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Jardines de la Reina, Cuba | March 2019

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Added by Steven Backerman from his trip to Jardines de la Reina, Cuba in November 2019.

 

In March 2019, I had the pleasure of taking the Jardines Aggressor II for a 7 night liveaboard dive trip in the archipelago of Jardines de la Reina (Gardens of the Queen), Cuba. 

Christopher Columbus named the archipelago to honor Queen Isabella I of Spain.  It is comprised of over 600 cays and islands over 840 square miles.  It has been well-protected by the Cuban government for over 20 years and the abundance of life, from thick coral gardens to huge schools of fish and sharks on every dive, is phenomenal.  And, if you’re lucky, you can snorkel and spend some time underwater with American Crocodiles (more on this below).

I flew into the Camagüey airport and, along with the other divers, we were met by a luxury bus and were drive to the port of Jucaro, Cuba where we boarded the Jardines Aggressor II and departed for the Jardines. 

Although recent actions taken by Trump may prevent future trips, at least for now, I was able to make this trip through a non-profit group, Oceans for Youth, which sponsors these trips as educational adventures. 

The Jardines Aggressor II is a 135’ boat with room for 24 divers, though there were only 9 of us on my trip.  The staff are extremely attentive, the food is first class, the dive masters are well trained and the accommodations extremely comfortable.  The boat includes a hot tub, hot showers on the deck and the staff meet you with hot towels after every dive.

The skies are beautiful.  I witnessed my first ever green-flash and ended up seeing it a couple of times.  But, even without a green-flash, the sunsets never disappointed.

Two dives are offered each morning.  There are two additional dives available each day, either two in the afternoon or one in the afternoon and one night dive.  On Friday, the final day of diving, there are only two morning dives, as the boat then makes its way back to Jucaro to complete the trip.

As stated, life is abundant throughout the reefs.  Silky sharks and reef sharks are plentiful, as are groupers, turtles, tarpon, octopus and huge schools of fish.

Several times, over a couple of days, we took the skiff through the mangroves in search of crocodiles.  We had difficulty locating them but, thankfully, on our final foray, we found a couple of them. 

I was able to get in the water with the crocs and managed to take several photos.  The quality of the photos leaves something to be desired as the water was extremely silty and the strong current only managed to stir up the silt even further in the algae rich water.

American Crocodiles, while dangerous, are not nearly as aggressive as those from Australia and Africa, so with a bit of precaution not to engage the crocs from the side and only approach them head-on, I entered the water and enjoyed this rather unique experience.

On Saturday, the day we disembarked, we were treated to a tour of the city of Camagüey and I’ve included some of the photos of this very interesting city.

I hope you enjoy viewing my photos.  It was an amazing experience and I highly recommend it!

I will definitely return.

Saba & St. Kitts | November 2018

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Added by Steven Backerman from his trip to Saba & St. Kitts in November 2018.

I did a live aboard dive trip to Saba and St. Kitts in the Caribbean aboard the Caribbean Explorer II in November 2018.  The Caribbean Explorer II is one of a fleet of live aboard dive boats operated by Explorer Adventures.

 

Caribbean Explorer II has two itineraries…you can either fly to St. Maarten, board the boat, then dive a few days at Saba and then a few more at St. Kitts and then fly home from St. Kitts or you can fly into and embark from St. Kitts, dive St. Kitts first, then Saba, then fly home from St. Maarten.

 

I chose the first option as I was hoping to spend 3 days diving Saba, a place I’ve wanted to dive since first learning about it from my Advanced Open Water instructor in Utila, Honduras in 2008. 

 

Unfortunately, we only spent 2 days at Saba and did not dive the pinnacles.  I was initially told it was due to problems with the moorings, but later found out that was untrue….the problem was due to some divers on the trip (the pinnacles typically boast of strong currents) who did not have sufficient experience to tackle those dives.

 

Though disappointing, otherwise the trip was amazing.  The crew on Caribbean Explorer II are fantastic.  First rate service, first rate dive masters, excellent food.  The boat is well piloted by an experienced Captain who is also a diver.  I have nothing but good things to say about the crew.

 

You can get in up to 5 dives a day…2 morning dives, 2 afternoon dives and a night dive….every day, but the last, when there are but 2 morning dives, giving everyone sufficient off-gassing time before flying home.

 

Prior to the trip, I thought Saba would be the jewel of the trip (and, had we gone to the pinnacles, maybe it would have been) and while it was pretty great, I was blown away with the variety of seascapes and creatures in St. Kitts.  We dove a couple of wrecks, both fully overgrown with life, as well as sandy bottoms, sea grass, trenches and reefs that wind and turn and create incredible mazes where sensory overload is well assured.

 

If your goal is to dive, eat, sleep and repeat, I highly recommend Explorer Adventures and this itinerary is a great way to go. 

It is my intention to go to Turks & Caicos with Explorer Adventures in 2019 or 2020.  Anyone want to join?

West Palm Beach, Florida | May 2018

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Added by Steven Backerman from his trip to West Palm Beach, Florida in May 2018

A couple of friends and I went to West Palm Beach, Florida to dive over Memorial Day weekend.  While our 4 day dive trip was cut to 2 days due to inclement weather, the dives there are pretty spectacular.

We dove with 3 different dive companies:  four ocean drift dives were with Narcosis Dive Company while I also did a blackwater dive with Pura Vida Divers and did a muck dive at Blue Heron Bridge with Force-E Scuba Center.

First, let me mention that all 3 dive shops are first rate.  The staff at each center are very friendly and helpful and extremely interested in making sure the dives experiences are positive.

Second, we stayed in an AirBnB, Sunshine Shores Resort, on Singer Island, which was a short walk to the beach and a very close drive to the marinas and dive shops.  Nothing fancy, but they took great care of us when there was an A/C failure and the 2 BR apartment, with kitchen and decent sized living room, was pretty reasonably priced at $200.00 a night, though only 1 bathroom.

As for the diving:

The ocean diving seems to all be pretty much drift diving and the current can be fairly strong, so all four of the dives were negative entry.  We saw turtles on every dive, both Green and Loggerhead, as well as lots of reef fish, lobsters, eels , Great Barracudas and nurse sharks.  I did get to see one Goliath Grouper.  Unfortunately, because of the incoming inclement weather and the daily rain that had pounded the area for a couple of weeks, visibility was a “dirty 30” at best….you could see, but there was lots of particulate in the water.  The crew on the Narcosis was very knowledgeable and helpful, but could probably stand to slow the actual dives down a bit, as I found myself lagging in order to take photographs.  In any event, overall great experience.  Very safe and experienced boat captain, Alex, (who co-owns the company) and the procedures are all well-laid out with a safe, fun experience as a result.

I did my first ever blackwater dive with Pura Vida Divers and it was a blast.  Pura Vida offers the blackwater night dives on Mondays and Thursdays, conditions permitting.  We left the marina around 7:30 pm and headed out a few miles offshore.  Over a 600’ deep seabed, we drifted 5 miles in an hour and a half.  There’s a buoy floated with a downline that has lights strung every 10’ or so, down to a maximum depth of 40’.  The dive briefing includes the instruction that the buoy is essentially everyone’s buddy for the dive.  It drifts along with the divers (and, the boat follows in the current as well).  It is a very relaxing and enjoyable dive, though there was still a lot of particulate in the water.  It’s difficult enough to spot the tiny larval creatures that come to the surface to feed when it’s safer at night, but add in non-living particulate and, boy, it was quite a challenge.  While I saw larval mantis shrimp, what appeared to be a larval flounder and other larval fish, it took me over ½ the dive to figure out how to get decent focus on mostly transparent and/or translucent creatures.  An Arrow Squid made its appearance and I was lucky to get a great shot and I did get a couple of ok shots of cool looking jelly fish that couldn’t have been more than ¼” in size.  It was truly an awesome experience and it won’t be my last blackwater dive.

Blue Heron Bridge was the main reason I wanted to dive West Palm Beach.  It’s considered one of the top muck dives in the world, which is pretty cool given the fact that it is smack dab in the middle of the channel between the mainland and Singer Island.  Unfortunately, conditions were not good.  Visibility varied between 5 and 10 feet and, like the other dives, there was a lot of particulate.  While we saw a ton of creatures, it was extremely challenging to get enough light and, once my torch conked out, I spent the remainder of the dive spectating only and not shooting.  However, it is obvious that with decent conditions and enough light, diving Blue Heron Bridge is a macro lover’s paradise.  I will definitely return.

Archipelago Revillagigedo | March 2018

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Added by Steven Backerman from his trip to Archipelago Revillagigedo in March 2018

Archipelago Revillagigedo lies about 250 nautical miles to the south of Cabo San Lucas.  While it is often colloquially referred to as Socorro Islands, Isla Socorro is but one of the 4 islands that make up the archipelago, the other three being Isla Clarion, Isla San Benedicto and Roca Partida. 

Isla Clarion is significantly far from the other three and our diving was confined to San Benedicto, Socorro and Roca Partida.

While there are a number of live-aboard boats that visit the archipelago, I used Rocio del Mar, boarding on a Sunday morning for the approximately 26 hour boat ride to San Benedicto. 

The long, open water boat ride was pretty non-eventful, though the waves and rollers were unpleasant for some.  I definitely recommend bringing along whatever anti-seasick medication you find that works.

And, before I discuss the diving and dive sites, let me say this:  Rocio del Mar is a first-rate operation.  The 10 crew consist of 3 Dive Masters, 2 zodiac/panga drivers, the captain, a steward, an engineer, the chef and his assistant.  The service is impeccable.  There are 10 passenger berths, holding 2 people each, with a bathroom per berth.  The bathrooms are cleaned daily and the beds made daily.  Towels are provided.

The food is plentiful, varied and super delicious.  You won’t go hungry and, despite an average of 3 challenging dives each day, you might even find that you gain weight.  The all-you-can-eat includes all of the wine and beer you may want, though once you have your first sip of alcohol, your diving is done for the day.

The 20 divers were divided into three groups and the sequence of groups to be first to dive each day rotated each day.  The first dive was typically around 8 am, the 2nd dive around 10:30 am and then a mid-afternoon dive.  There is no night diving allowed for safety reasons.

Breakfast is served between dives 1 and 2 (there’s a continental breakfast available prior to the first dive) and lunch is served between dives 2 and 3. 

As for the diving:  most of our dives were fairly challenging due to currents.  While I am told that the currents aren’t as strong at other times of year, great buoyancy skills and being an advanced diver are pre-requisite to this trip.  It is not a trip for a timid diver. 

Each of the dives was to at least 82 feet and seldom would a dive be close to the sea floor.  While not mandatory, paying the surcharge for a week of Nitrox diving is well worth the expense given the increase in safety.  Most of the time we dove around 32% O2 though on the deeper dives the percentage was around 28%.

Our dive locations/sites were as follows:

Dive Day One:  Isla San Benedicto, 2 dives

These were the easiest of the dives and are used as check-out dives so the Dive Masters can get familiar with their respective dive groups.  The two dive sites were El Fondeadero and Tres Hermanos. 

The highlights included White-tipped Reef Sharks, Green Moray Eels, Guineafowl Puffers and Two-spotted Octopus.

After dinner, when the steward was essentially chumming the water with uneaten food, just off the back of the boat became alive with about a dozen Silky Sharks and a few Bottlenose Dolphin.  It was quite the scene.

 

Dive Day Two:  Isla San Benedicto, 3 dives

All three dives were at El Boiler, which is on the west side of San Benedicto.  The site is really a massive in girth flat-top pinnacle.  It is here that we dove with the giant Manta Rays and Bottlenose Dolphin.  The currents around the pinnacle can be somewhat swift.

The highlights are definitely the Mantas and the Dolphin, though you’ll find plenty of reef fish, eels, some sharks and an occasional octopus if you look closely in the nooks and crannies of the rock.

 

Dive Day Three:  Isla Socorro, 3 dives

The first two dives were at Cabo Pearce and this is where we experienced some of the strongest currents I’ve ever experienced.  These were also the least fruitful dives in terms of life.

We did see Green Moray Eels and White-tipped Reef Sharks, but even the critters were mostly back in cracks and crevices to escape the current. 

I am told the current was unusually strong and uncommon.

While at Socorro, the Mexican Navy boards the boat to inspect passports and to undertake infrequent searches of the boat.  Though we were delayed by hours before the navy finally boarded, the inspection was quick. 

However, because of the long delay, we didn’t have time to get to usual afternoon dive site at Socorro, so we improvised and simply dove an unnamed site.

Because the sun had fallen behind the volcano peaks that comprise Socorro, the dive was pretty dark, though not quite a night dive.

It was here that I encountered the Reef Cornetfish, along with the Long-tailed Rays, as well as many other reef fish and a couple of White-tipped Reef Sharks.

 

Dive Days Four and Five:  Roca Partida, 3 dives each day

Roca Partida literally means Split Rock and, in all honesty, that’s exact what it is.  It’s the smallest of the islands in Revillagigedo, measuring about the length of a football field, about 8 meters wide, and its two peaks measure about 25 meters and 34 meters.  The rock is home to a few varieties of booby. 

The island itself is the dive site, the entry point and direction determined strictly by prevailing currents.

It is here that you find the shark condos where dozens of juvenile White-tipped Reef Sharks congregate in rugby scrums, while some larger ones swim by, seemingly keeping an eye on them. 

If you swim out 50 to 100 yards into the open, the encounters can be amazing:  we spotted Galapagos Sharks, Silky Sharks, Silver-tipped Sharks, Hammerhead Sharks, Yellowfin Tuna, and Wahoo albeit difficult to photograph, at times, as they tend to keep their distance. 

Schools of jacks, lots of Black Jacks and Bluefin Trevally, as well as Green Moray Eels and lots of other reef fish contribute to making these dives some of the most exciting I’ve ever done.

At the completion of one of our dives, while relaxing in the panga, a juvenile Whale Shark swam right under the panga, speedily passing us with no time to respond.  And, I’m told the Manta Rays often frequent Roca Partida, though we didn’t see any during any of our 6 dives there.

 

Dive Day 6:  Isla San Benedicto, 4 dives

We returned to Tres Hermanos for our first dive, followed by a dive at El Canon and then 2 final dives at El Boiler.

Tres Hermanos turned out to be fantastic with an Olive Ridley Turtle encounter, more Manta Rays, a huge free swimming Green Moray and loads of reef fish.

El Canon, though I’m told this is often a spectacular dive, turned out to be somewhat blasé for us, but, you simply can’t control critters.

The final 2 dives at El Boiler found us diving with a couple of more Mantas, quite a number of White-tipped Reef Sharks, as well as a beautiful Two-spotted Octopus that had taken on quite a purplish tone to match its surroundings on the El Boiler pinnacle wall.

 

I hope you enjoy looking at these photos as much as I enjoyed taking them.  Though the trip is long and you won’t touch earth for 8 days, and, frankly, it isn’t an inexpensive dive experience, I highly recommend it.  Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.

San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico | February 2018

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Added by Steven Backerman from his trip to San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico in February 2018.

 

What an exciting trip….everything from tiny nudibranchs to giant sized orcas!  Orcas are regular visitors to the Sea of Cortez during the winter, but it’s always special to see them!

Though the Sea of Cortez can be pretty cold at this time of year (think high 50s to low 60s F, 15-18 C), the diving is spectacular!  

Because of the density of particulate in the water, visibility isn’t necessarily great, but it’s that volume of particulate that makes for a great variety of critters as the particulate, both proteins and vegetation, provides the food base for the abundance of life!

I was able to capture some video of the orcas on my camera phone and you can find the video here.

We also saw quite a variety of sea stars…including a Tan Sea Star with 4 legs and a Panamic Cushion Star with 6!  Check out the gallery to see for yourself.

Not many people dive the Sea of Cortez when the water is so cold, but with a decent exposure suit (5mm-7mm), you’ll stay warm enough (trust me, I am not a big fan of the cold) and get to enjoy a very different experience from warmer water dives.

As my house is occupied with winter guests, I stayed at Los Jitos which I highly recommend for basic, safe, clean accommodations at a good price.

For more about San Carlos and the Sea of Cortez, click here.

 

 

 

 

New Providence, The Bahamas | November 2017

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Added by Steven Backerman from his trip to New Providence, The Bahamas in November 2017.

 

 

This was my first time to the Bahamas and the diving was spectacular.  Visibility was between 80 and 200 feet on every dive, there’s an abundance of life and literally hundreds of dive sites from which to choose.

I dove with Stuart Cove’s in the southeast of the island for 3 days and then dove with Bahama Divers out of downtown Nassau for 3 days.

Stuart Cove’s is a big and busy operation with several boats going out mornings and afternoons.  They also have the SNUBA and SUBs available for non-divers.  Dives are fairly strictly timed to 35-45 minutes in order for the boats and shop to stay on their schedule.  And, the staff seems to be too busy most of the time to be very friendly, but if you persist in communicating, you’ll find they all lighten up and interact more and also become a bit more generous on dive times.

Bahama Divers is quite the opposite of Stuart Cove’s.  The staff are extremely friendly, the operation is fairly small and run quite efficiently, but you don’t feel at all like you’re in a cattle call.  Bahama Divers is also on the opposite side of the island, which means you’ll visit a number of dive sites that you aren’t likely to visit from Stuart Cove’s.  Both operations will take you to the Blue Hole, which, in my opinion, is a lot better than the Blue Hole off of Belize, as there’s quite a bit more life in and around the hole, but Bahama Divers is a lot closer, requiring a much shorter boat trip.

Also, with Bahama Divers, you get to visit Trinity Caves dive site, where you’ll find several aggressively friendly Spotted Moray Eels who enjoy interacting and showing off for the divers.

Both operations will do their best to make sure that you don’t have to visit the same dive sites during your stay, unless, of course, you want to.

As you’ll see from my photos, there’s simply a lot of life, from slugs to sharks, as well as beautiful reefs.  The island sits at the edge of the Continental Shelf, so you’ll find plenty of beautiful walls.

As a word of warning, New Providence is pretty expensive as far as Caribbean destinations are concerned.  I stayed in an AirBnB and there are plenty of hotels and resorts, from rustic and inexpensive to pretty high class, such as the Atlantis.

When I return to dive in the Bahamas, I will opt for a liveaboard in order to dive the other islands (which I’m told are spectacular), too, on a single trip.