you had learned to dive. Today is my 40th wedding anniversary and it is great to see such beautiful photos.

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Apr 23, 2012 21:24:43   #
Scubadoo Loc: Central Indiana
 
That looks like a really cool beach,haven't seen anything like that in my travels yet...and happy anniversary George :)

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Apr 23, 2012 22:07:05   #
krashzmom Loc: Columbia, SC
 
Thanks George for the compliments and Happy belated Anniversary. You always make me feel good about my photos and if you have suggestions let me know. I would have sworn I had responded to this. Hope you are doing well and your wife is seeing much better. A friend of mine said she saw better than she had in years.

Scubadoo - You should check out the baths and if a tropical storm comes along just don't dive for a day or two. :-) You wouldn't see anything anyway. Gets real murky right before and the wind blows straight ahead, not wavy or round in circles. My husband opened the balcony door and I thought he was going to blow out of the back door. :-D

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Apr 30, 2012 20:35:13   #
kevindcornwell Loc: Hilo, Hawaii
 
I'd love to visit! But you said the Virgins weren't your favorite. Why? Looks good to me. (or, at least your photos look good to me ;-)

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Apr 30, 2012 21:21:05   #
krashzmom Loc: Columbia, SC
 
kevindcornwell wrote:
I'd love to visit! But you said the Virgins weren't your favorite. Why? Looks good to me. (or, at least your photos look good to me ;-)


I loved the Baths on Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands and there were some good places on Tortolla but with the tropical storm coming in it murked up the water. I'd say there were no good places in the American Virgin Islands but I guess it just felt kind of dangerous. We went to park at Coki beach (which was the place they gave you dog biscuits to feed the fish, wrong) and felt like there was some shady characters parking for us. I had a brand new prescription mask and snorkel and turned my head for maybe 3 minutes and wasn't that far from it and turned around and it was gone. We like to explore like we do in Hawaii but felt it wasn't safe. I heard St. John was good snorkeling but we didn't make it there and be prepared to show your passport every time you get on the ferry. I guess mainly it was just a lot of trouble, but the fish were pretty. :D :D :thumbup:

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Apr 30, 2012 21:50:09   #
George H Loc: Brooklyn, New York
 
krashzmom wrote:
kevindcornwell wrote:
I'd love to visit! But you said the Virgins weren't your favorite. Why? Looks good to me. (or, at least your photos look good to me ;-)


Kevin,
The Virgins both American and British are not really the best for diving or snorkeling. The Baths on Virgin Gorda are unique in that these boulders are the size of small houses. Now I had a friend that had a dive operation on Tortolla but he died and I have not been back there. Unfortunately everywhere in the Caribbean right now is experiencing a crime wave with things being stolen. If you can't take it with you don't bring it. Plain and simple, tourism is off, the economy is bad so people are turning to theft.

George

I loved the Baths on Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands and there were some good places on Tortolla but with the tropical storm coming in it murked up the water. I'd say there were no good places in the American Virgin Islands but I guess it just felt kind of dangerous. We went to park at Coki beach (which was the place they gave you dog biscuits to feed the fish, wrong) and felt like there was some shady characters parking for us. I had a brand new prescription mask and snorkel and turned my head for maybe 3 minutes and wasn't that far from it and turned around and it was gone. We like to explore like we do in Hawaii but felt it wasn't safe. I heard St. John was good snorkeling but we didn't make it there and be prepared to show your passport every time you get on the ferry. I guess mainly it was just a lot of trouble, but the fish were pretty. :D :D :thumbup:
quote=kevindcornwell I'd love to visit! But you s... (show quote)

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May 1, 2012 00:36:00   #
krashzmom Loc: Columbia, SC
 
If you want to leave Hawaii to see some places I'm sure George will agree, Bonaire would be my place of choice. Some of my friends also say Grand Cayman is a good place to dive, but other than Hawaii, my choice is Bonaire, hands down.
. :thumbup:

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May 1, 2012 08:04:48   #
George H Loc: Brooklyn, New York
 
krashzmom wrote:
If you want to leave Hawaii to see some places I'm sure George will agree, Bonaire would be my place of choice. Some of my friends also say Grand Cayman is a good place to dive, but other than Hawaii, my choice is Bonaire, hands down.
. :thumbup:


Mom,
I could never argue with that recommendation, Bonaire is one of my favorites. I also love Grand Cayman, St Lucia, Roatan and Cozumel. Now my all time favorite is the Islands off of Thailand (Phuket), and the greatest of all the Great Barrier Reef, the ultimate snorkelers destination.

George

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May 1, 2012 14:00:04   #
krashzmom Loc: Columbia, SC
 
George H wrote:
krashzmom wrote:
If you want to leave Hawaii to see some places I'm sure George will agree, Bonaire would be my place of choice. Some of my friends also say Grand Cayman is a good place to dive, but other than Hawaii, my choice is Bonaire, hands down.
. :thumbup:


Mom,
I could never argue with that recommendation, Bonaire is one of my favorites. I also love Grand Cayman, St Lucia, Roatan and Cozumel. Now my all time favorite is the Islands off of Thailand (Phuket), and the greatest of all the Great Barrier Reef, the ultimate snorkelers destination.

George
quote=krashzmom If you want to leave Hawaii to se... (show quote)


I heard another friend say something about the places at Thailand and Vietnam (of all places). I want to go to Grand Cayman and Roatan also. I've never though much about Cozumel or St. Lucia. I saw a lot about Belize and Dominica also, but David was hesitant about both due to the volatile governments. Have you been to either of those? My dream place is Fiji not only for the snorkeling but also looks like a neat place. Great barrier reef... maybe after we retire and have loads of money. :D

David (husband) got me a book by a guy name Jeffrey Rotman, a diver, and it's all pictures of fish from all over the world and where he saw them. He must've lived on Sinai Peninsula and the fish were amazing.

Kevin, have you been to Fiji or any of those islands? They are about 5 hours on the other side of you, right?

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May 1, 2012 15:09:51   #
George H Loc: Brooklyn, New York
 
krashzmom wrote:
George H wrote:
krashzmom wrote:
If you want to leave Hawaii to see some places I'm sure George will agree, Bonaire would be my place of choice. Some of my friends also say Grand Cayman is a good place to dive, but other than Hawaii, my choice is Bonaire, hands down.
. :thumbup:


Mom,
I could never argue with that recommendation, Bonaire is one of my favorites. I also love Grand Cayman, St Lucia, Roatan and Cozumel. Now my all time favorite is the Islands off of Thailand (Phuket), and the greatest of all the Great Barrier Reef, the ultimate snorkelers destination.

George
quote=krashzmom If you want to leave Hawaii to se... (show quote)


I heard another friend say something about the places at Thailand and Vietnam (of all places). I want to go to Grand Cayman and Roatan also. I've never though much about Cozumel or St. Lucia. I saw a lot about Belize and Dominica also, but David was hesitant about both due to the volatile governments. Have you been to either of those? My dream place is Fiji not only for the snorkeling but also looks like a neat place. Great barrier reef... maybe after we retire and have loads of money. :D

David (husband) got me a book by a guy name Jeffrey Rotman, a diver, and it's all pictures of fish from all over the world and where he saw them. He must've lived on Sinai Peninsula and the fish were amazing.

Kevin, have you been to Fiji or any of those islands? They are about 5 hours on the other side of you, right?
quote=George H quote=krashzmom If you want to le... (show quote)


Susan,
I have been diving all over the world, I have been diving on every Island in the Caribbean and also the countries surrounding it. I have been to Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia. Have been in Vladivostok Russia with a friend who has a dive operation there, dove the Red Sea the Sinai Pen and all the Islands there also. Dove off of Greece, Egypt, Italy, I have been a very fortunate person to have dived all over the world.

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May 1, 2012 15:54:43   #
krashzmom Loc: Columbia, SC
 
George H wrote:
krashzmom wrote:
George H wrote:
krashzmom wrote:
If you want to leave Hawaii to see some places I'm sure George will agree, Bonaire would be my place of choice. Some of my friends also say Grand Cayman is a good place to dive, but other than Hawaii, my choice is Bonaire, hands down.
. :thumbup:


Mom,
I could never argue with that recommendation, Bonaire is one of my favorites. I also love Grand Cayman, St Lucia, Roatan and Cozumel. Now my all time favorite is the Islands off of Thailand (Phuket), and the greatest of all the Great Barrier Reef, the ultimate snorkelers destination.

George
quote=krashzmom If you want to leave Hawaii to se... (show quote)


I heard another friend say something about the places at Thailand and Vietnam (of all places). I want to go to Grand Cayman and Roatan also. I've never though much about Cozumel or St. Lucia. I saw a lot about Belize and Dominica also, but David was hesitant about both due to the volatile governments. Have you been to either of those? My dream place is Fiji not only for the snorkeling but also looks like a neat place. Great barrier reef... maybe after we retire and have loads of money. :D

David (husband) got me a book by a guy name Jeffrey Rotman, a diver, and it's all pictures of fish from all over the world and where he saw them. He must've lived on Sinai Peninsula and the fish were amazing.

Kevin, have you been to Fiji or any of those islands? They are about 5 hours on the other side of you, right?
quote=George H quote=krashzmom If you want to le... (show quote)


Susan,
I have been diving all over the world, I have been diving on every Island in the Caribbean and also the countries surrounding it. I have been to Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia. Have been in Vladivostok Russia with a friend who has a dive operation there, dove the Red Sea the Sinai Pen and all the Islands there also. Dove off of Greece, Egypt, Italy, I have been a very fortunate person to have dived all over the world.
quote=krashzmom quote=George H quote=krashzmom ... (show quote)


jealous! :-D :P :-D

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May 3, 2012 03:42:51   #
kevindcornwell Loc: Hilo, Hawaii
 
I spent a year teaching on Majuro in the Marshall Islands. I'll never forget the clarity of the water. Plus, sharks on every dive.

I'd also like to go to Fiji. It's on my bucket list.

You mentioned that Belize made David uncomfortable. I thought Belize, of all the central american states, was quite stable. What put David off?

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May 3, 2012 13:09:37   #
krashzmom Loc: Columbia, SC
 
kevindcornwell wrote:
I spent a year teaching on Majuro in the Marshall Islands. I'll never forget the clarity of the water. Plus, sharks on every dive.

I'd also like to go to Fiji. It's on my bucket list.

You mentioned that Belize made David uncomfortable. I thought Belize, of all the central american states, was quite stable. What put David off?


Where are Marshall Islands?

As for Belize, he probably read something a while back that caught his attention. He tends to hang on to things. I haven't given up on it though because I've heard that it's a great snorkeling place. He likes Bonaire, but mostly Hawaii. We're talking about retiring to Maui but don't know if we'll be able to afford it. That may be a pipe dream. :cry: :D :D

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May 3, 2012 16:31:43   #
kevindcornwell Loc: Hilo, Hawaii
 
The Marshall's? Another two thousand miles west beyond Hawaii. Below Guam. I remember days when we had at least 300 foot visibility. It makes every other place look murky.

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