Tag: Sandals

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Scuba Diving

A few years ago, while on a snorkeling excursion, I decided that I really wanted to see what was deeper below the surface of the ocean. I had been a fan of and in the water since as far back as I could remember, and had no fear about learning to scuba dive.
I checked in with Dwain at Captain Nemo’s dive shop and he got me started on the path to certification.

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Dwain

We had a couple of weekends of class time, where we learned all about scuba diving, the importance of properly fitted and maintained equipment, and the effects of pressure on the body while diving. We covered material in our books, watched videos, and took tests to ensure we would be safe divers.
We also had a couple of sessions of pool time, which is when we were able to access a local indoor pool and learn how to assemble and use our equipment and practice our skills. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be able to master taking off my mask at the bottom of a pool, much less in the ocean.  But I did! And I left it off for a couple of minutes.
After the class and pool sessions, the time had come to sign up for my Open Water dives, which would be done in Bull Shoals Lake in Arkansas.

This is basically where we got to pull it all together in an open water environment under the guidance of an instructor to see if we would receive certification or not. Even under the horrible rainy, stormy conditions and a lot of time sitting in my car between dives, I passed! I was a newly certified, open water diver.
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Housemates for the weekend AND Certified OW Divers

After that, it was time to go practice my skills. We headed to Cozumel, Mexico which is one of the top ten places in the world to dive. It didn’t disappoint! My dive buddy was an Englishman named Ray (hubby wasn’t certified yet) who was very experienced and we saw some neat stuff. We actually found a nurse shark napping and just before our ascent, 3 huge lobsters walked across our path in the sand. I didn’t have my camera yet, so I have no pics, other than one of me and Ray after the dive.
IMG_1655Over the next couple of years, hubby got his certification through Captain Nemo’s as well. Although, while he did his open water portion in Punta Cana, I was working on my Advanced Open Water certification. Win, win, right?
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Punta Cana

While on our honeymoon in St Lucia, we stayed at a Sandal’s Resort, which includes scuba diving. We took the opportunity for hubby to then work on his Advanced Open Water while I took a photography class.

As we are now getting ready to take a trip to the Pacific side of Mexico, we’ve discovered there might be a couple of places we would like to dive while there. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about scuba diving it’s that there’s always something else to learn. It’s a never-ending process. So even though we’ve come a long way baby, we’ve still got a lot left to learn!

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Cruising

What do I think of cruising?  I know a number of people who think that a cruise is the only way to go.  And it is.  For some destinations.  Do you want to experience a vacation with multiple stops like Alaska or the Mediterranean?  Then a cruise is the way to go.  We took an Alaskan cruisea while back and it was an efficient way to experience Alaska.  But a cruise is not the best way to go for me. As a matter of fact, a cruise makes me feel slightly short-changed; gypped.
First, let’s talk cost. For years I’ve heard people talk about how cheap cruises are, however, I disagree. I think they are way overpriced. Maybe I just expect too much. But yes, I would like a room with a window or a balcony so I can see the ocean we’re floating on. That just upped the price. And yes, I would like to be able to eat at different restaurants instead of the buffet for every single meal. There went the price again. Would I like to take any excursions while ported?

Of course! And there goes the price some more. Ok, so to save some money, I’m going to pass on the drink plan that covers drinks, costs additional, and is required to be purchased for everyone in your stateroom whether they drink or not. Besides, I don’t need to over-imbibe every day. Wrong! (Not the over-imbibing part.) Do you have any idea what a beer costs on a cruise ship? $14! That’s higher than ballpark prices. And a Bailey’s with decaf while cruising through Glacier Bay set me back $28! That was an expensive morning without even leaving the ship. I didn’t do the math during the trip because I was afraid it would bring me to tears. Update: I have now done the math. If you ever intend to drink more than three cocktails in a day, you’d better buy the liquor plan. By day 4, I already knew we could have vacayed for 2 1/2 extra weeks in the Caribbean or had a really nice Sandals Resorts trip based on what we had already spent just on beer and cocktails!
Second, let’s talk claustrophobia. I don’t necessarily mean in the sense that the ship felt small. I can actually feel claustrophobic on a small island. The ship was huge, it even had a pool and rock wall on the top level.  I mean claustrophobia in the sense of knowing that you are limited by boundaries. Knowing that you’ve already walked the entire ship 10 times in a day and you will NOT see anything different until the next port. There are only so many times I want to sit at the Ice Bar, watch another show in the theater, or donate more money in the casino in a day. And I don’t want to go watch TV in my room. I can do that at home.
Finally, while I think a cruise is a good way to see multiple places in a short period of time, if you’re on the cruise because there’s one place on the itinerary you really want to visit, be prepared to only spend a few hours there. The hours you are ported at a location really only give you enough time to take an excursion (maybe two if you’re there longer). If you are really hoping to immerse yourself in a particular place, you should really just take the entire trip there.
Don’t get me wrong, it was nice to travel in comfort from port to port, even while sleeping, eating, or getting a massage in the spa. So maybe that was worth some of the cost. And I’m sure it was the best way to see the glaciers calving in Glacier Bay. IMG_2496Aside from that, I’m just as happy hopping a plane to my location, getting there quickly, spending as much time as I want sight-seeing and experiencing the culture and even having money left over to go do it again somewhere else later. Bon Voyage!