diving Archives | TRAVELS WITH TAM

Back in Thailand

March 9, 2014 By Tam Warner 4 Comments

Tachai Pinnacles, “Grandfather” Pinnacles.

I have returned from my 8 days on the MV Deep Andaman Queen, a dive boat live aboard in the Andaman Sea. We went from Khao Lak to the Mergui Archipelago for scuba diving, and now, back in Thailand. My daughter flew in yesterday, and we are enjoying a lazy day at the Amari Beach Resort in Patong Beach on the island of Phuket. I will publish the blogs of my trip daily!

To the Andaman Queen

I was picked up at my hotel right on time, 17:00 (5:00PM), always a plus! I was the last guest to be picked up, and Craig, one of the dive masters, was ecstatic that I had brought my 1” X 1” passport type photos. It was in the directions, so I just did it. Apparently the usual passport photo is 2” X 2”, so most everyone brought those instead. A piece of luck for me! We all know that Tam is apt to screw ups, but when it comes to travel documents, I am pretty organized (yes, I KNOW I lost my passport in Nairobi…but it was stolen, I’m almost sure.) We spent hours finding a photo shop (Kodak), getting photos taken and printed. That was just our minibus, no one on the other bus had the right photos either. Then one of the guys in our bus lost his new photos at a bathroom stop, so he had to go get new ones taken. At last, the MV Deep Andaman Queen.

She is large and roomy, very comfortable, though not luxurious. The staff and crew are exceptional, or as the Head Dive Master Steve would say, brilliant. They are very professional and friendly, especially the dive masters. After only 3 dives I can say that they are brilliant. My dive master is Jurgen, from Germany, an electrical engineer turned dive master in the Andaman Sea.

I have decided to suck it up and buy a BCD to travel with. Buoyancy Compensator Device. Once again I have rented one, and once again I have had problems with it. On the 3^rd dive yesterday, at a gorgeous dive site called Richelieu Rock, the jacket over inflated and I nearly ran out of air fighting to stay down. Jurgen was wonderful, and helped me get back on the boat. I skipped the 4^th dive, which was a night dive on the Rock, but I was completely exhausted. I haven’t gotten my own BCD to travel with because I have so much trouble with the weight of the bags…camera equipment and dive gear and computers, etc….every joint hurts from lugging it around. But, how much heavier is a BCD? I have to do it.

I have had 3 dives, and so far, Richelieu Rock has been the best, even though I had to come up early. It is absolutely magnificent with colorful tree and soft coral and anemones everywhere. Serpent Sea Stars dot the landscape, with the occasional cushion sea star and pin cushion sea star. I am charmed by the Skunk Anemone Fish, they are not as bright and colorful as “Nemo”, but I find them much prettier. I also love the feather stars which make their way around the Indian Ocean. They have numerous arms, and as the name states, look like groups of feathers. They are so intricate. The sea cucumbers here are enormous! The Knobby Banded Sea fans are spectacular. The BCD issue got away from me, I know, because of all of the new and interesting sea life I was looking at. Today, we will only do two dives, as we had to stop and do immigration through Burma/Myanmar, where we are right now. On these dives, I will not take a camera, but concentrate solely on the dive and my new equipment, especially the BCD! I am also fighting a cold, or sinus, condition…so I don’t feel 100%. More later!

CHECK OUT MORE PHOTOS HERE! I WILL CONTINUE TO UPDATE.

Why are there swimming pigs in the Exumas, Bahamas???

January 13, 2014 By Tam Warner 14 Comments

swimming pigs, exumas, bahamas — Swim, pigs, swim!

These swimming pigs are causing a sensation, and it is easy to see why! PIGS are not supposed to be swimming in the ocean…are they? Have YOU ever seen such a thing? Or heard about it? A couple of months ago I saw a video on youtube with the swimming pigs of the Exumas, and I was so amazed (and laughing so hard) I decided I had to come and see this for myself! It must have been meant, because a few weeks later I had the opportunity to come to the Exumas (outer islands of the Bahamas). I checked to see where these swimming pigs were, and when I found out they were in the Exumas, I booked a ticket!

On arrival, I asked how I could get to the pigs. It turns out there are unbelievable animal encounters here in the Exumas! I booked with Exuma Water Sports, not just to see the pigs, but to see huge Iguanas (and feed them!), swim with nurse sharks, and snorkel Thunderball Grotto (where 007 movies Thunderball and Never say Never were filmed). There are over 300 cays (pronounced keys), small islands, throughout the Exumas. The only way to really check it out is to do it by boat. In comes Exuma Water Sports, owned by Ray and Phillipa Lightbourn. The Lightbourn family has been in the Bahamas since 1735, and it doesn’t appear that they plan to go anywhere! Be glad, because their tours are top notch. I went the first day for a full day tour on board the 007 by myself as my cousin, who planned to go with me, was ill. What an incredible day! Great people, it was lovely to chat with Ray and his son, Justin, and the highlights were so incredible I don’t want to rush them all into one blog. SO. Pigs first! I already published a photo blog of the bigger piggies here, so please check them out. These are the pictures of the second day, when we did the half day tour!

As I understand it, one of the cays had a pig farm on it, and the pig farmer was not only tired of farming, but tired of complaints about the odor of his pig farm. I cannot remember if he just turned them loose, or if he relocated them (I think the latter because they seem to have their own island), but when boats would stop to look at them, they began to swim out to the boats for food! And so, the swimming pigs of Exuma were born.

Exuma Water Sports sees those pigs on their full day tour, but they are too far for half day tours. So what did they do? They brought their own pigs to a small cay and taught them to swim and come for food! They are now a year and a half old, and cute as they can be. I was lucky enough to see both sets of piggies, I loved the full tour so much, I took my cousin back for the half day tour!

I am rather accident prone, and Exuma Water Sports helped me stay on my feet instead of tripping around the boat, they figured out the first day that falling on flat surfaces seems to be quite natural for me…though I did fall off the boat ladder once, too. Just call me Grace.

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Swimming pigs need to be on your bucket list, folks! Want to see them in action? Check them out on YouTube!

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Comedy of Errors in Exuma

January 7, 2014 By Tam Warner 2 Comments

Well, I must say this trip has gotten off to an interesting start! Here I am, in the Great Exumas, Bahamas, and as far as diving goes, it has been a true fiasco.

I bought new gear for this trip, a new dive computer and transmitter, new regulator and an alternate breather so I don’t have to wear an Octopus (an extra mouthpiece for breathing). My alternate air source has a breathing piece attached to my inflater hose, doing away with the bothersome Octopus. So…it came time to dive yesterday, and of course, none of it worked except my regulator. The computer would not pair, the transmitter would not even turn on! The alternate breathing/inflater hose leaked from the get go. The boat we were on basically doesn’t carry much in the way of extra gear, so guess who didn’t get to dive? Yep. Me! THAT is a first. I did try, and while trying to get my inflater hose to work, my brand new snorkel came off my mask so it is probably in the Turks and Caicos by now (it was rough out there). My cousin did dive, and the visibility was lousy so she lost the dive master and had to come up. It was rough enough out there that we were both a bit seasick, too!

Today, I tried it again, with a rental BCD, rental gauge, a new snorkel, and of course, the transmitter would still not turn on. At least I was able to dive. One certainly cannot judge a place on two dives, but the dives were pretty marginal. Of course, I am spoiled by diving Cozumel so very often…it is crystal clear with LOTS of marine creatures (not the case here, so far). Cozumel often has 100+ feet of visibility. I would say it was about 50 today, not bad at all. Yesterday my cousin said it was around 30 or less. I anticipated two nice dives…and then…my camera housing malfunctioned. The buttons were sticking, the camera had to be turned off in order to stop it taking photos, or it would get stuck in the wrong mode. Really, what can you do but laugh? Talk about Murphy’s Law! Best to get any issues with equipment out of the way before diving Thailand and Myanmar in March, though!

Exuma is a lovely island though…beautiful water color! And, on the bright side, I drove on the left side of the road without killing us. I also have a golf cart I can zoom around in, which is fun, especially since the views from the golf course are terrific. We are staying in a villa, gorgeous place, but the problem? They are running out of food at the restaurant! Really?You have no fish to eat, here in the Bahamas? Pretty amazing. Oh, and no pizza, and no buns. The pickings get slimmer every day. Time to go in search of other dining experiences! I may have to ask friends to send food, ha ha.

Tomorrow I plan to tour the grounds again in the morning (an excuse to tool around in the golf cart, on the left side of the paths) and take some photos, perhaps snorkel a bit, and tomorrow afternoon we are diving my first blue hole! So, I’m going to see if I can fix my camera housing, and then to bed. Ciao! And keep warm!

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Taking Stock

January 1, 2014 By Tam Warner 6 Comments

We four...grateful to all be here! — We four…grateful to all be here!

I am not much of a New Year’s resolution or party person. Truthfully, Randy and I stay at home every year, watching movies or…whatever. Tonight, I feel sure it will be movies, I mean, come on, he had a double lung transplant in September after being on life support…..

Today, I am reviewing the past year, and trying to get a handle on what I have learned from it, and where I am going from here. Change isn’t coming…it has already arrived. Change is unavoidable, it is how we handle it that makes the difference. So, how am I going to handle it?

2013 has been one of the most challenging and difficult years of my life. It brought illness, suffering, and the loss of loved ones. Days, weeks, months spent in hospital waiting rooms, the challenge of letting go, not only of those who have passed, but of my adult children… so what is the lesson here? Or is there one? Does there always have to be a lesson, or do bad things just happen, whether or not you are “good”? Is there really something in existence like “karma”? 2013 also brought us the miracle of Randy’s survival. Perhaps there is a season for everything…I look to 2014, and hope that the season will be more… temperate. I will do everything in my power to make it so. Change has arrived, but changes, I find, still need to be made.

When I was growing up I was pretty sure that by 2014 we’d be the Jetson’s, you know? I still don’t have a hovercraft, or live in a sky ball, but when I thought of the year 2000…my picture was of extreme technological advances. And there certainly have been. Who ever thought you could actually have your own computer, let alone carry it with you?? As advanced as we are, 2013 brought fresh reminders of simple truths; that life cannot be counted on, it is fragile and although we don’t realize it, we could lose it at any moment. I am still pondering the ironies of my life: who could have ever thought that, like my mother, my husband would be chronically and critically ill in his mid fifties? That, like me, my children would have to worry about losing their dad far too soon in their young lives? And that fear isn’t over for them, that worry will stay with them, always. Ironies like my father, my mother and husband all suffering from fatal, and potentially fatal, lung diseases? I wonder how that fits in, if it has any meaning, or if it is just coincidence? My biological mother died of lung cancer at 59, and my biological father, who is only 70, is very, very ill and in the hospital as I write. This year has definitely caught my attention. I’m sure I will be pondering these things for some time to come, and I don’t expect to have definitive answers on any of it, any more than I have ever received definitive answers to anything. As Nick (William Hurt) said in the Big Chill, “sometimes you just have to let life flow over you”. (He actually said “art”, but I’m paraphrasing.)

A few minutes before I fell off the raft...with my paddle! — A few minutes before I fell off the raft…with my paddle!

I realize that in many ways life is a river, and you flow along with the current, which only goes one way. In 2014 I am determined to be able to at least do some paddling ( I know, I know, I fell out of the raft in the Truckee River this year, and fell off my standup paddle board a hundred times….but still, it’s good to have a paddle, even if it is, as my dad would say, up Shit Creek.)

I have taken stock, and have made, not resolutions, but intentions (perhaps even decisions) for my life in the coming year. My caretaker role has been absolute for so long, and I don’t mean caretaking only in a physical sense, though that has certainly been a portion of it. As someone said to me today, “Tam, take care of you. Don’t take in any stray kittens this year.” It is time for me to take care of … me. Now, that is a revelation.

I have raised my family, my children are now in their twenties. My beautiful children are adults, and they are smart, compassionate, talented people. There are mistakes and joys and pain and lessons and love in front of them. They have their path, and while I love them with all of my heart, always, it is time to let go. Really let go, let them walk their path, and trip if they must. I know I did, and still do, spend a lot of time falling down. And it is time to set boundaries as well, because as they have their own lives to live, so do I, and so does Randy. Randy and I have many things we still want to do, both together, and apart. It is time for US. We cancelled many trips and excursions last year due to Randy’s worsening condition. Of course, one never knows what can happen, so travel insurance is a must, ha ha, as is the ability to change course. The doctors do not want Randy leaving the USA for at least a year, so we are planning trips to Napa Valley, Lake Travis, Lake Tahoe, and perhaps northern California. All of these destinations keep us somewhat close to major lung transplant centers where, if something should happen, he could be taken by care flight very quickly. His wonderful childhood buddies, “the Dons”, who have been to Dallas at least twice to support their fellow Don and his family, will be back in Dallas in late January. So, we are busy making plans.

As for me, I will continue my explorations. I made a last minute decision to head to the Great Exumas, an island chain which is part of the Bahamas. My cousin has decided to join me, and I look forward to rest, long walks, and diving. Oh, and swimming feral pigs. Stay tuned for them, I cannot wait to go to Pig Beach! I need to de-stress, process, and rest. I am headed to the villas at the Grand Isle Resort in the Exumas, and from all appearances, it will be a relaxing trip. I will be blogging all about it, of course!

I have also planned a trip to Thailand/Myanmar, both to dive, and then to spend a week exploring. At this time, I will be alone, but it is a possibility that my daughter might join me. If I can talk her into going someplace where she thinks people are waiting to steal one’s kidneys. People do that, but I’m not overly concerned. I love to travel, and aside from the big pelagic life of the Andaman Sea, Phuket and Bangkok will be full of wonders. Ecuador is also on my travel planner, two weeks assisting in Manta Research with the Queen of Mantas, Dr Andrea Marshall. I am very much looking forward to that!

My yearly intention also includes yoga, taking better care of myself, and immersing myself more in the spiritual side of life. That can be a tough thing for me to do as part of my brain is always reminding me of scientific method, physical law, and empirical evidence. I plan to take Advanced Yoga, which will include meditation and learning more about living yoga. I must figure out how to get more comfortable with myself. I don’t know why I always allow myself to slide into such stress that I stop working out…. I have put on so much weight this last six months that it hurts to walk. I mean that seriously. My health issues, particularly my back, require that I stay active, preferably in the water where my spine has plenty of support. The last thing I want to do is go over my health problems, so suffice it to say I have to keep moving, and I have to make myself my priority. I always put other’s wants, wishes, and needs ahead of my own, and that is not good for me, or for anyone else. Women are very prone to the “caretaker” disease. I am once again at a point where severe pain is the norm. I had a massage the other day and the masseuse told me that she believes my weight gain is from cortisol, which is known as the stress hormone. Extra weight means pain and difficulty moving. How do you get rid of cortisol? You get rid of STRESS. I doubt that is fully possible, but I know I can make a dent in how much stress I live with. As Dori in Finding Nemo says, I have to “just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming…”

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The time of the year has nothing to do with these intentions….I am just at a point where these intentions have become a priority for me. Where are you? Have you found balance? Do you take of yourself first? I would enjoy hearing from those who are traveling, or have traveled, this road.

Oh, and Happy New Year!

THIS IS A BLOG HOP!!!! http://midlifeboulevard.com/nothing-wrong-with-aging/

Great Exumas…here I come!

December 14, 2013 By Tam Warner 4 Comments

I need a break. I need to see some fish, feel the salt water, float weightlessly, and dive. So I booked a trip to George Town in the Great Exumas, the tiny islands of the Bahama chain. I also want to see Pig Beach! Ever heard of it? Seriously, Pig Beach is a beach full of, well, wild pigs, who like to swim out to boats and get fed. Ok. I’m always up for a new experience. I am game.

My husband and I are members of a “club” called 3rd Home. The members give away weeks at their second home (ours is in Cozumel, Mexico), and other members can book the homes for a certain number of keys, depending on the monetary worth of the home. I saw a Villa available at the Grand Isle Resort and Spa in the Exumas and decided to just go. Why not? My cousin is also going to go…she just decided today that she really couldn’t think of a reason why she shouldn’t go. She’s on break from the college she teaches at, so why not? So I’ll have a dive buddy, and someone to go feed pigs with. I am very excited to go and try a new place and a new dive destination.

I plan to dive with Dive Exuma, in George Town. The Exumas are known for excellent visibility, shallow dives with plenty of fish action, blue holes, and sharks. There are also wrecks, reefs, and walls. They all sound good to me!

The resort appears stunning, and the water is reputed to be crystal blue because of the shallowness. I would love to hear from anyone who has been to the Exumas, Bahamas! Any advice on must-see places, must-go restaurants? I will make a full report when I return, the plan is to go in early January. After the ice storms in Dallas, which may not be over, the Exumas may be just what the doctor ordered. You can bet I will be blogging from the Exumas.

The waters of Exuma by Kip F Evans / Mission Blue

Randy, my husband, had a shocking double lung transplant in September (that is another story, Lung Transplant: An Unexpected Journey), but he is now driving and getting around on his own. My daughter is nearby, and we have friends who will check up on him and feed him occasionally. It is important, to both of us, that we continue to do the things important to us in this, our midlife. We plan to travel around the USA starting in April…but these dive trips are very important to me. I have always known that life is short, but our recent experience certainly adds an exclamation to that point. I have to go and do what is important to me while I am healthy enough to do it. Traveling, exploring, adventuring, in all forms (physical, emotional, intellectually), are an integral part of me. Randy and I plan to head out west, driving and hitting all of the must see (and off the beaten path) places we can between here and Napa Valley. Later, we plan to spend time in Lake Tahoe, a place I fell in love with last summer. We are going to head out and see what there is to see. I’m also diving Thailand/Myanmar in March, and Ecuador in September with the Marine Megafauna Foundation. 2014 is going to be a great year! I am planning to take you along.

Trip Planning….mmm, Thailand?

November 24, 2013 By Tam Warner 4 Comments

Yes. Thailand. Or more specifically, the Mergui Archipelago off of Myanmar, near the Thai border. I have booked my self on a dive liveaboard in March. What can you see in those waters? Check it out!

http://siamdivers.com/thailand/dive_sites/mergui_archipelago/underwater_photos.php

I tried to get on a trip in February with the Marine Megafauna Foundation, but the boat was full…at least, full enough that a single traveler (me!) could not have their own stateroom. I am taking the same boat, however, the Andaman Queen out of Phuket. The trip was for Manta Ray research, but hey, I get to go in March! Mantas, Whale Sharks, cuttle fish, lionfish, incredible coral formations, nudi branchs, and…..banded sea snakes. Banded sea snakes are the most poisonous creatures on the planet (if I am wrong, correct me, please). They are reportedly very shy, and since I have seen numerous photos of them, I am assuming they do not bite every diver they see. As far as I know, this has not happened…I want to see them, but not too close up. After all, I am the person who trips over pet gates and falls on flat surfaces, and has Great Whites slam into her cage…I do not want an accident with a banded sea snake.

March sounds so far away. It feels far away, too. Of course, the holidays are around the corner, and I know how busy that will be…especially with my husband home and still not completely self-sufficient from his lung transplant. Of course, I have other trips on the burner too. A road trip in April which will reach Napa? A couple of weeks this summer in Lake Tahoe….and two weeks in Ecuador in September with Dr Andrea Marshall and her team from Marine Megafauna Foundation, to research mantas. I’m also thinking about throwing in a quick dive trip to Roatan, Honduras.

Well…part of the fun is planning to travel, right? I am always planning!

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