Misool Island continued to be good to us, and there was beautiful diving on day 5. It was a short dive day, so the dive had to be good! We went to Watch Towers, and enjoyed a great variety of fish and coral! And I saw my first Woebeggone Shark, so exciting! Enjoy!
ย ย Diving is sometimes similar to a Dr Seuss book.
Dive days 2 and 3 on The Arenui were spent fighting with my new camera and housing! I had difficulty with color on day 2, which was irritating because we saw an incredible shoal of Humphead Parrotfish and I really wanted the photos to be colorful. Day 3 was a little better in the color department! The dive sites were awesome!
The first dive day in Raja Ampat on The Arenui! Exciting! The currents were strong as you can see on the video, but it was wonderful. There were 15 divers on the boat and we were split into four dive groups, and each group had a guide. Most divers dive with a guide though there are some places in the world (Australia for example) where divers can go off with a buddy. My personal preference is to have a guide nearby, but that depends on the location and site as well. There are some places where I stay pretty close to the dive guide.
The first day of diving in Raja Ampat found us atย Misool Island, and the dive sites Yuliet, Shadow Reef, Boo Windows and Boo Ridge. Before each dive the diversย receive a dive briefing from one of the dive guides. The briefing consists of a map of the dive site, a discussion on typical currents, entries and exit points, and what animals are typically seen there. I have been on boats where a briefing is not given, in Key Largo I was given a map of the dive site to look over before jumping in.
I took GoPro video on this first day. Why? Because I have a new and fabulous camera, the Olympus OMD EM5 Mark ii, a mirrorless camera with DSLR quality photo ability, and I had to learn how to use it underwater. My new housing, a Nauticam, also took quite a bit of getting used to. For the most part, the first day was spent relaxing, getting used to diving again (I had not been since July 2016), and taking in the environment. On one dive, I took my new camera, but forgot to take the lens cap off!ย I thought the dive guide would drown he was laughing so hard! Ah, well, I can be somewhat forgetful at times, but by the end I had it down. Overall, I was happy with the photos I took, but they were certainly better by the end of the trip. I have to say I am just thrilled with my new camera and it’s capabilities!
I am so excited to be featured on Helene Stelian’s fabulous blog, Next Act for Women! I am joining a very elite band of adventurous
women who have been reinventing their lives. Please come on over and read the article, find out about all kinds of travel opportunities, and peruse the stories of many women who are conquering their Next Act! Tam’s Storyย on Next Act for Women.
I am so excited to announce that Red Travel Mexico and Travels with Tam are offering a fantastic trip to the Mexican Baja! There is something for everyone: scuba, snorkeling on a reef that is 20,000 years old, beautiful beaches, waterfalls, snorkeling with whale sharks and sea lions, kayaking, and of course, just relaxing! Where does all this wonderful activity happen? In Cabo Pulmo, Mexico and La Paz, Mexico, about two hours from Cabo San Lucas. The dates are December 3-9, 2017. Let’s go on a travel adventure together, and you can learn about
Citizen Science if you would like to!
Cabo Pulmo is an exciting example of what a marine park can be. Ten years ago Cabo Pulmo became a National Marine Park, allowing no fishing. In ten years the ocean life has multiplied 463%! This sleepy place has not yet become a tourist haven, and one can enjoy quiet, unspoiled beauty. We will visit beautiful, protected locations with expert guides. Want to stay longer? You can extend your trip in La Paz, or head two hours west to Cabo San Lucas.
You can learn all about the trip at Red Travel Mexico with Tam Warner Minton! Hurry and book, the first 6 to sign up will receive a $250.00 discount!
One of the most exciting events to look forward to on the Great Barrier Reef in July are Dwarf Minke Whales! As the name says, for a baleen whale they are rather small, growing to a maximum of 8 meters, or 24 ft, and on the endangered list, thank you Japan for slaughtering Minkes illegally every year. The ones I saw this year, off of the Spirit of Freedom, were not that large, but it was a thrill to see them. Sadly, I only had a few seconds to enjoy a close, eye to eye encounter. A few times we “snorkeled” (we were hanging onto a rope) in order to see them, and on the day whales came close, an event on board shut the encounter down.
A woman onboard who was also on the rope, had breathing issues. I’m still not sure what happened, whether she had a panic attack or a seizure, but she had a health incident and the crew got us all out of the water. I was the last person on the rope, so I was lucky enough to have a shortย encounter with two whales, a mum and a calf, but it did not last long enough. I was face to face with them, no more than 6 feet away, but I had to get out of the water so the boat could take off for Lizard Island so she could be airlifted to Cairns. The story had a happy ending, she was stable by the time we got to Lizard Island, thank goodness. But the whale story certainly was cut short! The crew was very professional and dealt with the emergency quickly and well.
After the airlift, the boat headed for famous Cod Hole. The dive site is famous for large (and I mean LARGE) Potato Cods who will come close to divers. The dive master feeds them to get them to hang around. Sadly, I only saw one Potato Cod, but it was a very cool experience being face to face with that big boy (or girl!). All of us thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle!
