Turks and Caicos Trip Report- May 2-May 9th, 2009 13 Castaways headed Saturday, May 2nd to the Islands of the Turks and Caicos, the lovely city of Providenciales. We all arrived at different times of the day but the majority of us were there in time for a walk on the beach and a nice meal at Jimmy’s Dive Bar and we can’t forget the greeting from the hotel with complimentary rum punches. The Comfort Suites hotel was quaint, convenient and a perfect locale, literally 100ft from Dive Provo, our diving buddies for the week. Local gift shopping and restaurants were, oh about 200ft away, and we can’t forget about Gigglers ice cream shop. We never knew Ice Cream to be a meal but this week, it was for all of us at least once. The beach was a mere 5 minute walk from the hotel as well. Sunday morning, as we eagerly awaited our transportation to the Dive boat in complete anticipation of what we would see on our first diving day, we found that we had an unexpected hour ride to the first dive site. Was it worth it, YES, as they wanted to tease us first with the sites off the West Caicos Island, some of the best diving in the Turks. We should tell you about the dolphins playing in our wake as we road to the first site oh and all the turtles on the surface and the Large Rays in the pristine glass green water. Whew, now that that’s taken care of--- Our first dive site was Gulley, where we entered a cut in the reef that formed two distinct sections before dropping off vertically to unknown depths. Our depth was known of course, 100ft max this trip as there was so much beauty above there was no reason to go below. As we rode along the wall we had quite a few large dorsal fin visitors joining us, getting very friendly with quite a few of the divers. 2nd dive site was Driveway where we were privy to a number of Lion fish, they seemed to be on every site we went during the week. Such a Beautiful fish but so harmful. What a great first day to dive, definitely a tease for the rest of the week but we were definitely not disappointed as the diving continued its greatness throughout the week. As we were shuttled back to the hotel around 3:30pm, we all decided to meet up and grab a meal for our first night together as the group. We headed over for some greasy pizza at the Big Bamboo, but grease is so good when your tummy is a grumblin’. Our second day of diving took us to Grace Bay, the North side of the Island, the Pinnacles and the Aquarium which definitely earned its name. The ride here was only about 15 minutes. The Walls on Grace Bay were more of a sloping action, not as dramatic as West Caicos or the South Side of the Island. The Aquarium treated us to the venture of swimming in tune with a beautiful 6-8ft wingspan Eagle Ray. Just when you think Sharks are the ultimate you see this beautiful creature. Also seen were more reef sharks, a turtle and sadly, the ever-present lion fish. After asking one diver why he turned around to head back to the boat before the dive was over he said “what else could we possibly see to top that?” A few of the other spots we dove were the G-Spot, Double D, Chimney, the Auditorium, Devil’s Horn, and Piranha Cove which was our final dive, but not the least favorite by any means. The weather was almost perfect, breezy, comfortable, water temperature about 79 degrees and almost flat seas everyday. We dove for six days, making 12 dives in all. We not only saw sharks and lion fish daily, but these islands must have a monopoly on large groupers. They are definitely not in low quantities of Grouper in the Turks. It became a game with the photographers to see who could get the best EYE shot of the grouper, they were that close, that big and that abundant. We saw one over-sized Lobster, which seemed to know it would not be tackled with, a ton of smaller lobsters, large crab, large green morays, yellow tail and horse-eyed Jacks along with schools and schools of other marinelife. On the Chimney site, there was a small wreckage called Thunderdome, which was used to host a French Survivor-type game show at one time until they canceled the show due to safety reasons. This wreck was viewed by all and added to the overall charm of the dives. One of the final days of dives, as we did our safety stop on the hanging bar over a large sand patch, 1000’s of Garden Eels peaked out their heads and bodies for a peak at us. Along came 3 large Stingrays skimming the sand for lunch. It was truly a bad day to be a Garden Eel! What an incredible experience to see the nature chain in action. The boat crews at Dive Provo maintained our equipment for us daily, shuttled us to and from the boats. All we had to do was show up and bring the “Urge to Submerge”. We used two different boats, depending which side of the island we would be diving. On one of the boats, we sat in the aft end of the boat and the crew carried our equipment and actually assisted us in donning. Talk about quality Customer Service! We had a lot of fun with the crews and have some new nicknames (Boogie Man, Boogie Man….. J) and some great stories to tell- karoke night, hammocks, divers that learn to do the diveboat dance with the Dive Masters and so much more. Our last night on the island took us the non-existent Full Moon party- oops wrong night, but at least we got the group out of the hotel for an excellent and less expensive dinner on the beach at Horse-Eyed jacks, the local infamous watering hole and restaurant where all the famous people hang out, of course it didn’t happen to be that night. The moonlight over the water, waves gently splashing in the background and island music in the background provided a wonderful atmosphere that will stay in our minds for quite some time. The sunrises and sunsets were magnificent, even the sunset in the rain. The food at the various restaurants was tasty and we did try a few different pizza places, sushi, all you can eat pasta night, the Irish pub and don’t forget the ice cream. If you plan to travel to Turks, Make sure you use the Dive Provo crew as the Divemaster’s sense of humor are unmatched to any other, except Castaway of course. They definitely brought some spark to our surface intervals. Jupiter 04/19/09 trip Report by Brice G: Six Castaway enthusiasts dove this past Sunday afternoon out of Jupiter with Capt Mike and the Republic IV Crew. Though the morning dive's were cancelled due to swells (which was okay for us, as we were scheduled for the afternoon), an over pressure system came in, causing the seas to be only about 1-2 feet for the rest of the afternoon! The boat was not full, with plenty of room to spread out and enjoy the afternoon sunshine. We had a late start, but dove one of the Captain's favorite spots: Capt Mike's reef. Nice current for a drift dive and the water was 79 degrees. As we were descending at about 30 feet, a barracuda greeted us and as we reached the reef and sand, there was about a seven foot bull shark skimming across the reef. A goliath grouper also greeted the group as we descended, and we saw all of this activity in just the first 5 minutes of the dive! Other reef sharks and barracudas were seen as there must have been some spear fishermen in the area. The reef itself was teeming with schools of fish and very colorful. The second dive was at a location called the Tunnels, as there are a variety of swim-thrus and places known for resting reef sharks and turtles. As before, we did a drift dive and saw another goliath grouper under the reef, a fairly large turtle and a young spotted moray. Two divers from another group on the boat said they saw a manta ray, and as they were spear fishing, they nailed a 28 inch grouper. The crew did a terrific job with leading our drift diving experience keeping the entire Castaway Group together to enjoy the sites. Follow that up with an after dive dinner at Duffy's where we enjoyed the camaraderie and rehash of the dives. This was also our newest Instructor Tony's first dive leader trip and he ensured everyone on the boat had a buddy and we now believe he is hooked on Florida diving. Quite a change from his diving in Michigan. AHHHHH Tobago! November 16-22, 2008 Well as the Castaways boarded the flights to Trinidad, we were anticipating a fantastic adventure, and we were correct. The Majority of the Castaways flew a day early to Trinidad to check out the sights, we were greeted with rain so that limited our playtime a bit. After enjoying a nice FREE breakfast and day of shopping the local area, we headed to board our flight to Tobago, meeting up with the other Castaways. So, the adventure begins as we rent a car to drive to the Blue Waters Inn in Speyside, which was a good 1.5 hour drive on a good day. Let’s give you the visual; in a rental car that barely held the Castaways and their luggage, driving on the wrong side of the road, steering wheel on the wrong side of the car, manual shifting with the left hand, at night and raining when we arrived. Need I say what an odd experience that was, if you haven’t done it, you have to try it at least once! Oh and driving up and down hills making 45 degree turns over and over again. We finally made it safely to one of the most beautiful scenery’s on the island. Every morning we were greeted to an incredible breakfast of fruit, Omelets, French toast, and anything we wanted. On Monday morning, we boarded the boat for our first exciting dive of the week and exciting it was. As we donned our equipment the DM gave us our 1-2-3 roll command and off we rolled backwards all together off the side of the boat, like Navy Seals, ok maybe not so much, but let us live that fantasy! As we descended, we landed upon the most vibrant colors of a healthy and protected reef. Sightings on this reef included Monstrous Lobster, Moray Eels, sheepshead, quite a few Queen Angels, juvenile everything, a large yellow seahorse and our first 10ft wingspan Manta Ray soaring gracefully over the shallows of the reef. The dives the rest of the week all took us to various sites where the array colors were just so vast, so beautiful, barrel sponges on every turn with marinelife living in each sponge. Tons of Morays, green and spotted, more large lobster (where’s the butter?), large crabs, Eagle Rays, Squid on almost every dive and a variation of marinelife to be seen. Daily, it was always something new. After our daily dives, we ventured to see the island, heading over on our first adventure for a wonderful tour of the local flora and fauna as we head up to Argyle Falls for a dip in the freshwater waterfall pool. The river had overflowed which caused the waterfall to be a little muddy, still beautiful, and the minerals made for a great mud bath. Other days took us to the little towns to visit with the locals enjoying the fine food of the islands; nothing beats an abundance of fruit and Caribbean Spices! Our last night on the island, Blue Waters Inn brought in a Steel Drum Band, where of course the Castaways led the dancing pack the whole night, getting almost all the residents and new friends for the week dancing to the Calypso and Reggae tunes. What a great trip and thank you to those who made it wonderful. Trip Report-November 2, 2008-Blue Heron Bridge Blue Heron dive this past Sunday was incredible as the 13 Castaway's descended into the current free bridge, we saw marinelife we've never seen before. Multi-legged starfish and some type of snake eel, still need to look that one up. A number of starfish, puffers, an Eagle Ray, school of spadefish and a number of other marinelife creatures. Seahorses were found on the East side, frankly I have to see it to believe it, so I think they made that one up--:-) We'll just have to head back there and dive the East side next time. You really must do this dive, it's quite incredible. Trip Report 9-22-30, 2007 Utila Aggressor trip report! What an incredible adventure from beginning to end! Let’s just say a few days before the trip, I received a call indicating that the Aggressor no longer docks in La Ceiba due to construction on the dock, so they decided to fly us by “Private Jet” from San Pedro Sula to Utila. Now, for those who have ever been to Honduras, “Private Jet” means, I’ll flip the switch, you get out and spin the propellers and hopefully the plane will start. Two of the group took off in a 4 seater Cessna, the rest of us took off in a 9 seater flying bus. It was quite an experience and we actually loved every minute of it. About 40 min later we landed at the Utila Airport aka strip of paved land with metal Tiki hut at end. We were greeted by two trucks, a van and a golfcart to take us to the Aggressor Yacht. Did I tell you Utila is an extremely SMALL island? Upon arrival at the Aggressor, we were greeted by 3 very nice crew members, Sasha, Maegan and Nestor and then the week of thrills begins. At 6:30pm we were provided a welcome briefing from the First Mate, in which we decided to test his quick safety responses. Let’s just say I’ve never had a man fall at my feet before, but there’s always a first. J Sorry Marcel, I had to go there! Following the briefing was a wonderful meal of BBQ Chicken and Chocolate Cake, yummy – and that was just the first night, then we were free to get comfortable, unpack, take a dip in the hot tub and get ready for a crazy week of repetitive dives. Awakened we were Sunday morning to a luxurious home cooked full made to order breakfast then it was off to our first dive site Blackfin Point, where we saw a Turtle, Nudibranchs, Porcupine Fish, Green Moray Eel, Southern Stingray, Red-tipped Sea goddess, Quilfin Blenny, Spotted Moray and Gaudy Clown Crab and a Large tarpon. Back on the boat for a snack of fresh baked pancake sized cookies and a nap, then we hit the waters again at 10:30am. Out of the water and we were greeted with a luscious tummy filling lunch. Back to the waters at 2pm to a site called Turtle Bay, here we dove along the sheer wall and into the maze of canyons and crevices, finding Furry Sea Cucumber, Giant Tunicates, Greater Soap Fish, Tiger Grouper, Banded Coral Shrimp, Yellow line Arrow Crab and Mantis Shrimp. After this dive the snack this time was Conch Fritters YUMMY!!! Dive again at 4:30pm, then greeted with a healthy and hearty fish dinner with rice Pudding for dessert, relax then we did a night dive at 7:30pm. So this was the routine for the week- Sunday- Friday morning. Sleep, Eat, Dive, Sleep, Eat, Dive, Eat, Dive, Eat Dive- you get the point!! We did miss one morning dive to hunt for Whale Sharks which were sighted by a sea plane. Four Sharks in fact, but they never did come up for a visit, we patiently waited, but to no avail, no whale shark viewing this trip. We gave up one night dive to make the crossing to dive the Coco’s Sea Mount (not sure how they find these reefs in the middle of nowhere), where everyone agreed to do a dawn dive. After a rough crossing and one night of sleepless slumber due to 6ft seas rocking our beds/bunks, I must say all was forgiven to Mother Nature after this dive, it was worth the fight to get there. This sea mount lies in between Roatan and Cayos Cochinos, 24 miles from Utila. Divemaster Sasha led several sleepy guests on this very early dive and found Channel Clinging Crabs, free swimming Spotted Moray, Burfish, Schools of Barracuda, Nassau and Black Groupers. We stayed for one more dive where Spiny Lobsters, schools of Creole Wrasse and Horse eye jacks were seen, along with plenty of other juvenile fish swimming in schools all over the mound. We then made the two hour crossing over to Roatan to dive the infamous Mary’s Place, a deep series of valleys in the Wall. This area itself is divided by other fissures to make an exotic undersea maze decorated with spectacular marine life and a wide variety of sponges, including iridescent azure vase sponges, sizeable orange elephant ear sponges and dangling rope sponges. Deep-water gorgonians and black coral extend into the main fissure where fairy basslets and bluehead wrasse dart about their branches. Schools of yellowtail snapper, silversides and horse-eye jacks hang near the entrances of the fissures. The fissures are up to 12 feet wide and 100 feet deep in places. Inside, light shimmers through fairy-tale formations and swim-throughs creating a dreamlike ambiance. We headed then to Taviana’s Wall off the Roatan coast, we were conveniently located in front of the Canopy Tour so after a bit of convincing to the guests on the ship, we all decided to head ashore and take the zip line Canopy tour of the rainforest, followed by a cavern, botanical garden, Parrot Jungle and Monkey Jungle tour. Of which, we had Parrots and white faced capuchin monkeys crawling all over our heads and shoulders. What an incredible experience. Watch the pickpockets though, those monkeys are mischievous! Back to the boat for our 4:30pm dive on Taviana’s Wall. Here we encountered a Green Turtle with a Remora, school of Creole Wrasse, French Angel Fish, Giant Tunicate, Long Horn Nudibranch, Channel Clinging Crab and a spiny Caribbean Lobster. Roatan is great for macro shots. Off we were first thing in the morning to be the first on the Wreck of the La Aguile (Eagle), where were given the opportunity to feed the local Goliath Groupers and a beautiful and a little too friendly Green Moray. I will say, I’ve never felt the teeth of a moray until this trip, but it was definitely a rush when he wrapped his mouth around my wrist, not once, but twice and seeing him wrap his mouth slightly around Jim’s mask- I knew he was a friendly little fellow. Captain Eddy obviously has a great relationship with these groupers as you can tell by the pictures of him receiving kisses from the fish, stay tuned for the pictures. Off we were Thursday evening to head back to the Coast of Utila for our last 7 dives, stopping at another mid-sea Sea Mount, the Cannary Bank where we enjoyed 2 wonderful dives. On Friday morning we were greeted with one of the best dive sites the whole trip, “Little Bight” where Divemaster Nestor miraculously found a Stargazer, 3-4 Seahorses, Medusa Sea Cucumbers, Eagle Rays and so many more different species we hadn’t seen the whole week. Friday Afternoon took a few of the group to shopping and the rest of us a nice jaunt to the Laguna Beach Resort for an open bar, freshwater pool shaped like a whale shark, well at least we got to see one J and a nice relaxing sleep in a hammock. The Laguna Beach Resort is only reachable by boat and the owner of the Utila Aggressor was pleased to take us over to check out his resort as well. Great dive operation, Luxurious cabins on the water and a secluded island, this would be a great getaway spot if you just wanted to escape. Friday evening brought us to the wine and cheese party, more like a photo shoot, with the Captain and Crew followed by a nice dinner at a local eatery on the Island of Utila. Excellent and inexpensive food by the way. We were definitely spoiled on the food and drink prices. It was quite difficult to come home after such little expenses. Saturday morning, with almost tears in our eyes we said goodbye to the Aggressor crew and boarded once again our “Private Jets” to head back to La Ceiba where we were met for our White water Rafting Adventure down the Rio Cangrejal. We began our adventure with a safety briefing and a hike up the river, where we then floated/swam back in the rapids to the boats. This was different I must admit and watch out for the washing machine, but a good time just the same. As luck would have it, a nice rainstorm began brewing, well guess what that does to the river- oh yes, the rapids became higher and more intense. After getting stuck on a boulder with water pouring in the boat, we managed to free ourselves w/out flipping, although we did have one land in the water. Oh so refreshing that was! We stopped mid-way on the trip to take a 30 minute hike to a beautiful waterfall in the rainforest where we were allowed to take a little dip and relax a bit in the beauty that surrounded us. Off we were then back to the boats to start once again down the river but Mother Nature cut our trip short with her lightning strikes, so we stopped for a refreshing lunch of fresh picked fruit and that was the completion of our 5 hour rafting adventure. What a great time had by all. Off we were to the luxury hotel in Tela, Honduras- ok well, at least the rooms were clean and had air conditioning. You can’t really expect much for $24 a night in a 3rd world country. J After a nice dinner at the beach and good nights sleep, 5 of the 9 remaining Castaway’s boarded a bus back to San Pedro Sula to head back to the States, while the remaining 4 took off on a Kayak eco-adventure thru the mangroves and the rainforest. We were pleased to see Alligators, Bats, laughing birds, a school of white heron, big hairy spiders (eek) and a howler monkey family swinging through the trees. Once we returned back to land, we were greeted by two local children with freshly cut open Coconuts where we drank the Coconut water till our hearts content. We left there and headed to a neat little restaurant on the beach where we swam while our authentic Honduran food was being prepared. What a great venture that was. Off the next morning we were to San Pedro Sula for our unwanted departure back to the States only to be greeted by the other 5 Castaways who, well, their plane broke so they were given the opportunity to stay in San Pedro Sula one more night and enjoy a local waterpark, we got to all fly back together, so that was a nice ending to a great week. As I always say, it’s an Adventure to the end when you travel with Castaway SCUBA Adventures. Thank you all for a great trip! (MM) Trip Report-April 7, 2007-Spear Fishing Trip On Saturday April 7th,, eight fairly new spear fisherman embarked on an adventure that could not be described as anything less than awesome. Sandy’s Sunday out of West Palm Beach hosted several Castaway SCUBA divers for this event. By 8 am we had all checked in and stowed our equipment and were briefed on the day’s activities. This was to be a 3-tank dive that would take us to depths of 90, 80 and 70 ft respectively. Many of us had never spear fished before, so there was great anticipation as to what to expect down below. The air temp was a brisk 65 degrees with water temp at 77-79 degrees. Our first dive took us to Governors Wreck, which was made up of 5-7 broken up pieces of wrecks and rubble. The visibility was about 60 ft and a slight South current. This dive required a negative descent so that we could land on the wreck very quickly. Many of us were not sure what we could and should shoot, so the result of the first dive resulted in no fish to bring on board. The highlight of the dive was the spotting of a large lemon shark, probably about 7ft, which from a distance looked even bigger and stories of the infamous Bull Shark named Tattoo, kept most of the divers at a distance. After a 1 hour surface interval and some refreshments we jumped into the 78 degree water and proceeded down to Bridge Tender Barge. The site was made up of concrete culverts, rubble and the remains of the barge. This site was ideal for spear fishing as it provided a lot of nooks and crannies for both the divers and the fish to hide out. Several divers boarded the boat with fish they had speared (Hogfish, Sheepshead and Seabass). Many of the divers felt this was the best site of the day and want to go back and try it again. After roll call, we headed back in the inlet to anchor and have some lunch. As part of this trip lunch was included which included “build your own sub sandwich”, chips and sodas as well as great conversation. I don't think anyone went away hungry after that lunch! For our last dive, we motored to mid reef, which was a combination wreck and reef drift dive. Sandy informed us that there was Mutton Snapper on this site, but no one really had a chance to go over the site as the current picked up and drifted us Southward over many small reefs. A few of the divers nailed three more hogfish. We had an encounter with a hawksbill turtle as well as other typical reef fish. When we got back to the dock we had a quick lesson on filleting the fish, packed them in ice and headed home. What a great day of diving and just plain fun! If you are interested in spear fishing, we are going to run this trip again in May or early June. It’s a lot of fun and you get to keep what you catch! Oct 6-8, 2006 Hey Everyone, What a wonderful trip to the Keys this past weekend. Can you say FLAT seas, 80+ft vis and 87 degree water temps. I know I can!!! Saturday's dives led us to the Eagle Wreck, still in tact, well, still in 2 pieces, after so many hurricanes since I dove it last, this was definitely a pleasant surprise. We dropped down on the stern of the ship to the delight of a large Green Moray just yearning to be photographed, makeup on, rough green epidermis just glimmering for attention. After about a 20 minute jaunt on this beauty, with schools of yellowtail and other marinelife just swimming about us, we ascended to head off to our next venture, Davy Crocket reef. A Beautiful ledge reef, easy navigable, and teaming with life. Lobsters weren't abundant but we did manage to get one or two on board. Four Nurse Sharks just circling and enjoying their daily visitors. Morays in crevaces poking out for a delightful hello. Off to the dock where the majority of the group gathered for the festivities at Holiday Isle Beach, while others enjoyed the football game or went down South to see what else the Florida Keys has to offer. Follow that with a nice dinner/Birthday Celebration (HAPPY B-DAY WARREN) at Bentley's then off to bed for our challenge on the Duane Sunday morning. Ok, so I now know why I have never pursued the Duane wreck dive before, when the captain says it's a Working Dive-- he means it. I've always heard the story of the ripping currents on this wreck but I didn't expect what we were hit with. If you made the fight to the bottom, which 95% of us did, then you were rewarded immensely with this massive beauty, filled with feeding 5ft baracudas, schools of Jacks, a 400+ lb Goliath Grouper and so much more. The areas of the wreck are definitely penetrable and can be used as an escape from the current. I will say, this is a definite dive you must do at least once if not twice to really enjoy it. Our final dive of the weekend took us to Pickles reef, always a favorite of mine. Pickles is a large, shallow reef area where snorkeling and diving can be enjoyed. The name comes from cement-filled pickle barrels sunk here during the Civil War. These barrels are now covered with the largest pillar corals in the Keys. There are number of ledges and crevasses filled with juvenile and tropical fish of many species. The swaying beauty of the purple sea fans are the defining factor in this reef, you may conchs, and the occasional lobsters, couple of nurse sharks, moray's, all make for a great dive and end to our weekend adventure. Congrats to Jim on his 100th dive at Pickles. This is quite an accomplishment!! Stay tuned for the next Keys trip, we'll be going back to the Spiegel, by popular demand. May 27-June 3, 2006 Incredible, beautiful, marvelous, breath-taking are just a few words to describe our week-long adventure in Dominica. What a beautiful island full of adventure under and above the seas. 11 Castaways boarded our plane Sat. May 27th in anticipation to experience an island the lot of us had not yet visited. Our arrival brought us to the hotel just in time for din-din which was a delicacy of local cuisine. Castle Comfort is a quaint little resort on the water in Roseau which soon became our home away from home. The resort residents for this week quickly became family which led to a week of fun, laughs and complete entertainment with folks from Colorado, Canada, Pennsylvania, Idaho, Maryland and Florida. We boarded our dive boat the Arianne at 9am on Sunday morning with complete excitement and with not a clue what to expect of the diving. After a safety briefing from our divemaster Imran, not to be confused with Enron, we were quite pleased to find some of the most beautiful, colorful and full of life reefs we’ve ever seen, no current, 100+ft vis most ever day, walls to the deepest depths, swim-thrus, medium sized sea turtles, seahorses, arrow crabs, banded shrimp, juvenile spotted drums, and schools and schools of marinelife. As much as I hate to admit it, because WE didn’t see it, but yes a Whale Shark decided to join the divers for a little playful romp, at first our boat didn’t believe it but the other group managed to score pictures to prove it. This marine playland was a haven for juvenile life of all species. Quite a few Trunkfish the size of pencil erasers were found protected by the sergeant at arms that day, Sergeant Majors that is. They made their point quite clear, don’t mess with the little guy. Oh and let’s not forget about Cudaboy and his run in with a vertical barracuda traveling about 50ft in 2 seconds flat to get that bubble. I will say, I have never in my lifetime of diving seen a barracuda go vertical at such velocity directly for a diver and I can honestly say, I don’t think I would like to ever see that again and I’m sure Eric aka Cudaboy can say the same. Don’t worry, noone was hurt, the cuda attacked his bubble and split, makes you wonder what cudaboy had for breakfast that made that cuda turn tail and run. Another site we did was the infamous Champagne Reef, where you are surrounded by bubbles from the Volcanic activity below penetrating the sea floor bottom. A neat experience with added excitement from the schools of fish enjoying the warmth and feed from the penetrations. One of the diving days’ surface interval took us to the local village for a brief tour of some ancient forts and to meet the local chickens pecking at our feet. On this village tour we stumbled upon the rest of the weekly residents at the Castle Comfort lodge baking in a mini spa heated from the underground Volcanic activity. Water temps were too hot to stand in with bare feet, nonetheless put any other part of our body in. Off we were to our next diving destination where we found more and more of the most exciting and colorful reefs and lots of small stuff. Dominica is best for the macro photographer. Mid-week we decided to venture to the middle of the island to a place call Ti Tou Gorge and the Traflagler Falls. Both were beautiful Waterfalls with a bit of a challenge to get to, but totally worth the effort, bruises and scrapes. There are few places you can enjoy a ride in a waterfall then 20ft away soaking in a pool of sulfer hot springs. Thursday took us to diving and more diving, beaching, shore diving and a nice little place for dinner, the Green Flash, a short trek from the hotel with excellent food, a live band belting out the reggae beats and mingling with the locals. I haven’t mentioned the roads or the driving, but for the visitor—WALKING IS THE OPTION, if you wish to continue your trip with no injury, but be careful when you dodge into the banana bushes to get out of the way of the passing vehicles. Our last night in Dominica: As we all began to wind down and get prepared for our weeklong adventures to end, we decided to do something special and rented a yacht to do a sunset 2 hour cruise out to sea and back. A last farewell till we meet again to Dominica. A great ending to a perfect week with good people, good diving, adventures, fun and a lot of laughs. Stay tuned for the pictures, there are a few out there now, so go check them out. Don’t be left out next year for our next Memorial Day week adventure. Be a part of the fun and live the adventure you crave!!