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At Laughingbird Caye, Friends of Nature have sunk an old tug in 80 feet of water and the anchor line leads directly to the stern, offering a perfect place to do your first deep and wreck dive. Beware of sand flies ashore. Bring something strong, they can eat you alive.

On the windward side of the island, just in the center of the island, is a mooring. In the photo above, that would be the side which has lots of coral formations in the left to center part of the photo. If you anchor your boat there and descend, you will get to the bottom in picture perfect clear water.

Usually there are feather cucumbers in this area. Head east fifty feet and then turn in either direction. To the north will lead you along a beautiful ridge of canyons along a sandy coral spectacled bottom, often occupied by eagle rays and upside-down jellyfish, before bringing you to a wonderful fifteen foot built-in safety stop.

To the south leads you along a sandy bottom where large coral formations crop up and several very unusual species can be found, for instance, the best-to-avoid scorpionfish (see images page). Either way is worth the price of admission.

On-shore, watching the pelicans dive bomb the shallows is a great way to spend lunch, but my favorite was to take a piece of bread and throw it in the shallows on the west side of the island. See for yourself.

Our Favorite Shore Trip

The Blue Creek Cave, pictured here at right at bottom along with our friends, Rich and Traci.

This is an amazing adventure as you swim up the inside of a cave to an underground waterfall with spelunking helmuts on. On the way back out, we all shut off our lights and the inside of the cave was virtually pitch black. We floated towards the opening in this blackness until the opening allowed the light to penetrate it’s way to where we were. Spooky, but exhilarating.

It also includes a wonderul trip through a rainforest to arrive, where you can visit groups of canopy reearchers from the Audobon Society as they climb their way up to the tops of these rainforests to study.

You may have noticed a photo of Yim kneeling with a young Mayan girl on the About Us page. This girls mother prepared us lunch on this trip by grinding corn in the river for freash tortillas. We were invited in to their home and ate with them under a thatched roof. Their hospitality was disarming.

Contact Dave Vernon in Placencia Village for this trip.

For everyones first experience on Vancouver Island, I would suggest going to see Erin at Ogden’s Point Dive Shop and getting geared up to take a dive along the Ogden Point Breakwater. It is absolutely worth diving a few times.

Most of the year, there’s a ton of kelp growing along the entire length of the point, so getting in can be a little tricky if you don’t want the entire kelp forest wrapped around your tank, so I suggest a back-roll entry and then a slow heads-up swim through the kelp to a clear descent location.

Once down, keep a close eye out for Octopus, the beautiful anemone that surround the area, Dungeness Crabs, Wolf Eels and Seals, which can come out of nowhere and huge Lingcod.

It is quite simply a wonderful shore dive and one that could easily take up a full week of your time. There are five entry points, each progressively deeper, so start Monday at either end and there’s a good week of diving.

Then there are the wrecks. We dove the MacKenzie and on our way out, as we were approaching the site, a Humpback Whale broke the surface just as I was entering the water, not thirty feet away.

The dive itself is excellent but I suggest you make every effort to arrive at slack tide. Otherwise, you are in for a less than perfectly comfortable descent. However, once at the wreck, there is so much to see. When we were there, there was a giant Pacific Octopus living under the wreck.

The other area we visited was Race Rocks. Quite a wonderful location. The rocks themselves were covered with California Sea Lions, Stellars and Elephant Seals and let me tell you, if you’ve never been close to a Elephant Seal before, they are big. And rare. It is believed there are less than 500 in the world. Between 2,000 and 3,000 male California sea lions migrate to south Vancouver Island waters to winter.

Race Rocks is a protected marine area close to open ocean 12 nautical miles from Victoria. When you visit, please take a guided tour as this is a Canadian Treasure, to be sure.

Bula. We visited Fiji last year and dove with Subsurface, a dive operation which operates dive shops from several of the Mamanuca Islands. Overall, we would give them a rating of Fair. We’ll go into more details below.

The Mamanuca (pronounced Mah-mah-noo-tha) islands lie in a majestic arc, only a short distance from the mainland of Viti Levu, curving to the north-west, and almost touching the Yasawa chain.

There are 13 islands in all, not counting those covered by the Pacific at high tide and they all share in common pristine white sandy beaches, waving palms, crystal blue waters and, at night, the cooling influence of the trade winds.

The Mamanucas are essentially volcanic outcrops pushed up from the ocean floor in a gigantic earthquake thousands of years ago. From the air you can see that the Mamanucas group is in fact two clusters known as Mamanuca-i-ra and Mamanuca-i-cake. Within the Mamanucas is the Malolo group, three miles inside the barrier reef, extending in a curve for about 75 miles. As islands, they are certainly beautiful.

We had been asked to visit to consider taking over the operations for the new Hilton development dive concession, so we considered this a possibility we both might have enjoyed and visited on a business trip.

Here’s a rundown on the dives we managed to get in;

Namotu Reef: This reef is situated in a passage on the Barrier Reef itself. The day we were there, the currents were very strong and this was not well communicated on our dive briefing. There was soft coral, but nothing really to write about as being a must see location. Visibility was maybe 50 feet, so also, nowhere near what is being promoted.

In defense of the site, the day we were there, a local told us this was the strongest they had ever seen the current.. As far as marine life, we saw nothing. Nothing. And even if we had seen something, the current was too strong to stop in anyway.

Dive rating: Don’t bother.

Tavarua: Tavarua is very close to Namotu. We did this dive the same day, with a different divemaster. His briefing told us this was a drift dive and we were to descend at the anchor line. Once at the bottom, for some reason, he decided that swimming directly into the current to get around a small reef before drifting would be a good idea and I have never in 25 years had to work so hard to begin a dive. I was very nearly ready to leave the group when we rounded the corner, we were using so much air.

Once we got into the current, it was as if we were flying. This was not a drift dive. This was a fly dive. When I tried to stop to look at something, I was signalled to move on quite adamantly, in obvious fear that the divemaster may never see us again if we stopped.

Well, Yim and I finally decided that this was no fun at all and we would signal the divemaster we were going to ascend. We did our safety stop and went to the surface. The boat was a long way off, obviously not following our bubbles, which is the norm on any drift dive I’ve been on.

It was a good thing I had my Dive Alert siren, because I had to blow it three times to get the boat’s attention as we drifted out into, well… out.

Oh, and by the way, if there were fish or coral of any kind, there was no way to see it since we were moving so fast and visibility was maybe 40 feet.

Dive Rating: Don’t Bother.

Rainbow Reef: This was a nice dive site. Quite simply, it is a series of coral pinnacles in about 65 feet in depth at maximum depth, but the real joy is between 15 feet and the surface. The plate and table corals are beautiful. Some of the nicest coral I’ve ever seen.

But, during the dive, I was diving with six Japanese divers, who were, quite literally, standing on the reef, holding on to it to steady themselves to take photos, touching it and basically, not giving any thought to whether or not they were damaging it.

After the dive, I said something to one of the divers and was taken aside by the owner to tell me that this was a general problem with the Japanese there and I got the feeling she just did not want me to tell them not to do this. It really bugged me that no one was saying anything to them. And I somehow doubted that ALL japanese divers were like this and that all they needed was some reef education.

Visibility, maybe 40 feet.

Dive Rating: Very good.

Supermarket: This is their supposedly famous shark feeding dive. What their promos fail to tell you is that they don’t feed sharks there anymore and there are no sharks, just a lot of very dead coral. Visibility, maybe 30 feet.

Dive Rating: Don’t Waste Your Money. It’s a long boat ride for nothing.

Pleasure Point: Now this is a Dive site not to be missed! I would consider this one of the best dive sites I have ever seen. I don’t know that it is worth traveling halfway around the world to see, but if you lived in Australia or New Zealand, then it would be worth a visit.

Dive Rating: Excellent!

Seven Sisters: An assortment of coral pinnacles to meander between. Lots of small reef fish and hard coral site in the area.

Dive Rating: Good.

We had hoped to go out again, but when we arrived at the shop on Sunday, we found our gear had been given out to other guests so we could not dive on our last day out on the islands, which disapointed the two of us. This has to be the height of incompetance in a Dive Shop… to ‘lend out’ guests dive gear who have traveled halfway around the world to consider managing their dive business.

A couple of other points I really don’t like to see.

Subsurface claims all their Instructors dive Nitrox and they have Nitrox available. This is quite simply not true and is something I really dislike about the industry that so much can be said over a website and then not be there when you have already traveled long distances. I’ve seen this on a few occasions now and don’t think it is right. I asked the instructors and was told no. There were also no tanks marked for nitrox in the dive shops.

I do have to say that the Instructors and Divemasters were all very nice to us and seemed competant in their work. They were attentive to their divers and the head Instructor on Beachcomber was very patient and professional.

Since we were there for a short period, we wanted to dive as many sites as possible. At one point during a conversation, the owner suggested she had not been to most of the sites and had made up the marketing descriptions. That kind of surprised me. They claim to dive 44 sites but during our stay, even upon request, they continued going to the same sites over and over again.

Another point to be aware of. The dive shop at Beachcomber makes you carry your dive gear well over 1,000 feet to the boat, so be prepared. It’s not that bad before you dive but a real drag after the dive. Bring some water socks or you’ll have to walk across a beach that is basically sharp coral.

One last thing. We travelled halfway around the world at the request of Subsurface. Upon our return, we presented an overview of our ten days to them. They did not even have the decency to respond. Nothing. They simply chose not to bother, although they had no problem trying to get explainations on how to create a web site as nice as this one and digging deep to get my opinion on how to improve their site and marketing.

Any operation that operates in such an unprofessional manner is always sure to be reflected in your dive vacation experience.

We would recommend Treasure Island as a resort to visit for a week or two. The resort is quite wonderful with terrific snorkeling surrounding the entire Island. It also caters to families and has much to keep kids occupied. The local Fijian staff were extremely friendly and helpful.

We also liked First Landing, which is on the mainline, as a resort which catered to couples and families.

We would suggest you consider Crusoes Retreat, a resort carved into the side of the cliffs about an hour south of Nadi. We also drove to Pacific Harbour, which had what we thought was the nicest cultural art boutiques we found.

Overall, we had a very good time but would not return to the Mamanucas. And part of that would be due to the poor quality of dive experience Subsurface offers. They have a lot to learn about running a dive operation and in servicing North Americans

Diving off the barrier reef of Belize for close to four years is enough to spoil most anyone and Belize is one beautiful place to spend your days diving. The reefs are still pristine and in places like my personal favorite, Seal Caye, at the bottom of the Sapodilla Cayes, almost unbelievable. If you anchor carefully, you can set your anchor in 8 feet of sand at the front of your boat and 80 feet at the stern, then slide off along one of the most beautiful walls you can imagine. And easy to dive. You can do a number of different profile dives here and end the dive in ten to fifteen feet of crystal clear water before surfacing.

The diving here is truly world class. You can head down to 80 plus feet if you want but from my experience diving this many times, I found the best marine life and coral above 65 feet, frequented by Eagle Rays who flew past just off to your left if you are travleing clockwise around the reef.

There are tube sponges as tall as a full grown man along the walls here. So, if you are in southern Belize, check this spot out.

Off Ranguana Caye, top center photo and top photo on the right, towards the south, there is a difficult to find site called The White Hole. If you leave the island from the southern side and head towards the reef about five miles away, you will find three breaks in the reef and three sandy ravines which lead to the wall.

It’s very hard to find and I suggest you find Arthur Westby in the village and have him show you where it is. Arthur was my divemaster and friend for the years I dove in Belize and he’ll show you the spot.

It features a large canyon of gleaming white sand at 45 feet which runs down to a large opening and a lip which surrounds the sand as it settles at the top of the wall. As you swim to this lip at 55 feet and peer over, there is virtually no bottom. I brought many advanced divers that I was certifying there so they could experience the wonder of a true barrier reef wall dive.

Moving along the wall at 55 feet is a magical drift dive as you travel beside the wall on your left and the coral on your right.

To the north of Ranguana lays a garden of spur and groove formations just west of the wall that you can easily spend dozens of dives exploring. In between the grooves are home to resting Nurse Sharks and a wide variety of marine life too varied to list. Worth several dives.

The British Virgin Islands

Probably our best trip ever… from the moment we landed on Beef Island to being picked up by our wonderful friends, Steuart and Fran and whisked away to their 57 foot Catamaran. The British Virgin Islands are such a civilized place to dive.

The first morning we headed off for The Chimneys. And what a re-introduction to diving it was, after a nine month hiatus.

We anchored the boat and slowly entered the water to descend to forty-five feet and head towards a spectacular site called The Chimneys which is, as you guessed it, a chimney-like vent which starts at forty-five feet in a large cavern and ends at the surface as you make you way through a small but comfortable opening ten feet below the surface. The light pierces it and forms a spectacular spotlight effect when you are at the base of the vent. Just Wonderful.

After snorkeling around a while, we also discovered that you could swim through the rocky outcrops above the water and within one of them was a hollow area which was just great as well. A deep pool surrounded by rock and coral engulfs you while inside, but you had better be a fairly strong and confident swimmer.

Later, we lifted anchor and headed off towards The Bitter End Yacht club and anchored off a small island just west of the club for the night.

The next morning, we set sail around the tip of the island and while we had plans to head to Anegeda, we chose to tack off towards the Baths on Virgin Gorda, a simply spectacular spot which is featured on this page to the right.

The Baths are truly amazing. Boulders the size of apartment buildings are leaned up against each other and in the center form a walkway which is incredible as you wander your way through 100 ton boulders perched inches above your head.

Our next stop was the world famous Wreck of The Rhone. Widely regarded as one of the best wreck dives in the Caribbean, the two halves can be dived separately. The Bow lies in 60 ft - 90 feet - divers can swim inside the ships hold and see coral encrustations along with many fish. Diving inside a wreck that has great ambient light is always fun On our first dive, Yim and Fran stayed above the wreck and followed our bubbles through the dive.

Lobsters and crabs apparently often hide inside the wreck. And I mean crabs. I found one that had at least a four foot span.

Outside of the wreck, the foremast and crows nest can be seen along with the boilers, condenser, wrenches and winch.

The stern, often done as the second dive (15 ft-60 ft), shelters lobsters and octopus hiding in the metal work of the boiler gear box housing, the rudder and the propeller. Many fish varieties including Barracuda, Southern Stingrays, Eagle Rays and Turtles live in this National Park area.

We swam through the open area beside the propeller… it’s a great spot to boost a divers confidence in safe conditions.

After leaving The Rhone, we headed down to Peter Island and anchored in a deserted bay for the evenings, snorkeled around watching the rays search for food ten feet down and came on board for some yummy rum drinks.

Next morning, we headed off to the Peter Island Resort and were wowed… Wow. Visit it if you are in the area at least for breakfast.

Then, off to the Caves. Located on the southwest side of Norman Islands, these really are Treasure Caves.

You can swim right inside them and with a flashlight, can easily enjoy the huge colonies of anemones attached to the surface of the openings. It’s a great mornings snorkel trip.

Then out to The Indians.

Three rocky outcrops which reportedly rise 55 feet above the water and 55 feet below. Whether that be accurate or not, this is one great dive and once is not enough. Fran led us on this trip through an underwater garden the likes which are rare today on any dive before heading us back to the base of The Indians.

Swimming along at the base of these slabs of rock closely will reward you with dozens of different soft corals clinging to the surface before you come to a short wide tunnel which we easily swam through and entered another small world.

It’s just a really cool spot. Little caves to enter, tons of fish, huge rocks anchored all around you and beautiful soft coral.

While Cancun is home to beautiful hotels, resorts and numerous attractions, the area surrounding the city is known for its wealth of Mayan ruins. About 2 hours south of the city rests one of the most beautiful ancient sites in Mexico, the ruins of Tulum. This beautiful site is one of the finest attractions for a Cancun vacation. Though smaller than the well-known Chichen Itza, Tulum’s majestic setting sets it apart. Perched above the Caribbean Sea on a rocky cliff, the ruins are simultaneously captivating and foreboding.

Founded in the early 1200s, the city of Tulum reached its zenith in the 1400s as a port city in a decentralized Mayan kingdom. After the Spanish came upon the settlement in 1518, the conquistadores spoke of Tulum in the same breath as Seville. Though Tulum certainly wasn’t as large as Seville, the Spaniards perceptions speak volumes about the splendor of the site. The Spanish would later occupy the city for 70 years until the settlement was abandoned.

As the city is protected by walls on three sides, the sea on the fourth, the approach to the site is an experience in itself. You’ll enter the site through a breach in one of these 16-foot walls. As you traverse the walkway across the top, you will notice that the wall once separated portions of the city. Beyond any defensive purpose, these walls divided the ceremonial and governmental sections of the city from the residential areas.

Directly in front of you, Tulum’s Castillo (Castle) towers above the other structures. Besides the remarkable view it offers, the Castillo probably served as both the community’s primary place of worship and a type of lookout or primitive lighthouse. At the entrance of the Castillo, a plaza dividing the structure breaks off into a pair of distinctive temples.

Veering to the left of this plaza, you will enter the Templo del Dios Descendente (Temple of the Descending God). The diving or descending god depicted as an upside-down figure above the entrance to the temple appears throughout the ruins of Tulum. Though the figure’s precise significance is unknown, it may be representative of the setting sun, rain or lightning. It is also believed that the character served as a god of bees, a theory stemming from the fact that honey was one of the Mayan kingdom’s most important exports.

On the opposite side of the Castillo plaza is the Templo de Las Series Iniciales (Temple of the Initial Series). The name of the temple derives from the discovery of a stela, or stone marker, bearing a date well before the foundation of the city, presumably brought to the city from another part of the Mayan kingdom.

When you’ve finished exploring the Castillo, two other temples await your visit. The Temple of the Frescoes features restored murals depicting Mayan Gods and symbols of nature’s fertility such as rain, corn and fish. North of the Castillo, The Temple of the Winds served as a storm warning system. To this day, approaching storms send whistling sounds through the center of the structure.

To make your visit to Tulum as enjoyable as possible, here are some additional travel tips. The ruins are open from 8am to 5pm daily, but most tours don’t arrive until about 10am. Hence, if you are able, try to visit Tulum first thing in the morning before it get too hot and crowded.

When you arrive at the site, here are a few things to keep in mind to avoid any headaches. Before you get to the ruins you must pass through the visitor’s center, a collection of shops and restaurants. From the visitor’s center, you can choose to take a 15 minute walk down the road or board the site’s shuttle for $2. If you have a video camera in tow, expect to pay a $4 fee. It also costs $4 to enter the site, but the fee is waived on Sunday.

Lastly, be wary of the guides roaming the grounds. Many may have official badges, but don’t be surprised if you’re subjected to strange lines about the Mayan kingdom’s connection to aliens. If you enjoy a good story, however, it might be worth the plunge

One of my favorite dive spots in Belize was Moho Caye.

It’s a simple dive but there is a large coral pinnacle that starts in about 85 - 100 feet and makes it way up to within 20 feet of the surface and there are a large variety of critters to watch for while you circle this pinnacle.

The nice thing about this site is that you can end your dive in fifteen feet of water and still be seeing lots of marine life, like anemones and feathered sea cucumbers.

There are numerous ways to dive Moho Caye. I considered the starting point just off to the left of the small spot of sandy beach you can see in center of the right photo. From there, you could head south towards the pinnacle or north, towards a more sandy bottom and round the tip at the northern-most point. where the reef forms a sort of mini wall… quite steep with an eighty foot maximum bottom depth.

You can see from the photo above at left how much shallow area there is surrounding the island. It’s hard to pinpoint it from here, but if you were to begin your dive approximately halfway on the top middle side of this photo and swim left, you’d find the pinnacle I am referring to. If you really want to find it, I recommend finding a woman named Lloydia in Placencia Village (it’s not hard. Ask anyone in the center of town) and go with her. She loves this spot.

In March, if you are around visit the east side of the island where the Pelicans roost and build their nest. It’s fun to wander the island at that time… you can literally walk up to the nest with albino white baby pelicans squawking away.

I can honestly say that this is one of the nicest dive spots I have ever spent time at. No matter how often I visited, I always enjoyed myself. Yim and I used to take one of the baots out on our days off and hang out here with a picnic of sandwiches. Just a wonderful place to spend the day

Swimming with dolphins in the wild is an amazing experience because you get the opportunity to interact with these incredibly friendly and intelligent animals on their own turf.

Unlike captive dolphins who have no choice but to interact with human beings whether they want to or not, wild dolphins can choose whether they want to stick around and swim with you and if they don’t they have the freedom to simply disappear into the deep blue sea which makes it all the more special when they do decide to stay (which occurs on a frequent basis).

There is a huge debate raging about the ethics of swimming with captive dolphins and even though there are definite benefits for humans (treatment for depression and disabilities) captivity is harmful to the dolphins as they suffer from stress and illness and have a much shorter life expectancy than similar dolphins in the wild. The demand to swim with captive dolphins also encourages capture from wild populations that are already under threat which is very detrimental to the environment.

On the other hand, studies conducted on the effects of humans swimming with dolphins in the wild have shown that there seem to be no ill effects to the animals if it is done responsibly and sensibly (not by chasing and herding them or noisy splashing in the water).

The jury is still out because long term trends need to be taken into consideration but until such time as the scientific uncertainty is cleared up or the dolphins move away because they are feeling harassed, responsible swimming with wild dolphins is an ethical way to interact with them and tourism revenues generated provide a strong incentive for dolphin conservation.

So if you have a dream is to go swimming with dolphins, going the wild route with an ethical and responsible operator is the way to do it. Here are the top five places in the world to swim with wild dolphins…

1. Kaikoura, New Zealand

The best place in the world to swim with wild dusky dolphins because the success rate of finding and swimming with the pods is very high. The dolphins are attracted to the nutrients in the water that are available due to a 1200 meter trench situated just off the coast.

2. Oahu and Kona, Hawaii

You will find spinner and spotted dolphin here and some of the boat operators boast a 99% success rate of finding the pods on day trips.

3. Azores Archipelago

If you want dolphin variety then this is where you will find it as up to eight different species call this home and it’s possible to see super pods of up to 1000 individuals here too.

4. Bimini, Bahamas

One of the advantages of swimming with dolphins here is the fact that the water is very warm, shallow and clear but it’s important to remember that these are wild creatures and 20% of the time they don’t come closer to the boat and rather swim away.

5. Red Sea, Egypt

Spinner and bottlenose dolphins can be found in these waters and travel operators have a very good record of finding dolphin pods in this area.

One of the tales parents recite to their children in order to inform them about the dangers the sea hides, I had the pleasure of experience when I was an adolescent and not yet a firm believer that the most beloved part of my country, its sea, could really cause me or my family any harm. Not that I was coming from a family of sailors or that my father was a captain of a big ship or anything like that, but mainly because both of my parents were considering themselves to be seekers, travelers of the shore and the unknown dark blue waters. Especially my father, who used to be a very experienced scuba diver was always eager to give us a “sea lesson” while we were sailing with our small, but very loved, fishing boat.

The summer that I was about to turn fifteen and my brother was almost twelve, my father decided that we have enjoyed the island’s shores long enough and we were ready to receive our first practical sea lesson. We boarded our small fishing boat and after following my father’s expert advice, we begun our trip into the unknown clear blue sea. Our goal was to visit another small island, not far away from the one we lived during our summer vacations, and learn, through practical training, some important things he has been describing to us over the years. I remember looking at the horizon and getting mesmerized by its beauty. I still remember like it was yesterday, how the clear light blue sky created a thin white line at the point where it was united with the darker blue sea. The wind gently assisted our goal to leave the harbor and although there was undoubtely always something I had to do or watch someone else doing while I was on board, I can still taste the salt from the water drops that traveled through the wind and dried on my lips. In fact, that long boat trip was the first time that I felt part of nature; a part of that beautiful scenery and totally, one hundred percent, alive.

A little more than an hour later we managed to approach the deserted small island we planned that day to visit and my father yelled -probably due to the wind which was becoming stronger- that he was aware of a beautiful sandy beach where we could camp for the rest of the day. Everything went according to the original plan and we successfully set foot on that virgin shore to enjoy the warm day and cool down by diving to the sea depths to admire closer its beauty. My brother screamed happily as he jumped from the boat to the sea and later I was determined to dive from a much bigger height when I discovered that I could climb the rocks that surrounded the excluded beach. But the adventure was about to begin.

When we decided to leave the warmth and friendly shore we have spent more than three hours, my father discovered that our small boat engine was not working. After multiple attempts to start the engine that would help us safely return home, I understood that he was now stressed that he had to sail back only by pulling the boat’s two oars. He succeeded in leading the boat out to deeper water and only then we realized that the sea curves were so strong that it was impossible for us to get home safely that way. In addition, the wind velocity kept increasing and instead of moving towards the direction we wanted it seemed like we were moving further and further away. Luckily my father did not give up hope. He continued to try to keep our spirits up and laugh through this sea adventure, but when I saw his eyes looking very seriously at the situation, that glance told me more than words could ever describe. That was the point that I got scared and thought that there was actually a possibility of us never returning. Although I was not doubting that my father could lead us to safety and I could not believe that such a tragedy could ever be the actual scenario I would have to face -after all I was with my superhero dad- a voice inside my head kept yelling that I had to remain calm and help his efforts any way I could if we were to make it. In fact, while he was trying to get the engine to start, my brother and I held the oars and tried to pull them together towards the shore. When my father was in charge, we were almost hanging from the boat and assisting his efforts using our hands as two extra oars, one from each side of the boat. We did exactly what he instructed and three hours later, we were inside our island’s harbor. My dad kept shouting “the shore is close” and the sound of his voice gave us the necessary courage to keep oaring with our hands. Three and a half hours later we managed to step off the boat. Needless to say that our sea adventure was the highlight of that year’s summer vacations, but most importantly it taught us a huge practical lesson. Never take anything for granted when visiting unknown waters; exactly like in life.

n my family, we have camping lovers and camping haters. My husband, kids, and I love to go camping. My mother just stares at me every time I talk about an upcoming camping trip and asks why I want to leave my brand new home that has a brand new bed with a brand new mattress so that I can go sleep in the woods on a mattress I fill with air. Being the articulate person I am I say, “Because it’s fun.”It’s hard to explain to a non camper how relaxing it is to be out in the open air all day at a campground with miles of trails to hike and bike; or by a lake to go swimming, boating, or fishing in.

I tell my Mom how it’s fun to explore the area trails; looking at the views, the vegetation, and the wildlife. For example, during a recent camping trip an evening bike ride brought me within 10 feet of a baby deer out with its mother. It’s hard to explain how fun it is to be able to see something like that. But instead my Mom asked me how bad the bugs bit and if I got sunburned during that day’s hike.

Then I try to explain to her about how much fun it is to sit around the campfire at night. It’s a great time for casual conversation and to have a beverage and maybe a few toasted marshmallows or S’mores. I love watching the flames and listening to the wood crackle and pop. My mom asks how we keep the mosquitoes away (lots of tiki torches and mosquito repellant) and says, “Doesn’t it get boring after a half hour?” Again, being the articulate person I am my answer is, “Ummmm, no.”

I try to explain the food cooked outdoors just tastes better. Campfire coffee along with bacon and eggs is hard to beat. And those little S’more makers you can buy in the store are nothing like the delicious S’mores you make over a real campfire. And if you’ve never had a pudgie pie made over a campfire, you’re missing out on one of the best camping foods there is! But when I explain to my Mom how good camping food is, she wonders if the bugs buzz around the food we’re trying to eat and asks if I miss my dishwasher. Thanks Mom! My pop-up camper doesn’t have hot water so I have to do things the old fashioned way and heat the water I need to wash dishes.

When it comes to camping though, most non campers could deal with sleeping in a tent or a pop-up camper and wouldn’t mind cooking their food outside. But the one sticking point for many non-campers is the bathroom and shower facilities at campgrounds (unless you’re lucky enough to have a camper with its own bathroom and shower facilities). Camping is not like staying at a 5 star hotel. The bathroom and shower amenities take a little getting used to. Some people will wait as long as possible to go to the bathroom because they want to avoid using the pit toilets at the campground any more than necessary. My sister-in-law doesn’t mind the pit toilets as much as she minds the spiders that are usually in them.

Camping is what you make of it. Nobody says you have to like it. My Mom doesn’t but I sure do. It’s a way to get away from the daily stresses of your normal life, kick back, relax, and enjoy yourself for a few days. You’ll have responsibilities no more taxing than deciding what clothes to wear that day, what to eat, and whether you want to go for a walk or a bike ride or just sit in a chair and relax by the campfire.