First-time scuba diving for under $100? Where in the world?

by Aaron Hotfelder on

I’ve wanted to go scuba diving for as long as I can remember. To be able to inhale and exhale underwater while swimming near schools of brightly colored fish and jaw-dropping coral– how could that possibly not be a Top Ten Life Experience? My desire to go diving was only intensified on my recent trip to Mexico by the scores of other travelers who told me, “You must go scuba diving before you leave!”

“Believe me, I’d love to,” I always thought. Unfortunately, shelling out hundreds of dollars for a PADI-certification course, the multi-day training program wannabe scuba divers usually must enroll in before their first dive, was not in my meager budget.

So how did I get around this rather formidable financial obstacle? How did I go scuba diving for the first time for less than $100? Through a PADI-approved program called Discover Scuba Diving, an introductory course available at most dive shops throughout the world.

I enrolled in this $90-dollar course at Dreamtime Dive Resort, a well-run dive shop in the town of Mahahual, Mexico, located on the southern part of the Yucatan Peninsula. Dreamtime’s owner, a French expat named Yama Saad-Zoi, is a former member of the French Special Forces and, in addition to being a divemaster, also used to work as a skydiving instructor. Despite his small frame, Yama appears to be a man who not only ignores fear but seeks it out just to spit in its face.He’s also one hell of a determined guy. When Hurricane Dean damaged Dream Time in August of 2007, Yama and his dedicated staff began shoveling the sand out of his shop only days after the storm hit. “There was about one meter of sand in here,” Yama told me during a brief tour of his clean, obsessively organized shop. “The hurricane threw scuba diving equipment everywhere. We were digging out and it was like, ‘Here’s a mask, here are fins… Oh, here’s a dead body,” he joked.

Yama and his crew got the shop up and running in October, 2007, only two months after the hurricane hit Mahahual. But just when Dreamtime was getting back on its feet, swine flu arrived in Mexico, scaring away millions of tourists and thousands of would-be scuba divers. Having heard about all the bad luck to hit this particular dive shop, I felt a little bit like my enrollment in this course was my “good deed” for the day. (Clearly I do not set the bar for what is a “good deed” very high.)

The Discover Scuba Diving course itself was brief and relatively simple. After my diving instructor Victor spent about an hour of “classroom” time explaining to me the physics and fundamentals of scuba diving, we hopped into the boat and began a pleasant fifteen-minute ride to a great diving spot called Caracol. I strapped on the fins, mask, air tank, and weight belt, and plunged backwards into the water as I had been shown just moments before. Victor and I spent several minutes in shallow water so that I could become accustomed to breathing into the regulator and practice some other basic scuba diving skills, like how to clear the mask of water. Despite having to absorb a lot of information in a short amount of time, I was more than ready to begin my first dive.

We swam to a depth of about twenty feet and I rose and sank in the water like the newbie scuba diver I was, while Victor attempted to pantomime some tips from a few feet away. The dive lasted about thirty minutes, which was plenty of time to see some amazing fish and beautiful coral formations in the clear Caribbean water.

“How was it?” Yama asked when I hopped back onto the boat. The only word I could think of was the only word I needed: “Wow. Just… wow.”

On the way back to shore, Yama, the divemaster and former skydiving instructor, told me, “There are two things every person should do in their lives– skydiving and scuba diving.”

“I guess I’m halfway there now, huh?” I said.

And halfway, I could have added, is far enough for me.

For more info about Discover Scuba Diving (including the fact that it will make your PADI course cheaper if you complete it within a year of your introductory dive), go here. For info about the professional, highly-recommended Dreamtime Dive Resort, check out their website

Inside Curtain Bluff: a tale of two beaches

by Tom Johansmeyer on

There are two beaches at Curtain Bluff, and it’s pretty clear that one’s for looking and the other’s for playing. The former is what you see from the guestrooms, with sometimes large waves brutalizing the shore before receding and feeding those that follow. The latter is nothing short of serene, with gentle ripples quietly lapping the sand.

The “swimming” beach begins next to the tennis courts and is bookended by the restaurant and bar. Lounge chairs and hammocks are spread across this stretch of sand, along with wooden umbrellas (technically cabanas? not sure …) providing shade from the sun and more than ample cover from the rain (I can vouch for both, having experienced both elements during my stay. Feel free to bring your chair to the waters edge, and let the Caribbean Sea lick your toes for a while. The current will not yank you to its depths.

To explore the bottom, grab some snorkeling gear and take the plunge. Poke around on the sea’s floor and see if you can find anything interesting. Certified SCUBA divers can opt to be taken out on deeper excursions, and other water sports are accommodated, from sailing to waterskiing. If you want to stay busy out on the water, Curtain Bluff is more than ready to help.

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On the other hand, you may be among the many who see the beach as a place to chill. Each lounge chair is accompanied by a little chair that you can use to knock sand off your feet before settling into its larger counterpart. Use the nearby table to hold your drink, your book or (in my case) your cigar. Take an occasional nap, or just feel the breeze.

The sense of placidity at the swimming beach is not replicated at the other beach. There are a few lounge chairs on hand, so you can sit back and enjoy the elements without having to walk far from your room. It’s convenient. But, treat the ocean itself with caution. The waves can get quite large (exacerbated, during my stay, by a storm forming at sea), and the current is very strong.

Disregarding what little common sense I have – and the boatloads of it offered by my wife – I decided to experience the “looking” beach first hand. Well, at one point, a wave crashed me in the back while the current yanked my ankles out from under me. I spun several times before crashing to the bottom of the sea. I wasn’t in a deep spot, but if you don’t spend much time in the water, this sort of turn can leave you incredibly disoriented (and with a mouth … and stomach … full of saltwater).

But, it can be a lot of fun.

I played around in the waves until I was battered and exhausted, some of them starting to crash over my head (yeah, they can get pretty big). For very strong swimmers, this is an ideal chance to screw around in the conditions your parents would never let you experience – despite your protests – as a child. There is no lifeguard or other staff on duty at this beach, so you really are venturing out at your own risk.

However you do it, definitely get into the water at Curtain Bluff. It’s warm, even when the rain is falling. Splash around, and have a great time. If you sail, waterski or dive, scratch your itch. I hadn’t been to a beach in at least a decade and had forgotten how much I enjoy it.

The guestroom is only one part of the Curtain Bluff experience. Come back to Gadling throughout the week for other peeks inside this exclusive Antiguan resort.

Disclosure: Curtain Bluff did pick up the tab for this trip. Honestly, a prolie blogger like me wouldn’t be able to cover this destination without support from the resort. That said, my opinions are my own. Worried that my experience was positive? Blame the resort staff for doing a kickass job. I could lie and say it all sucked, but that would come at the expense of my editorial integrity.

Giant squid invade waters off San Diego

by Katie Hammel on

It sounds like the plot of campy 1970’s horror flick: aggressive giant squid sporting razor-sharp beaks and tentacles with teeth start showing up in the waters off the coast, attacking divers and grabbing their masks and hoses. But this is a real-life version of “It Came from the Deep”, and it’s happening in the waters near San Diego.

The creatures are called Humboldt squid, (though they’re also referred to as “red devils” for their color and hostile behavior) and can grow up to 5 feet long and weigh 100 pounds. They’re carnivorous and known for being particularly aggressive, especially when feeding. Scientists say they’ll even cannibalize other squid during a feeding frenzy. Though they’re native to Mexico, the squid have shown up in smaller numbers all along the west coast of the US. The last time such a large invasion occurred was in 2002, when 12 tons of dead squid eventually washed ashore near San Diego.

The squid generally stay a few hundred feet below the surface, but divers have reported seeing them at depths of 60-80 feet. Some divers have come across them without incident, but others have been bumped, pushed and pulled by antagonistic squid. Many divers are just choosing to steer clear of the squid, staying out of the water until the “carnivorous calamari” move on. Swimmers most likely won’t run into any of the squid, except for the few that wash up on the beach.

[via ABC News]

Budget adventures near New York

by Kraig Becker on

In these difficult economic conditions we’re all looking for ways to save some money while still putting a little adventure into our lives. Now more than ever we need a distraction from the daily grind that won’t empty our pocket books. Fortunately, the New York Daily News is here to help, with some great suggestions for cheap adventures close to NYC.

The inexpensive escapse come in a variety of flavors, ranging from an epic mountain bike ride in the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania to taking in the beauty of upstate New York via hot air balloon. Each of the suggestions includes a nice description of what to expect on the day long adventure, as well as some tips for stretching your dollars, such as the use of budget hotels, complimentary continental breakfasts, and unadvertised specials.

An example of one of the unexpected outdoor adventures includes a trip to New Hampshire’s White Mountain National Forest, which offers a tree-top canopy tour that put visitors at elevations between 1600 and 3000 feet as they fly through the scenic forest on ten zip lines and two suspension bridges. The travel package costs $115 but in addition to the canopy tour, travelers get a night’s stay at the historic Mount Washington Resort, a round of golf, and a visit to the hotel’s spa.

Each of the other budget adventures offer similar amenities on the cheap and with plenty of summer still ahead, it’s never too late to put a little adventure into your life. And at these prices, how can you resist?

Swim with sharks at Dubai mall

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Dubai just changed how we’ll all look at malls forever. The Dubai Mall could have changed the rules simply by installing an aquarium and zoo … or gone even crazier by putting sharks in the water. Hell, watching sharks swim is a great way to eat your Auntie Ann’s pretzel. In Dubai, you can have your friend hold your pretzel while you put on a wetsuit and hop right in!

At the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo within the mall, visitors can slide into a 10 million-liter tank with sand tiger sharks, reef sharks and leopard sharks – not to mention giant groupers and stingrays.

Certified divers can arrive at the mall an hour before the dive (which lasts 20 – 30 minutes), while non-certified divers need to take a SCUBA course (noon on Thursday or Saturday). Certified divers will need to spend $225, with $300 for those who aren’t certified.