Hello all!

[rpodos]

Hey everybody!!! I'm new to the board, but not to diving... (I'm gonna do my intro here, for the moment). [and btw, 'oka' means 'otherwise known as', not mis-typed 'okay']

Been diving for 26 years... well, that's not exactly right. Resort dives in Corfu at 16, then, get this, at 19, HITCHING down the Sinai, stayed at a Bedou tent resort in Dahab, and did my first two dives for US$10. Little local kid in a shack hands me my gear, and gives me my instructions: "Go down slow. Stay slow. Come up one thousand (points at ratty old reg). Come up slow, after bubbles." That and "Ten dolla, U.S." were just about the extent of his English. Well, no DCS, so no worries, and DANG, that was some fine diving. Resort courses for years after that (workworkwork), and then finally started getting formal and certified and my own equipment and all that at 30, er, 12 years ago.

Since then, as I luckily have been in a business (corporate real estate consulting) that has afforded me travel and time to spend diving, I've logged just about 500 dives.

Mostly Greater Caribbean (clockwise):
* Bermuda
* Miami
* The Keys... uh, yeah
* Various Bahamas, including San Salvador (hammerheads!)
* Provo, TCI
* DR, as in I am in Sosua right now (more on that in a bit)
* Puerto Rico at Rincon and Parguera, but not Descheo or Mona :broken_he
* Both VIs (but not Anegeda or that cool tunnel at VG)
* Antigua
* Bequia
* Tobago, both west and in Speyside (I am the famous "Da manta see da mon, but da mon no see da manta", coined by Kevin at Blue Waters Inn)
* Los Roques
* All ABC
* Bay Islands, at Guanaja and Roatan (at Fantasy Island (yuck) and Anthony's Key (yay))
* Belize, incl. two of the atoll resorts, Placencia, and someplace in-between owned by a contractor from Denver avoiding the law (chuckle)
* Cozumel a bunch (oh, for the days of steel tanks) and Cancun
* Grand Cayman

Some various other places:
* Newport, RI
* New Jersey
* Lake Michigan
* Monterrey Aquarium
* San Diego
* Ireland
* Corfu, Greece
* Dahab and Sharm al Sheikh, Egypt

So, I been around, although I'm obviously missing some great places, and haven't done any live-aboards yet.

Anyway, that's why I'm starting here, in the Caribbean forum... I'm currently in the DR for biz and to see some friends, and I *was* gonna jump from here to Grand Turk, cuz in July/August they get some mantas on the wall, but unfortunately I have to head back to NYC for bit, but then I am coming back down again... I am starting my own business, and have a little time to dive, but not so much as to go farther than the Carib or maybe Central America.

AAAANNNNDDDD... here's the question:

Most of my diving has been of the typical Carib variety, and I'm a bit bored with it. I mean, I still like getting wet, but I think I'd like to start arranging my trips (and certainly this next one) around a bit more excitement in the water. Big stuff: Whales, whale sharks, sharks (not wrangled), dolphin, pelagic fish, mantas, eagles, even turtles, etc.

So, where to go *now*?, AUGUST, but we might as well open the question to a seasonal calendar...

For August, the only things that come to mind for big stuff are San Salvador and the Turks. Anybody got any other ideas? (And, btw, where the heck DO the Carib whale sharks go in the summer?)

____________________


On a separate note: I dunno what I been thinking... I am a very active guy online in other arenas, I’ve subscribed to the various magazines and to Undercurrents for years, and it JUST occurred to me to find a scuba forum... duh... anyway, I went through about 20 pages of this forum today (it's raining), and it looks like a cool place. I look forward to being part of the community!

 

[Rwhiting]

I've never been, but how about Galapagos? I hear there's plenty of big stuff all the time, and August is Whale Shark season. From what I've read, the liveaboards need to be booked well in advance, but there should be something you can get if your flexible.
Rich

 

[Doc]

Pretty well had your ticket punched, Los Roques and Tobago (BTW, Kevin wouldn't know if a manta bit him on the butt, try Red Man next time), and if you thought you found paradise on Roatan, too bad you missed CoCoView!

Since you are posting in this specific forum, I won't go as far afield as to repeat the Galloping Pogos, but concentrate on the greater Caribbean basin instead.

Cisne/Swan; Corn Islands; the NE barrier islands off of Grenada; Barbaretta?

You mention all that great diving experience, you mention all of these cool places, you even repeat the best advice, "go slow, stay slow", and yet you crave large critters. Ahh, we always want what we "can't" have.

Other than your fabulous and enviable "dance card" of dive destinations, have you ticked through the Paul Humann book and really seen each and every (or most) of the micro critters that are the true holy grails of diving?

Me and this Bahamian DM had to go on a shark dive/feed off of a liveaboard (as they prohibited any other non-escorted diving at that moment) and we never saw a shark. She and I stared at a Pipefish for 45 minutes, swapping the use of my magnifying glass. Shark? What Shark? Maybe I was distracted by looking at her for a few minutes, dunno.

The cool stuff is the small stuff!

How did you dive Los Roques? Antares? Steel tanks in Coz, man you are a geezer!

 

[rpodos]

Pretty well had your ticket punched, Los Roques and Tobago (BTW, Kevin wouldn't know if a manta bit him on the butt, try Red Man next time), and if you thought you found paradise on Roatan, too bad you missed CoCoView!

Since you are posting in this specific forum, I won't go as far afield as to repeat the Galloping Pogos, but concentrate on the greater Caribbean basin instead.

Cisne/Swan; Corn Islands; the NE barrier islands off of Grenada; Barbaretta?

You mention all that great diving experience, you mention all of these cool places, you even repeat the best advice, "go slow, stay slow", and yet you crave large critters. Ahh, we always want what we "can't" have.

Other than your fabulous and enviable "dance card" of dive destinations, have you ticked through the Paul Humann book and really seen each and every (or most) of the micro critters that are the true holy grails of diving?

Me and this Bahamian DM had to go on a shark dive/feed off of a liveaboard (as they prohibited any other non-escorted diving at that moment) and we never saw a shark. She and I stared at a Pipefish for 45 minutes, swapping the use of my magnifying glass. Shark? What Shark? Maybe I was distracted by looking at her for a few minutes, dunno.

The cool stuff is the small stuff!

How did you dive Los Roques? Antares? Steel tanks in Coz, man you are a geezer!

RWhiting, thanks for the suggestion, and *believe* me I can't wait to do the Galapagos, but this is for a shorter trip.

RoatanMan, thanks for the detailed reply. Having poking around a good bit, you are clearly one of the reasons this board is kickin' booty.

Now to, ahem, answer:

First, as to small stuff, yeah, I dig that too, I've just done a lot of it for a non-photobug. Made sure to re-read "Watching Fishes" at least once a year for the first five or so years of serious diving. Lugged around the Humann books everywhere. Been on REEF counting trips. Took courses at the NY Aquarium and Museum of Natural History. And my wife looooves seahorses, so I am the designated spotter. If I'm on a macro trip, yeah, I got my face stuck as close to the reef or sand as I can get it... fighting blennies ROCK!

But, like I said, I'm really into bigger stuff too... no reason you can't have both on a trip, unless you're on some weird open ocean trip.

Example: Prolly my favorite dive destination in the last five years or so was Turneffe Island Lodge. Right outside the little bay, BANG, The Elbow. I even got the fishermen to take me out at dawn one morning to catch the blacktips on the thermal upswell... breakfast is served!! Second and third dives on the wall or reef, or even in the mangroves for a change of pace.

So, now to some other random responses:

Cocoview - Yeah, I gotta get there. I'm sorta planning on somehow combining Placencia and Utila in the spring, to catch the cubera snapper spawning. Maybe somebody should try to put a trip together? BTW, speaking of the Bay Islands, does anybody know about a new resort being run by some shark diving guys from San Diego?

[In general, your suggestion of CocoView maybe is the best answer: pick favorite destinations, and just keep going, trying the different resports.]

Cisne / Swan and Barbaretta - Anything there that one wouldn't see in Utila or Roatan?

Corn Islands - That is a GREAT suggestion... I had forgotten about them.

Grenada - Don't know much about it. Aren't those reefs hard to get to and hard to dive on the east (where the pelagics are)?

I've never done a live-aboard, so no, not Antares in Los Roques. I had to be in Caracas for work (man, does that place suck), so I took a puddlejumper to Gran Roque and stayed at one of those Italian pensiones for a long weekend... very cool.

So anyway, my two basic questions didn't get answered yet... Where *specifically* in August? And where are those dang whale sharks in the summer?

Thanks again!

 

[Doc]

First, as to small stuff, yeah, I dig that too, I've just done a lot of it for a non-photobug. Made sure to re-read "Watching Fishes" at least once a year for the first five or so years of serious diving. Lugged around the Humann books everywhere. Been on REEF counting trips. Took courses at the NY Aquarium and Museum of Natural History. And my wife looooves seahorses, so I am the designated spotter. If I'm on a macro trip, yeah, I got my face stuck as close to the reef or sand as I can get it... fighting blennies ROCK!

OK, you got that ticket punched, too.

But, like I said, I'm really into bigger stuff too... no reason you can't have both on a trip, unless you're on some weird open ocean trip.

Example: Prolly my favorite dive destination in the last five years or so was Turneffe Island Lodge. Right outside the little bay, BANG, The Elbow. I even got the fishermen to take me out at dawn one morning to catch the blacktips on the thermal upswell... breakfast is served!! Second and third dives on the wall or reef, or even in the mangroves for a change of pace.

With that kind of attitude, you can do well in many places. There's a guy that comes to CCV every year for maybe two weeks. I never see him. Every night, a heavy duty panga pulls up and loads him and his gazillion Pelican cases on board. I'm told that he gets back at about 0400. This looks like a fabulous idea, and if you have the loot, I know it could be arranged through the CoCoView.

Cocoview - Yeah, I gotta get there. I'm sorta planning on somehow combining Placencia and Utila in the spring, to catch the cubera snapper spawning. Maybe somebody should try to put a trip together?

August for the coral spawn, April-June for whale sharks, but the Bay Islands are better relied upon for little critters.

BTW, speaking of the Bay Islands, does anybody know about a new resort being run by some shark diving guys from San Diego?

Dunno about that, but there is an established Shark Dive rodeo at "Cara a Cara" just ESE of the Airport on a seamount. Sharks are everywhere on the Bay Islands, you just have to descend into the cooler waters to see them. Oh- look, there's a shark.

[In general, your suggestion of CocoView maybe is the best answer: pick favorite destinations, and just keep going, trying the different resports.]

Cisne / Swan and Barbaretta - Anything there that one wouldn't see in Utila or Roatan?

Larger and Apex critters, if you're lucky.

Corn Islands - That is a GREAT suggestion... I had forgotten about them.

Tough to get to, though.

Grenada - Don't know much about it. Aren't those reefs hard to get to and hard to dive on the east (where the pelagics are)?

North East... Once again, the good stuff is tough to get at, unless you craft a plan. A few souls go to Grenada every year and are thrilled by the BiancaB (or Binaca C or whatever) but have no clue what the possibilities might have been lest even the only liveaboard has pulled out. They rarely if ever went up there, anyway. I think a guy with your attitude could make it work. Let's see, rent a car, load it with gear, meet up with a fisherman on the NE Coast.... pray for easy seas, and....

I've never done a live-aboard,

Hmm, you might want to look into the Nekton. Never a disappointment. Seen a lot of different sharks diving with them off of the Bahamian out islands. But then again, they're just sharks.

so no, not Antares in Los Roques. I had to be in Caracas for work (man, does that place suck), so I took a puddlejumper to Gran Roque and stayed at one of those Italian pensiones for a long weekend... very cool.

I did the Antares III a couple of times, as awful as the boat was, the diving in the shallow and heavy currents was quite remarkable. Hundreds of wooden wrecks. Quite a unique experience for the Caribbean

So anyway, my two basic questions didn't get answered yet... Where *specifically* in August? And where are those dang whale sharks in the summer?

Cabo to Cocos. How's your Dramamine supply?

Thanks again!

You know, we rented that Johnny Knoxville movie "Jackass" and he stuffed his mesh swim shorts with frozen shrimp and went snorkeling with the Whale Sharks. I'll bet that you could even use SCUBA and they wouldn't care. Looked like a pretty interesting idea to me. Roughly akin to the old porkchop around your neck in a pen of Rottweilers.

I'd do it , bet you would, too.

 

[rpodos]

I clearly gotta hang at CocoView...

Re the San Diego crew I mentioned, I think this is them:

http://www.sharkdiver.com/package_submarine.html

Oh, and re Gran Roque, I really can't recommend the Italian pensiones enough... they are mostly run by fairly cool people who have retreated a bit... designers, musicians, divers... these are not like the bare bones state-sponsored ones you'd find in say PR... definitely class, and being Italian, GREAT food.

I'm gonna sleep on it a few days... friggin' 6am Jetblue flight from Santiago on Wednesday, and I'm in Sosua. To keep things simple, I'm thinking Grand Turk anyways, for mantas hopefully, and then maybe catch a yachtie ride up to Bimini if I can find one, and see about dolphins.

Thanks for your time RM... I checked out your Galapagos trip, and I like your way of doing things. Maybe we'll hook up one of these days.

[Still can't believe it took me this dang long to get on a SCUBA board... I'll try to make a point of being active, and share what I know of where I've been. ]

Thanks uno mas!

 

[rpodos]

Oh, and no, Cabo and Cocos and whatnot can't be the answer for the Carib whale sharks, unless they been paying the lock fees in Panama! I've poked around all over, and no one seems to know where they are in the summer.

Hey, that reminds me, another question about big critters: Where do people find sunfish? I've never seen one. I don't really understand what the heck they are all about, either... filter feeders? algae? They are weird, but I'd like to check'em out.

 

[knotical]

filter feeders? algae?

According to this URL:
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=1732
“Feeds on fishes, mollusks, zooplankton, jellyfish, crustaceans, and brittle stars”

 

[El Orans]

Wow,

I know several members who do write this amount of text in their first 10 posts. Way to go.

Laurens

BTW, welcome (Scub)aBoard! :happywave

 

[Doc]

Re the San Diego crew I mentioned, I think this is them:
http://www.sharkdiver.com/package_submarine.html

Oh, I thought you were inferring that this was in Honduras. It sent my mind a-reeeling....

Let me see.

Get in a metal tube some California hippies are calling a submarine.

In Honduras.

A Honduran Submarine.

Right.

Whew. Glad to know it's only a 20 hour trip from where they pick you up in San Diego.

For $2350 I gonna wanna see an Instructor get bit, or maybe at the very least a DiveMaster get eaten. Something.

How much for a Poodle feed?

(All kidding aside, looks like a cool operation!)