Maracajau Snorkeling

Photo: Way to Go Brazil

Maracajaú is located about 50km from Natal (Brazil), and it takes one hour to go there. This region is considered to be the best area for snorkeling and diving, near Natal.

There is a big area of reefs named Parrachos de Maracajaú (7km from the coast), an area of 13km2, with a deep varying between 1,8m and 3,2m, during low tide. The water temperature is in average 26°C, and the development of corals contribute to a rich marine fauna and flora, turning the region to an enormous, natural aquarium.

This scenery is idealistic of practicing Snorkeling and also Scuba Diving for beginners. Also more experienced scuba divers can enjoy the region’s very pleasant diving, with reference to the rich marine life, and the waters temperature and visibility.

The Snorkeling kit  includes: Diving flippers, Mask & Snorkel, and boat transfer from the coast to Parrachos de Maracajaú (takes 10min one way), where it is a small platform/base station – effective time for snorkeling 2 hours.

The Scuba Diving kit includes: Diving equipment – Cylinder/Oxygen, Regulator, Vest & Ballast, Diving flippers, Mask & Snorkel, and boat transfer from the coast to Parrachos de Maracajaú (takes 10min one way), where it is a small platform/base station – effective time for diving 40min.  

Source: PackTours

Whale Watching in Santa Catarina, Brazil

Whale watching season in the state of Santa Catarina goes from July to November. That’s when southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) leave Antarctic waters, where they spent the summer, to mate, give birth and nurse their young off the coast of this southern Brazil state. Sightings reach a peak between the second half of August and the first half of October.

The Santa Catarina coast has traversed a redeeming historical path from whaling hub to preservation model. The carcass of the last southern right whale killed in the area was brought to the shores of Imbituba in 1973. When whale hunting in Brazil was finally forbidden in 1987, there were no more whales in the area.

Thanks to environmentalist efforts, southern right whale population has been growing steadily. The old whaling station on Praia do Porto, Imbituba, was converted into the Whale Museum.

See full article including a Whale siting map and other tips here.

Open Water Course – All you want to know about scuba diving

Scuba diving class introduction

If you’re thinking about learning to dive or you want to know a bit more about what to expect in your certification course I’ve answered the most common questions here.

What is the Open Water course?

The Open Water course is the basic scuba diving certification course taught by all certification agencies. There are small differences in course content between agencies, but they all cover the same basic skills and knowledge you will need to know as an independent diver.

Who can enroll?

Children as young as 10 years old (12 years old in some countries) can enroll in the Junior Open Water course and those 15 years and older can enroll in the Open Water course. Junior Open Water certified divers are automatically upgraded to Open Water divers on their 15th birthday with no need for recertification. You’ll also need to be in good health with no major health problems.

What does the course qualify you to do?

When you’re certified as an Open Water diver you’ll be able to dive to 60 feet / 18 meters (40 feet / 12 meters for 10-12 year olds) whenever you’re accompanied by a fellow of the same or higher certification level (the other diver must be 18 or older for Junior Open Water divers). You don’t have to be accompanied by a Divemaster or Instructor, but can be if you’d prefer. You’re also eligible to do the Advanced Open Water course and many specialties.

How long does the course take?

The course is usually taught over 3 to 5 days in dive vacation destinations, but can also be taught over weeks or even months if taken as a part-time course. The course content is the same but the daily workload is much greater, although still quite manageable, on the shorter course.

What do I have to do to complete the course?

* Knowledge Development
You will be given a text book and videos to watch and will either study independently in your own time, with the assistance of your instructor, or online with guided e-learning. You will learn the basics of diving techniques, how diving affects your body, diving safety, equipment selection and maintenance, dive planning, and preview the skills you’ll learn in the water. There will be a test at the end but if you’ve studied your material you should have no problems passing.

* Confined Water Training
Your confined water training will be conducted in a swimming pool or swimming pool like environment, such as a calm beach. Beginning in water shallow enough to stand up in you’ll learn all the basic skills you’ll need to confidently and safely enjoy scuba diving. As you gain confidence you’ll gradually move into deeper water and learn some more advanced skills and safety drills.

* Open Water Training
This is what it’s all about – open water diving. Over four or more dives you’ll practice all the skills you’ve already mastered in confined water out in open water, which means the open ocean or another large body of water that is used for diving. You’ll practice the skills with your instructor until you’re completely confident and can perform them with ease in a real diving situation. Of course you’ll also get to check out everything the underwater world has to offer and hopefully develop a life-long love for diving.

Do I have to renew my certification?

The Open Water certification is forever and never needs to be renewed. However, it is recommended that if you haven’t dived for a while (usually a year or more) or feel the need to brush up your skills to do a Scuba Review. This review is a short refresher course with a professional that can be integrated into your first regular dive.

Scuba diving class

Pictures:  Scubatuna and PADI Open Water Course

From Nicholas McLaren

Seven affordable, under-the-radar beach destinations

Fernando de Noronha

Even in rough economic times, it’s important to take a break from the “real world” and treat yourself to some relaxation. At this time of year, it’s preferable to do so on a warm beach. You just have to look a little harder and a little off the beaten path to find affordable destinations. Luckily, I’ve started the research for you and found seven great, lesser-known beach destinations in the Caribbean and Atlantic that also go easy on your wallet.

Los Roques, Venezuela

There may be no better place in the Caribbean to live out your castaway fantasies than Los Roques, an archipelago of 42 sandy islands and about 300 mangrove islets and rocks located 80 miles off the coast of Caracas, Venezuela. Protected as a national park since 1972, the vast majority of Los Roques islands are uninhabited. Those that are inhibited have limited development—there are no cruise ports, and posadas (hotels) may have no more than 15 rooms.

The reefs surrounding the islands boast some of the best biodiversity in the Caribbean, including more than 60 species of coral and 280 species of fish. Above water, the islands give shelter to 92 bird species (such as red footed boobies and pink flamingos) and also host nesting sea turtles. Los Roques’ reliable tradewinds also make it a good spot for sailing, windsurfing, and kiteboarding. As for deserted-island dreams, many posadas can arrange for a day trip or picnic lunch to one of Los Roques’ uninhabited islands.

There are a number of affordable posadas on the islands, including the six-room Posada Movida. Bed and breakfast rates start at $75 per person per night, but it’s a better value to book the all inclusive rate of $120 per person, which covers all meals, wine at dinner, and island boat tour.

Tobago

Unlike its metropolitan and party-hardy big brother Trinidad, little Tobago is content to be a laid-back and natural Caribbean beauty. With the western hemisphere’s oldest protected rainforest, marine parks, and secluded white sand beaches, Tobago has been recognized by World Travel Awards as the World’s Leading Green Destination, a status it was given in 2007. What’s more, whether you come here for a quiet beach honeymoon or an active adventure vacation, you can generally do it pretty cheaply.

Whatever your style, it’s worthwhile to experience both Tobago’s beaches and its wild interior. Tobago was purportedly the inspiration for “Robinson Crusoe,” and even though the deserted beaches described in the novel were based on observations made almost 300 years ago, you can still find such beaches on the island today. Try going to Pirate’s Bay, which was used in the 1954 film version of the novel. You should also plan on a snorkeling trip (25$) to Buccoo Reef, where you can swim with tropical fish in crystal-clear waist-deep water.

To see the rainforest and its many colorful bird species, stay in an eco-lodge or go on a day tour with a local guide. The Cuffie River Nature Retreat, an eco-lodge located on the edge of the rainforest, offers a variety of nature tours including birding walks and visits to secluded waterfalls and natural pools. All inclusive rates for two people start at $185 per night, which includes all meals and a nature walk. If you’d prefer to stay near the beach, try the intimate Hummingbird Hotel, where room-only rates start at $50 a night.

Roatan, Honduras

Roatan, a minnow-shaped island within Honduras’ Bay Islands, attracts divers who come to experience the world’s second-largest barrier reef and those looking for an affordable, laid-back beach vacation in the Caribbean. The island is one of Central America’s once-hidden-now-on-the-rise beach destinations, but thankfully it still lacks big chain resorts and some of the other trappings of mass tourism.

Most Roatan tourists come for the diving and snorkeling, which is among the best in the Caribbean. Besides the coral reefs, you can explore shipwrecks and go on dives specifically to swim with sharks and dolphins. You can also visit the Roatan Tropical Butterfly Garden ($7), go horse-back riding ($35) on the beach, shop at local art galleries, or just relax at one of several open-air seafood restaurants and bars.

The top-rated (according to Trip Advisor, our sister site), hotel on the island, West Bay Lodge, charges a mere $80 a night (based on a four-night stay) for private bungalows with kitchens. The rate includes daily breakfast, a welcome drink, and airport transfers for stays of four nights or longer.

Isla Bastimentos, Panama

Looking for the next Costa Rica? Just head down the coast a few miles to Panama and the Isla Bastimentos, part of the Bocas del Toro archipelago in the Caribbean Sea, a 20-square-mile island that’s a microcosm of some of Panama’s top tourism offerings. Here you’ll find virgin rainforests home to sloths and monkeys, offshore coral gardens and mangrove islands perfect for snorkeling, and stunning beaches pounded by Hawaii-sized waves.

The island’s Parque Nacional Marino Isla Bastimentos ($10 for admission), which encompasses rainforest, beaches, and coral reefs, is an essential stop for all visitors. Most people come to snorkel the coral gardens and Cayos Zapatillas, two little shoe-shaped islets off the main island. On the land, guides can take you on hikes through the forest to see animals like white-faced capuchin monkeys and poison dart frogs. For the best beaches, go to the northern part of the island. Big waves and strong currents make the beaches unfriendly to swimmers, but the sight of the waves and the lack of bathers makes for postcard-worthy strolls.

To really get away from it all, stay at the Al Natural Resort, a series of six open air bungalows set in the forest with views of the sea. Rates start at $180 for the first night and $130 for subsequent nights.

Grenada

Although many people still identify this volcanic Caribbean island with its political turbulence during the 1980s, the face Grenada presents today is one of a friendly, casual, and affordable island destination. The “Spice Island” has something for everyone, including an inviting Afro-Caribbean culture, one of the Caribbean’s prettiest colonial cities (St. George), fragrant spice plantations, dozens of beaches and bays, and a mountainous national park great for hiking.

In the capital of St. George, you can walk along narrow colonial streets lined with a rainbow of pastel-painted houses and shops and watch masted ships sail in and out of the harbor. While in town, browse the spice and food markets and visit the 18th-century French fortification Fort George. If you’re interested in learning more about spices, tour the Gouyave Nutmeg Processing Station (Grenada produces a third of the world’s nutmeg supply) for $1.

Active visitors should try hiking in Grand Etang National Park, perhaps climbing to the top of Mt. Qua Qua, for a commanding view of the coast. For beachcombing, your first choice should be Grand Anse Beach, near St. George, a two-mile-long white sugar-white sand beach with protected waters safe for swimming.

Regarded as one of the best affordable hotels on the island, the English-country-house-style La Sagesse Nature Center is set on one of Grenada’s nicest beaches and offers easy access to nature trails. Prices start at $145 a night.

Staniel Cay, Bahamas

There are more than 700 islands in the Bahamas, but the vast majority of travelers never get beyond the mega resorts of New Providence (home to Nassau), Paradise, and Grand Bahama islands. That means there’s plenty of lightly trafficked “Out Islands” to choose from for an alternative beach getaway. For glassy, gem-colored water, condo-free beaches, affordable accommodations, and some the best sailing grounds in the world, head to Staniel Cay, a two-square-mile island within the Exuma Cays.

Most of the action on Staniel Cay centers around the friendly Staniel Cay Yacht Club, where yachters and landlubbers alike stay, dine, and congregate. Here you can rent 13- and 17-foot boats (from $95 per half day) which will allow you to cruise to some of the uninhabited islets nearby, see marine life like nurse sharks, and visit with the famous “swimming pigs” of Big Major Cay, which paddle out to sea in hopes of getting a handout from sailors. You can also rent snorkel gear ($20) to use at Thunderball Grotto, a natural fishbowl featured in the James Bond film “Thunderball.” Diving, kayaking, and bonefishing are other options.

The Yacht Club offers one-, two-, and three-bedroom waterfront cottages and suites from $145 a night, room only. All-inclusive prices that cover three meals per day, airport transfers, and use of a 13-foot boat, snorkel gear, kayaks, and bicycle start at $162 per person per night.

Fernando de Noronha, Brazil

While most Americans have never heard of it, Fernando de Noronha is regarded by many Brazilians as having the most beautiful beaches in the country—and that’s saying a lot coming from a nation full of sand and sun connoisseurs. With its steep bunny-ear hills that soar up from undeveloped white and gold beaches, Fernando de Noronha might look more at home alongside Bora Bora and the other islands of French Polynesia than it does hundreds of miles from mainland Brazil. But unlike those Pacific islands, Fernando de Noronha is cheaper and easier to get to, at least from the East Coast.

At only seven square miles, the island is easily explored by dune buggy. Pack some snorkel gear and head to beaches like Baia do Sancho and Baia dos Porcos, where you’ll see sting rays, sea turtles, and a wide variety of colorful fish just feet from the shore. Without a doubt, the water surrounding the island— a national marine park—is Fernando de Noronha’s top attraction. Besides snorkeling, you can experience Brazil’s best scuba diving with Atlantis Divers (from about $75 for two dives) and go boating (about $25) to spot spinner dolphins and see the island’s unusual rock formations up close.

In the evenings, head to Vila dos Remedios, the island’s historic heart, where you’ll dance the night away to traditional Brazilian music and eat seafood al fresco at the popular and cheap Bar do Cachorro. For affordable accommodations, stay at the simple but comfortable Pousada Paraiso do Atlantico, where prices for double rooms start around $78 a night.

Fonte: Smart Travel
Picture: Divers Scuba School

Strange sea creatures: Exhibit shows the first time, fish living in the deepest abysses of the oceans

Fangtooth – The sharp teeth prevent the closing of the mouth
 
Rare in the shows, there are giant whale (on top) and fish with antennas to attract their prey

At sea, about ten thousand meters deep below, there are ways of life that are more to ETs than for fish. But they are fish. And most of them emits light. There are transparent squid, giant jellyfish, puppies with about seven meters long. These beings live in extreme conditions in the ocean cliffs, with total absence of light and under tonnes of air pressure in average temperatures of 20 degrees centigrade negative. Last week, a team of german oceanographers of the Museum of Natural History Senckenberg in Frankfurt, worth is one of the most modern submarine in the world to capture some species and bring afloat – those that are considered more rare were shot, designed and faithful assembled in laboratories, as part of a small group that is usually just proliferating even sacrificed. Environmental crime? Evil? No. It is vital show for the first time that human beings in the eyes that had so far only been observed by scientists.

It mounted the exhibition in Frankfurt Tiefsee, offering visitors a virtual tour by the abysmal darkness of the sea, corresponding to nearly 70% of the biosphere of the planet and, paradoxically, one of the least known areas of the globe. The show occupies an area of square meters, divided into two floors, and there are 45 animals and 35 presented models played especially for the event. There aren’t live fish because none of them survives beyond its (to us, inhospitable) habitat. “The bodies can not be brought under the same conditions of high pressure, the sea bed up to an aquarium,” said marine biologist Michael Türkay, director of marine zoology of the Senckenberg Research Institute.

Imagine, for example, a baby of about seven meters long. Well, this is a baby sperm abysses of deep sea – as common a sperm, those who know and who live on the surface of the water, measured in adulthood within three meters long, the baby abysmal, when grows, reaches 18 meters. There are other major attractions in the show: the Atlantic footballfish (Himantolophus albino) has rounded form, elastic body and can swallow other animals that have up to twice its size. Already the Humpback anglerfish  (Melanocetus johnsonii) attracts its prey with false bait, a luminescent boss he swings on the head. The female reaches 18 centimeters, but the male grows up to three centimeters. The Illuminated netdevil (Linophryne arborífera), in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific, have pointed teeth and bodies that shine on the forehead and under the mouth. Another strange creature is Fangtooth (Anoplogaster cornuta), whose teeth descomunais prevent it completely close the mouth – but when the prey bites, poor her. “For a long time the biologists believed that it was impossible to be in great depths marine life,” says Türkay. “Today we know that it exists and we must also be sure that there are other animals ever seen.”

From: Terra

Enjoy life submerged

The island Bonaire, the Caribbean Flemish, reserve unparalleled surprises on the seabed

It would be a sin to say that no beach is worth the Caribbean, but Bonaire is for those who prefer the lives submerged. You do not have the structure of the island fantasy of co-sisters Aruba and Curaçao. The big deal in that piece of the Dutch Caribbean is rent a truck, fill a bucket of cylinders and how many dives endure. Beneath the water, the vision is of the most beautiful in the world.

Bonaire offers traditional dives with instructors and leaving by boat, but the majority of tourists seeking to submerge the island on their own. The west part is a series of points of diving – are about 60, out of the 26 Klein Bonaire, an island sandwiched in Bonaire. Each is marked with a yellow stone on the road. Just pull over the car, equip themselves and dive.

With so many options, it is better to inform the operators about the finer points. Do not be seduced by names like Alice in Wonderland and Something Special. Topping the list, is the beauty of Tolo. Already the sinking Hilma Hooker, a 30 m deep, impresses. The ship sank falling on one of its sides, giving an appearance more phantasmagorical to dive.

Fish and turtles

Feet point in the 18th at the Hotel Plaza Resort Bonaire, may be seen the fishes from the not deep water, and entry is easy. The Oil Slick Leap has access by stairs and beaten in March may interfere a bit, but the effort pays off. In all, the company will not only fish from the aquarium, but the turtle, tarpões huge, and fish-peixescofres trumpets.

The rent for regulator, collect and how many bottles the diver wants to come out about $ 50 per day in Toucan Dive, if the season is short on the island. The price falls in packages of several days. Both the Toucan Dive on the Dive & Adventure, for example, six days of unlimited use of tanks go for $ 120, plus the rest of the equipment. Generally, the carrier makes the bottles by hand and the diver back as often as you like to refuel.

As the points of entry in diving is not always easy, because we must be balanced with the weight of the equipment and the fin, a tip for women: choose the smaller bottles, those normally used by adolescents. The air is enough for a leisurely swim.

O Globo Agency

We run that risk …

The animation is delightful, while disappointing. A discussion on the future of the planet. And the fact that we run that risk!

Video taken from the blog: “Uma Malla pelo Mundo” 

Maui’s North Shore

From the August, 2008 issue of Scuba Diving Magazine. Once forbidden to divers because of its wicked waves, the pool is now open here – but only for the daring.

I can’t wipe the grin from my face. I’ve got a death grip on the seat handles of a 30-foot rigid inflatable boat, specially built for U.S. Navy Seals, as we’re busting through huge ocean swells and taking air at 40 knots, rocketing alongside Maui’s rugged and remote North Shore. The coastline is a breathtaking scene of dense, verdant jungle tumbling over dramatic seaside cliffs. In fact, our boat captain tells us, what we’re seeing was used for the opening shots of the film Jurassic Park.

When we get to the dive site, just before I giant stride into the swell, I notice a sign on the boat’s exit gate that gives me pause. It reads: “Abandon hope all ye who exit here.”

With its notoriously big waves, Maui’s North Shore has been taboo for divers, but heavenly for surfers. Inaccessibility, rough sea conditions and huge ocean swells often breaking into some of the world’s biggest waves have conspired to keep divers away. Every year, winds in the North Pacific generate ocean swells that roll for thousands of miles, uncontested, until colliding with the north coasts of the Hawaiian Islands. These swells roll up the uniquely shaped seafloor off Maui’s Peahi Point, creating waves that can reach up to 80 feet. The conditions are so potentially treacherous that North Shore Explorers – the only dive operator in this area – outfits divers with a personal locator beacon that, once triggered, transmits the diver’s position to a signal receiver on the boat’s console. Diving here is not for the meek and is best suited for medium to advanced, physically fit divers.

For those who dare, though, Maui’s North Shore represents a new paradigm of frontier adventure diving.

At Puka Maui, we descend as the surge gently rocks us. Rock ledges stepped to over 100 feet with huge boulders are scattered along the substrate. Skittish schools of sergeant majors, surgeonfish and angelfish not used to divers shyly retreat. Swirling schools of butterflyfish scour the bottom, feeding on sergeant major egg nests. Despite the constant pounding from surf and surge, a surprising amount of soft coral and invertebrate life clings to the rock reef. We come across a huge sleeping turtle at a cave entrance that rises up and bolts after spotting us.

Later, we swim up into a ravine undercut with dark chasms and lava tubes, reaching deep into the reef. Massive black coral trees – a rare sight these days in Hawaii – cling to the chasm wall at 40 feet. Farther up the ravine, a massive rock arch rises from the bottom, spanning the ravine. Above us, boiling surge roils over the rocks, creating a spectacular surface scene that looks like a swirl of foaming thunder clouds pinwheeling across a liquid blue sky. Back on the surface, a squall greets us with gusting winds and blowing spray. I can see the boat off in the distance, and I punch the button on my sending unit and watch with relief as the boat heads directly toward us for pickup.

Diving at another site, Critter Cove, so named for the diversity of unusual life found here, is more tranquil. Shortly after dropping in, our guide spots a pair of whiskered boarfish tucked in a crevice. It’s a fish endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, but rarely seen in Maui’s waters. In fact, our fish ID guide confirms only a handful of sightings. The same crevice reveals another rare endemic – a banded angelfish swimming with the whiskered boarfish. A marine biologist on our boat later tells us there have never been reported sightings of the two species together. Making such discoveries is just one perk of exploratory diving – another is getting the honor of naming new dive sites. “We’re discovering new dive sites everyday,” says Todd Winn, of North Shore Explorers, “and we let the divers decide what to name the new sites we find.”

As we surface, enormous waves are suddenly breaking behind us, sounding like a freight train bearing down hard. Wind-generated spray is blowing off the crests in huge, white roiling plumes. Several more sets of waves roll past us, as we sit awestruck at Mother Nature’s power and beauty. “Go Boldly” is the slogan our dive operator uses. And with the chance to discover and name new sites, the encounters with rarely seen animals, the challenge of the roaring waves – and of course, the thrill rides getting to the sites – those two words clearly capture the exciting diving here.

InDepth
Getting Around: Wailuku, on Maui’s North Shore is approximately a 25-mile, 40-minute drive from Lahaina. Go southeast on the Honoapiilani Highway (Route 30), then turn right on Kuikahi Drive, left on Waiale Road, left on Hookahi Street, then left on Alua Street. North Shore Explorers is located at 786 Alua St., in Wailuku.

Dive Conditions: Peak diving on Maui’s North Shore is from March to October, when ocean swells are minimal and visibility can exceed 150 feet. In other months, ocean swells and river runoff can cause visibility to drop to as low as 40 feet. Water temperatures range from 72 to 76 degrees.

Dive Outfitters & Charters: North Shore Explorers is currently the only dive outfit operating from Maui’s North Shore. Visit northshoreexplorers.com, or call               (808) 757-0011        for more information.

From: Scuba Diving Magazine