Blogs

Richie Diesterheft

Never heard of it? You´re far from alone – last year just 5,700 flights – by one of the Caribbean´s lowest arrivals figures – landed on its third smallest island (just five square miles/13 sq. kilometers sitting on an dormant volcano Mount Scenery, with a population of just under 2,000). But those in the know realize that the self-styled "unspoiled queen," part of the Caribbean Netherlands (along with Bonaire and Sint Eustatius, aka Statia) and first settled in the 1640s, is a

With nearly 26,000 kilometres (more than 16,000 miles) of coastline, this continent unto itself, surrounded by three of the world's great oceans: the Pacific, the Indian, and the Southern Ocean. It´s most famous for the surfing culture along its eastern coast but also offers an incredible array of aquatic adventures, from adrenaline pumpers to simply bathing off gorgeous beaches in crystal-clear seas. And here we focus on a quintet of places that all marine mavens should have on their bucket l

Mlenny

Portugal's answer to Spain's Canary Islands, the Azores are a nine-island grouping  1,529 kilometres (950 miles) out in the Atlantic Ocean west of the Iberian Peninsula. The largest (759km²/293 square mi.) and most populous of the archipelago, São Miguel, is home to capital Ponta Delgada, but also a spectacular volcanic but verdant landscape including towering cliffs and ancient laurisilva forests that make a truly splendid playground for nature and adventure lovers.

Enrico Pescantini

Hikin

Andy Blackledge


If you like some action on your vacations, there's no doubt our planet is packed with all sorts of active, adventurous, and sometimes downright adrenaline-pumping options. Some are "soft," requiring no great skill or physical fitness, while others will delightfully challenge you. How to narrow it down to just seven? Well, let me give it a try!

Snorkeling in Belize

The 700-mile Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System is the world's second largest, and the 190-mile long Belize Barrie

Whether you want to catch the glimpse of awe-inspiring sunrise at Haleakala National Park; take to the water on a whale-watching adventure; snorkel around Molokini; or taste some of the Hawaiian Islands' best pineapples, there's is a tour in this list that fits well with your interests. Analyzing both expert opinion and traveller sentiment, we've determined more than a dozen of the best, which all feature trained veteran guides keen to share their insights about the Valley Isle’s astonishing

Summertime is a special season in Belize, not because the weather heats up (Belize enjoys great weather all year long) but because a special group of visitors arrives in the offshore waters as part of their annual circumnavigation of the globe.

Named whale sharks for their enormous size, not because they are actually sharks (technically, whale sharks are the largest fish in the ocean), whale sharks can measure up to 41 feet (12 meters) long and weigh up to 21 metric tons (47,000 pounds). Despite

Snorkeling and scuba diving are looked at as some of the most adventurous outdoor sports a person can undertake.  Whether you’ve never snorkeled, or you’ve seen the amazing coral reefs of Maui, Hawaii, there is always another amazing underwater creature to discover for yourself.  There are so many underwater wildlife creatures that a person can stumble upon, bringing your mind and emotions to a higher level of learning and excitement.  Today, we are going to go over some of the best spots to go

In case you didn't already know it, Puerto Rico is a commonwealth territory of the United Sates. While Spanish is the official language, just about everyone knows some English, so you should be fine if you don't speak any. 

As you can imagine the area is tropical, with temperatures nearing 90 degrees year round. There is minimal change in water temperature through the different seasons, making this a great destination for both snorkeling and scuba diving.

Since the temperature only fluctuates arou

If you’re like me, you’re absolutely entranced by the otherworldliness of what lies off our planet’s shores, you try to don mask and fins and take the plunge into the big blue every chance you get. And Iberia offers so many different destinations to be dazzled – here are some of my favorites. 

Croatia

This country’s Dalmatian Coast is one of Europe’s stars when it comes to all things aquatic, and for underwater scenery, head especially to the Brijuni Archipelago; Istria’s Cape Kamenjak, the Pakl

I’m sitting at my desk, meant to be working. What I’m really doing is daydreaming about snorkeling in the Golfo Dulce in Costa Rica.

I’m plotting how I can get back to Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge on Golfo Dulce. I’m remembering swimming in that calm sea and the feel of delicious water – not bath-water warm, but not cold either. I’m thinking about how clear the Golfo Dulce water is, and how vibrantly it changes color from deep jade green next to the shoreline where it reflects the jungle, to b

Opposite Playa del Carmen beach in The Riviera Maya, is the idyllic island of Cozumel. An island with many charms but which stands out for one thing in particular: the Arrecifes National Park, or as it is more popularly known, “The Great Maya Reef”.

Situated off the southern coast of Cozumel, the Arrecifes National Park consists of the reefs – arrecife being the Spanish word for ‘reef’ – which have formed over thousands of years and which owe their apparition to the diverse underwater terraces on

Sometimes the most authentic way to experience a destination is with a small group led by an expert guide. Such was the case when my neighbor Daira Paulson went snorkeling in Micronesia last year.

Whale sharks are sharks the size of whales, but unlike other sharks, they are not the least bit scary.  Even so, swimming with creatures as large as 60-feet is an adrenalin experience, as I found out on a recent whale shark tour in the Gulf of Mexico near Cancun.

Whale sharks are annual visitors to the area around the Maya Riviera, esspecially around and the islands of Isla Mujeres, Holbox and Contoy, between May and September. Their presence is celebrated with daily whale shark tours, and celebr

Costa Rica’s southern Nicoya Peninsula is full of natural beauty and rich in biodiversity. Jagged and mountainous from its volcanic origins, with pockets of shimmering beaches, the landscape is a diverse transition zone between tropical dry forest and wet tropical forest.

The Gulf of Nicoya’s placid waters stretch between the Peninsula and mainland. The tops of underwater mountains rising from the sea dot the Gulf as its many islands. The Gulf is an aquatic paradise rich in marine life and water

The mention of coral reefs usually brings to mind crystal-clear, warm tropical waters, bright colorful fish and coral … maybe even the movie, “Nemo.” Coral reefs form such vast, diverse ecosystems that they are commonly called the “rainforests of the oceans.”

Like the rainforests on land, coral reefs are extremely threatened by humans’ actions and climate change. Since the late 1970s, coral reefs across the world have been dying at an unprecedented rate, and it only seems to be getting worse, acc

Visiting Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast is almost like going to another country. Very different from the rest of Costa Rica, the Caribbean coastal towns of Limon, Cahuita and Puerto Viejo highlight their Jamaican-African ancestry with reggae music, Creole patois spoken alongside Spanish, a very laid-back attitude, and cultural cuisine like Jamaican spice cake, rice-and-beans, coconut shrimp, and papaya juice.

A main draw to the area is, of course, the Caribbean Sea – known for its crystal clear aqu

I met Nemo the other day. Well, actually it was his cousin. Instead of a cute bright orange and white striped Clownfish, this little guy was a vibrant yellow and turquoise with dark stripes. It swam right up to my snorkel mask, in my mind to say, “Hi!” Really, what it was probably thinking was “bug off,” given that it was a Sergeant Major Fish and highly protective of its territory.

I was living the good life on a Planet Dolphin catamaran sailing and snorkeling tour off of Quepos and Manuel Anton

One of my earliest travel memories, back in the early 1970s, Cozumel at that time was the Yucatan's biggest (hell, only) beach resort deal. Cancun was still but a glimmer in the eyes of Mexico's government tourism planners and the "Riviera Maya" was little more than miles of hot, buggy scrubland punctuated by a string of barefoot (not even electrified) villages with the seaside Maya site of Tulum stuck in there somewhere (suffice it to say, a whole lot more inaccessible in those days). 

My, oh

We discovered Yal Ku Lagoon, in Mexico’s tiny, ecologically protected town of Akumal, quite by accident.  Driving down the bumpy, pot-holed main road of Akumal we were on a mission to explore.  As we drove, the road branched to the left, leading away from the ocean, rambling through thick jungle brush occasionally interspersed with beautiful villas.  Suddenly we could see water once more, glimmering between blossoming shrubs & landscaped yards.  Pulling over, we grabbed water bottles, snorkel ge