Ft. Pierce Yacht Club Ladies’ Race // Deep Water Happy
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How to Use a Dry Bag for Scuba Diving // Heavy vs. Light Dry Bags
Somehow, when I began diving, I had it completely backwards of what was the purpose for a dry bag when you are traveling, so I wonder who else has it all wrong too. I thought that the dry bag was to keep your wet gear from dripping onto your dry clothes. Bwahahahaha! (I was wrong!) Turns out it is exactly the opposite; you put your dry clothes into the dry bag, and let your wet gear inhabit the rest of the bag! Who knew? You probably did!
What We Learned About Shore Diving for Shark Tooth in Venice Florida
We learned a lot while shore diving from Venice, Florida in the search for shark teeth. Here’s our experience and what we discovered through our experiences! Using the shore dive from Service Club Park north of Sharky’s, we encountered a local shark tooth diver who gave us a couple pointers and suggestions. He suggested we walk a bit north before swimming out, about a quarter mile.
Planning a Budget Three Night Cruise Ship Dive Trip // Budget Dive Trips and Tips
The easiest of Cruise Ship Dive Trips is to plan is a three-nighter due to the limited number of dives and dive connections to be made. It’s a great cruise to “practice” on getting your cruise ship dive trip methods figured out and your routine practiced on a shorter route. Here are the main planning points: travel to the port, parking and hotel or Airbnb at the port, choosing the cruise, booking the dives, travel to the dives, return details. In order to plan a truly budget-mindful trip, it is going to take some planning to get the best deals.
Packing a Seven-Night Cruise Into Three-Nights // Cruise Ship Dive Trip
The three night cruise ship dive trip is a quick, easy, affordable and satisfying Dive Cruise. Consider the three-nighter to Nassau and CocoCay on Royal Caribbean. We get to cruise, we get to dive, and we feel like we’ve cheated by logging three dives on a three-day weekend! It feels like a seven-night vacation. Royal Caribbean offers a three-nighter out of Port Canaveral nearly every weekend of the year. It’s a perfect trip for a fast taste of diving in the beautiful Bahamas!
Easy Holiday Trifle Bowl Salad // Deep Water Happy
Here’s an easy way to dress up an ordinary salad and make it look extra special for the holidays. All you need is a trifle bowl, or even a glass bowl and something to use as a pedestal to give the dish some height. Layers are easy to assemble, and it looks like you spent a lot of time creating your dish.
17 Aquariums for Scuba Diving in the US // The Most Comprehensive List of Aquarium Dives
Aquariums have plenty of benefits and attraction – here’s the list of every aquarium across the US that allows scuba diving in their tanks and exhibits. The opportunity to be guaranteed visibility, sea life sightings, no current, and a bit of practice can be fun! For much of the information, I contacted the aquariums directly. So, not only is the information even more extensive than what is on their sites, it’s up-to-date. International Aquarium Diving options will be covered fully in another article.
How to Carry Your Scuba Dive Mask When Traveling // Should You Keep Your Dive Mask in the Original Box
Should you keep your scuba dive mask in the original hard case for travel, or should you remove the mask and pack it inside your bcd? This probably is as widely disputed as whether the bathroom tissue should lead from the top or bottom. While we are on dive boats, at dive shops, and even on shore dives, I tend to watch to observe how other people deal with the piles of gear that scuba diving requires. Always, I’m looking to streamline our systems and learn the best tips from “the pro’s.”
22 Reasons to Scuba Dive an Aquarium // Deep Water Happy
Why on earth someone would want to go for a scuba dive in an aquarium, I’ve always wondered. Currently, I’m trying to get into the Tampa Aquarium for – an aquarium dive! We’re headed on a dive cruise, and want to fit in just one more dive before we go. We’re already in town, already committed to a hotel for the overnight before, so why not dive in an aquarium?
We will be guaranteed to see some sharks, it will be a different experience, and all we have to bring is our mask – our dive gear can stay packed and dry until the cruise begins the next day.
Why Dive an Aquarium?
There are more reasons to dive an aquarium than not. I’ve outlined the ones that come to mind first. If you can think of any additional reasons, please comment below! I’d love love to add your reasons too!
Scuba Diving in Aquariums // 24 Reasons to Dive an Aquarium
Why on earth someone would want to go for a scuba dive in an aquarium, I’ve always wondered. Currently, I’m trying to get into the Tampa Aquarium for – an aquarium dive! We’re headed on a dive cruise, and want to fit in just one more dive before we go. We’re already in town, already committed to a hotel for the overnight before, so why not dive in an aquarium? We will be guaranteed to see some sharks, it will be a different experience, and all we have to bring is our mask – our dive gear can stay packed and dry until the cruise begins the next day.
4 Places to Dive When You Can’t Get to the Ocean // Keeping Scuba Skills Fresh
When you can’t get to the ocean, and you need to dive to keep your skills sharp, work on skills, test out new gear, or just get another dive in the log; here are some alternatives. From free to pretty expensive; there are options for sneaking in a dive even if you are far from the coast.
Shore Diving for Shark Teeth in Venice Florida
With all local boats fully booked in advance, we decided to try our luck at shore diving for shark teeth off the beach in Venice, Florida and we were rewarded for our efforts. Not only did we learn a lot about shore diving on the West Coast, we also scouted out some good dive sites, added to our diving experience, and enjoyed the local flavor – food, flavors, architecture and new friends.
Review of Kraken Sports NR-1200 Lumens LED Dive Light // Diving Torch Performance // Perfect Travel Dive Light
After much research, many dives, and a lot of wear-and-tear, we decided to upgrade our respective dive lights to the Kraken Sports NR-1200 Lumens Dive Lights. I’m going to go thorough our “oooh’s” and “ahhhh’s” in the order of most functional and convenient. So far, I’ve used this light several times in Florida as well as in Cuba, in low-light conditions, bright conditions, and depths to 107 feet. It feels great in the hand, is compact and sturdy, charges quickly, and I love it!
How to Travel With Your Dive Mask // Dive Travel // Deep Water Happy
How to Travel With Your Dive Mask // Dive Travel // Deep Water Happy
Eating Our Way from Venice to Wauchula // Dining Off the Chain in Florida
This shark tooth dive trip to Venice, Florida was an “every meal out” trip, and we had no idea what to expect in the way of restaurants. Road trips and dive trips are a chance to experience new food. Sometimes we opt for grocery shopping and preparing our own food; but other times, we throw caution to the wind and plan on a total splurge and eat out every meal. Avoiding chain restaurants is our goal, but that doesn’t always work.
What We Found Shore Diving for Shark Teeth in Venice, Florida // Collecting Fossils Legally
On a recent dive trip to Venice, Florida, we chose to do some shore diving for shark’s teeth. We didn’t find any megalodon teeth, but…
Venice Villas Studio #57 // Venice Florida // Airbnb Review
Under five minute’s walk to a private beach, we loved Villa #57 at Venice Villas. We wanted an Airbnb with a small kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom, and this was available at a reasonable nightly rate. A weekend of shark tooth diving in Venice, Florida led us to search for something with either a pool or a waterfront view, and this fit the bill perfectly. The beach is a very short walk, about a half a block, and the pool is an even shorter one.
Waterfront on Roberts Bay // Venice Florida // Airbnb Review
We stayed one night at a waterfront home on Roberts Bay in Venice, FL to do some shark tooth diving. This was our first stay at an Airbnb with an owner living in the same house – a first shared space, first room in a house instead of an entire house or living space to ourselves. As our first Airbnb stay at an owner’s residence, we were pretty unsure of what to do – ring the doorbell? Bring wine? Take off our shoes?
Running in the Dark // Part 2 // Gear and Lighting
Planning to begin running in the dark takes more than just a mental adjustment – it’s going to necessitate a few safety accessories as well. The most important items for your safety will be reflective gear, and the most important tool for your ability to run pre-dawn or post-sunset will be lights.
Running in the Dark // Part 1 // Strategy and Transitioning
When your schedule demands, or the time change makes a daylight run nearly impossible; running the dark actually is a worthwhile solution. There are some important strategies to transitioning from natural light runs to moonlit ones, as well as some worthwhile gear to keep it safe whether you choose to run pre-dawn or post-sunset.
Eliminating Plastic in the Kitchen // Surprise Holdouts
After a thorough go-through of our bathroom, I thought I had eliminated most of the plastic in our home. What a surprise when I realized that we still had one holdout – the kitchen. I realized that many of the items I use daily were still plastic! Somehow, the very items I touch most often, look at most often, and are in plain sight were still unattractive, depressing, non-compostable plastic pieces. How did I miss them? What could I do?
Favorite Kits on Sale // Vanderkitten Haul // Mix and Match Cycling Wear for Women
There’s nothing like a new cycling kit to get you motivated for Fall Riding! While turning over spring and summer work clothes for fall and winter wear, my exercise drawer had a bit of a clean-out and turnover as well.
St. Johns River // Bartram Frolic // Riverboat Tour in Palatka, Florida
Every September, the Putnam County Bartram Trail in Putnam County, Florida hosts their annual Bartram Frolic commemorating William Bartram’s travels on the St. Johns River in 1774. This year’s frolic was the 245th anniversary of William Bartram’s travels through Palatka. I serve as the riverboat captain, commanding a 45 foot pontoon boat powered with twin 200 hp Yamaha outboard‘s on jack plates. This boat is a dream to operate, and the guided riverboat tours are a favorite part of the historic weekend.
Latitude 30° N // Green Cove Springs Florida // Exploring Florida Springs
Green Cove Springs Florida is a small-town delight – there’s cute shops, great food, delicious coffee, and, of course, the bubbling springs after which the…
How We Cut Our Dive Gear Weight by 38 Pounds for Travel
Reducing your dive gear overall weight for traveling is going to take a few adjustments, however, it’s well worth the effort!
I’m sharing some easy methods of reducing the weight of your dive gear. Some take a bit of investment, others employ “use what you have decorating” to accomplish the goal of reducing the weight of your dive gear for traveling.
Casa Particulares in Havana, Cuba // Everything You Need to Know // Decoding Airbnb Listings
Reading an Airbnb listing for a casa particulare, or private accommodation, in Cuba is an interesting experience. Between the translation and local idiom, it’s a delightful mix of charm and, sometimes, confusion! Here are some things we learned about casa particulars in Cuba, and a few things you need to know in advance.
Fall Riding Inspo // Purposeful Organization and Vanderkitten // Supernatural Purple to the Rescue!
Fall weather’s charms and occasional inclement weather could possibly put one off their exercise routine. But, it’s less likely when you have a great system for inspiring yourself, a couple accountability tricks, and some supernatural exercise gear!
Cienfuegos, Cuba // Punta Gorda // Hostel “La Marina” // Airbnb Review
In Cienfuegos, our stay at the Hostel La Marina was a delight, with a waterfront views of the Marlin Marina and all the sailboats in the charter fleet there. Situated on four levels, La Marina has three guest rooms, outdoor covered dining and lounging spaces, and sweeping views of the Bay of Cienfuegos around to the point.
Simple Method to Preserve Dive Artifacts, Pottery Shards, Sand Dollars, Sea Biscuits and More
When I was doing some top-secret black water diving searching for early Indian artifacts, I learned how to preserve delicate artifacts the way the professionals do. Here’s a recipe for easily preserving your dive find such as delicate sand dollars and sea biscuits! It works on pottery shards, wood artifacts, just about anything that is porous.
What to Wear in Cuba // Packing Light for Warm Weather
Before traveling to Cuba, I did a bit of research on what to wear since we each were limited to 50 pounds of checked-in luggage, one carry-on, and we were bringing dive gear. Our group of four are all Florida residents, and so we thought we were ready for the June Cuba heat. It turned out to be hotter, muggier, more humid, and sunnier than we had imagined.
Plastic Straw Bans // People With Disabilities // Being Flexible
A recent debate with a family member prompted some research on plastic straw bans and people with disabilities – we needed to know if the bans are unfair or if straws are just the “fall guy” as a starting point for conservation.
Playa Larga, Cuba // Matanzas // Cienaga de Zapata // Diver House: Casa El Buzo – Osnedis – Habitacion Azul // Airbnb Review
Affectionately called the “Diver House,” Casa El Buzo in Matanzas has a breathtaking waterfront view of the bay at Playa Larga, is in walking distance of the beach, and has fantastic evening breezes.
Cruising Day At Sea // Stocking Your Day Bag
Whenever we cruise, I very purposely include a medium-sized bag for the Day at Sea so that I can save on trips back to the…
Trinidad, Cuba // Sanctus Spiritus // Casa Lyosman y Yanin Casa Colonial en el Centro Historico // Airbnb Review
Our visit to Trinidad began with a stay in a family-owned 1800 home joined with a 1900 home combined in one spacious and delightful property. Managed by Lyosman and Yanin, their home is on a 500 year-old immaculate cobblestone street in historic Trinidad. As in my last Cuban Airbnb review, once again, the softness of the beds and the thread count of the sheets simply did not matter. What mattered was meeting the people, making lifelong friends, experiencing the Cuban resiliency, and learning how to adapt, improvise, and overcome.
Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center // Key West NOAA // Mote Marine Laboratory
I can’t say enough about the exhibits and the work being done at the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center. It features over 6,000 square feet of interactive and dynamic exhibits. Native plants and animals of the Florida Keys are displayed, and there’s even a model of Aquarius, which is the world’s only underwater ocean laboratory. The exhibits were educational and interesting. What a great place to visit on a rainy day, or a seriously hot day.
How To Choose a Good Sailing School
Determining what questions to ask before choosing a sailing school when you don’t even know what to ask can be overwhelming. Here’s a start to what questions you should ask, and a bit about what you should hear. There are a lot of considerations when choosing a sailing school. You’re about to invest a lot of money in your learning and experience, so you want to make sure you not only enjoy the process, but also get the most out of it.
Night Dive Tank Lights // Some Are Even Water Activated
Reduce your single-use plastic, eliminate piles of batteries, and enjoy a water-activated tank lite for night dives! I’m sharing several ecoconscious, reusable, plastic-reducing water activated…