Category Archives: Vacation

Is it Scuba, Snuba or Snorkel?

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Molokini Crater

Scuba, Snuba or Snorkel

On Calypso we have choices. Its not just a snorkel trip to Molokini. You can choose to Snuba and if certified, Scuba. And don’t forget those glass bottom windows for those who don’t want to get wet. I’m a certified Scuba Diver but I can’t prove it so I opted to try the Snuba Dive. Turns out it’s pretty close to scuba.

Scuba, Snuba & Snorkel explained

For scuba think Jacques Cousteau. Scuba stands for self contained underwater breathing apparatus. Wow that’s a mouthful! You squeeze into a wet suit, strap  20-30 lbs of weight around your waist, then add a metal canister of air and voila, you’re ready to SCUBA dive.

Snuba is the same thing. You squeeze into your wet suit, strap on those weights and add a harness with a regulator. Plastic tubing runs from that metal canister which is located on a small rubber raft to your regulator. Now you’re breathing underwater. The big difference? In scuba you carry your tank around on your back. In Snuba you drag it behind you on an inflatable raft. Why you need to be certified for one and not the other is beyond me. 

For snorkeling you just float around breathing through a “J” shaped tube . Try not to get water in it. Most beginners just float on top of the water. More advanced snorkelers may dive underwater but return to the surface to clear their snorkel and get a breath of air. 

Snuba at Molokini & Turtle Town

Only 2 of us went in the water to SNUBA at Molokini so we each had our own rafts. The water was calm and visibility was amazing. For someone accustomed to diving in New England with 2 ft visibility this was great. There were large schools of black trigger fish. Breaking up all that black were bright yellow butterfly fish and we even spotted a rare sergeant major fish. There were several Moorish Idols swimming around that made me think of Gill from Finding Nemo.

We moved on to Turtle Town for the 2nd dive. This time there were 4 of us. One couple on one raft and myself and the other diver each had our own raft. Turtle Town did not disappoint. The first one we spotted was a huge male turtle who seemed content to just hang out on the ocean floor. The visibility here wasn’t as good as Molokini but still  better than New England.

We spotted several smaller turtles swimming about when the photographer, Marley, came swooping in to grab a “money shot” of me with a turtle. Way to go Marley! Thank you, Dude!

We also saw a snowflake eel. It looked like a tiny sea snake. 

The corals here seemed to rise out of the sea floor in ridges with sand deserts in between them. Too soon it was time to return to the boat. Absolutely great experience!

 

Aye Calypso The Places You’ve Been To

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Aye Calypso, I sing to your spirit

Calypso is still tied to the dock. I’m 15 minutes late but that’s on time by Island time. Racing to the gangway I am nearly knocked over by the force of the wind. These are no gentle Island breezes. It’s gusting and blowing like a hurricane. “We’re not going out in this are we? ” I call out. Tony, the first mate, waves a release at me and promises it will only get better. I’m skeptical. No captain in his right mind would take a boat load of tourists out in this kind of gale in Boston. By now I’m the last to board. I have to make a decision. To go or not to go, that is the question.

To ride on the crest of a wild raging storm

Ok so I signed the release, grabbed my gear and climbed to the bow of the 2nd deck. Almost immediately we cast off. Calypso is a beautiful catamaran. Her double hulls are built for stability. She has 3 decks as well as glass panels in the floor for those land lubbers that want to see what all the snorkeling and diving is about. The crew not only manages the ship, they act a servers too bringing around plates of fruit, muffins, warm cinnamon rolls and even egg and cheese croissants! 

To sail on a dream on a crystal clear ocean

So they were not wrong! As soon as we cleared  Ma’alaea Harbor and went around the point the wind died. We were heading toward Molokini and it had turned into a beautiful day. We had to come to an idle at one point while a mama humpback  whale and her calf checked us out. If a whale comes within 100 yards of a boat it puts that boat into “whale jail” until the whale moves off. The trip was just getting better and better and we hadn’t gotten to Molokini yet!

 

Theater Of The Sea

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Theater of the Sea

Theater of the SeaTheater Of The Sea

Theater of the Sea is located on Islamorada in the Florida Keys. It’s a Marine Mammal Park. I read the web site but I was still a bit overwhelmed with the choices. You have general admission, swim with Dolphins, wade with dolphins, and meet the dolphin. If dolphins aren’t your preferred mammal then you can swim with a sea lion. Are reptiles more your speed? Then you can sign up to feed and interact with a sea turtle. So many choices, so little time. Plus your choices can really eat into your budget. Each interaction will add on $65.00 – $200.00. I just couldn’t decide.

General Admission

I was excited to be going to Theater of the Sea. I’d been thinking about swimming with Dolphins since I missed out when I went to Nassau many trips ago. But how to choose between Swimming, wading or meeting the dolphins? I decided to test the waters by sticking to a general admission ticket. A general admission ticket was only $40.00 ($39.95) and offers dolphin, sea lion, and parrot shows, a bottomless boat ride, a lagoon-side beach, as well as a fish and reptile tour with tropical fish, sharks, sea turtles, stingrays, alligators, and crocodiles. It sounded like I’d cover all of the options. 

Arrive Early

The Box office opens at 9:30 am and I was there on the dot. There were only a few cars in the lot when I arrived. You enter through the gift shop. The clerk gave me a friendly greeting and took my money for the general admission. She told me the shows are continuous so I could join in or drop out at any time. I could rejoin any that I missed. 

Theater of the Sea

 

I caught up with the fish and reptile tour first. Alligators and crocodiles, loads of sea turtles, the tour was fun and informative. At each enclosure the guide stopped to spend time with the animal. The animals all recognized what was coming- food! They were all hand fed by the guide. 

Theater of the sea

 

 

 

Hog Heaven

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Hog Heaven

Hog Heaven

Kitchen

You could say that I was in Hog Heaven at Ocean Point Resort. The suite was beautiful, the view was outstanding. The bed was comfy and gave me a good nights sleep but when I woke up this morning I was anywhere but Hog Heaven. My plan had been to do some more snorkeling but when I got up I nearly took a header getting out of bed. My feet were so sore. I think they were black and blue. They weren’t cut. I’d checked that carefully after my encounter with the coral rocks but they did get very bruised. I gingerly limped into the kitchen area, made some eggs and collapsed in a chair at the counter for breakfast. 

What to do?

As I enjoyed my eggs and tea I mulled over how to spend my day if my feet were going to be difficult. I quickly realized that walking or hiking would be out of the question. Braving the coral shore for snorkeling wasn’t appealing either.  The resort’s pool was an option but I was pretty sure I’d get bored quickly. I’d brought some books with me and decided to put my feet up on the deck and read a little. Then I’d reassess how my mobility was doing.

Hog HeveanIslamorada

Around noontime I made the decision to explore a little from my car. The next Key is Islamorada. I first heard of Islamorda a few years ago when HGTV held a Dream Home Getaway here. Theater of the Sea is also located on Islamorda so I figured I’l take a little drive to get familiar with the area. 

Hog Heaven Really Does Exist

As I cruised around I spotted a huge pig advertising Hog Heaven and ocean side dining. You’d be amazed how few places have ocean side dining considering we’re on a chain if islands.  I followed the sign into a dirt parking lot. A rustic building sporting a “crashed plane” welcomed me to Hog Heaven. Yes, Dad, it does exist! Inside I passed a  classic car, at least half of one, with speakers blaring.Hog Heaven

I could see the bar area and headed that way. This was the ocean side dining. Tables looked out on a small marina. I placed my order, fried shrimp and cornbread. It was outstanding! I really was in Hog Heaven on Islamorada Key, Florida!

Hog Heaven

Glass Bottom Boat or Snorkel?

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Glass Bottom Boat or Snorkel?

Glass Bottom Boat or Snorkel trip, decisions,  decisions,  decisions! The gift shop was between the Visitor Center and the beach. They had signs out for the afternoon trips. The seas must have calmed down. Time to check out my options. 

Snorkel the Reef?Glass Bottom Boat or Snorkel

When I entered the shop a couple were talking to the Snorkel sales person. She was really pushing the Dramamine. The seas were still running 2-3 ft and it was quite rough. She didn’t think they’d get to the Christ Statue today but that it would be up to the captain to decide when he got out there. She did assure them that they could bring children. I don’t think I’d take kids snorkeling on 2-3 foot swells but maybe that’s just me. I prefer my snorkeling in calm sheltered waters. If it’s rough give me a regulator and scuba any day. Much easier. Having overheard that I moved on to the Glass Bottom Boat desk.

The Glass Bottom Boat

The sales rep at the Glass Bottom Boat desk was also encouraging the use of Dramamine. The reefs are located between 3 and 8 miles offshore off the coast of the Florida Keys so exploring them on your own is out of the question unless you have a boat. The “Christ of the Deep” statue is located at Key Largo Dry Rocks reef. No glass bottom boat tours go to see the statue; the area is too shallow. After some personal soul searching I decided on the glass bottom boat. I really wasn’t up for hard snorkeling and swimming yet and my scuba certification is still in limbo. The Glass Bottom Boat would give me a chance to check out the conditions. How rough was it really? How clear is the water? 

Glass Bottom Boat3 pm Boarding time

It was almost 2:30 so with a 3 pm boarding time I opted to turn in my gear and wait at the marina. I didn’t want to take a chance on losing track of time and  literally  “missing the boat”. The Glass Bottom Boat is the “Journey”. I settled on a bench in the Gazebo to wait for it’s return.Glass Bottom Boat or Snorkel?