marine life Archives | TRAVELS WITH TAM

Diving the Revillagigedo Archipelago: Roca Partida!

March 10, 2016 By Tam Warner 11 Comments

Roca Partida is the most happening place in the islands. Roca Partida is a rock covered with birds and their guana, sticking up in the middle of the ocean. Beneath the sea are mantas, sharks, sharks and mantas. Oh, and dolphins. And fish. It is amazing. Since it is Friday, this will be a photo blog, mostly. Enjoy Roca Partida! The action was so incredible we stayed for 3 days!

diving, roca partida, travels with tam — Roca Partida

Roca Partida is the most happening place in the islands. Roca Partida is a rock covered with birds and their guana, sticking up in the middle of the ocean. — Getting the bubble treatment! Photo by Bob Kaltreider

Hammerheads are so shy! The shoaling Hammerheads were 20-30 feet away, but when you take a photograph, they almost disappear!

diving, travels with tam — Dolphins, thank you Marie-Elizabeth Mali! (go check out her website…amazing!)

Sorry about the lousy quality of some of my photos…very difficult to get good shots in the blue. I’m hoping some of the other divers got better photos of the hammerheads and dolphins than I did. Thanks to Bob Kaltreider and Marie-Elizabeth Mali for sharing.

Diving the Revillagigedoes: Punta Tosca

March 6, 2016 By Tam Warner 30 Comments

socorro, scuba, diving — **Dive Briefing for Punta Tosca**

Punta Tosca is a great dive site on the island of Socorro. It can become quite deep, so one really has to be conscious of depth. Sometimes, when you are playing with a dolphin or a manta, or watching sharks, you can forget your depth and look at your computer and say, “holy shit, I’m at 126 feet!”. That happened to me, of course. It is easy to get distracted. Let me show you some of the more distracting creatures!

San Benedicto, diving, mantas — **Ah, you know how I love eels! This is the Panemic Green Moray.**

**Coming out! There were eels out hunting frequently.**

scuba, diving, socorro — **Another Panemic Green Moray.**

diving was so fantastic. On my next blog...Roca Partida! This adorable puffer is a guinea fowl pufferfish. It is so cute! And shy. Our divemaster, Nacho! C — **Beautiful Silkie Shark! Photo by Bob Kaltreider**

Punta Tosca was a very nice dive site, it had more coral than most of the sites in the Revillagigedoes, so it was more colorful. I enjoy the big animal dives because they are so exciting, but I also love the dives where you get to see other, smaller fish. The Sharpnose puffer is only 3 inches or so long. Most of these fish have Caribbean cousins, and Indian Ocean cousins. Their coloration is different from place to place, thanks to good old Darwinian evolution.

On Day One, we traveled. As I said, it takes 24 hours to get to the islands from Cabo San Lucas. We did a check out dive at 4pm when we arrived at Socorro. A check out dive is exactly what it sounds like: checking your gear, is everything functioning correctly, is your weight right (divers need extra weight to descend since salt water is so buoyant.) We spent days two and three exploring the different dive sites of Socorro. Day Four was spent at San Benedicto. That night we headed for Roca Partida, the dive site everyone is always excited to go to. Roca Partida is famous for big pelagics, lots of sharks. It did not disappoint us on this trip! We spent two and a half days there, the diving was so fantastic. On my next blog…Roca Partida!

As you can see from the video, the waiting is the hardest part of strong current and deep diving. Often, you have to grab a rock, and wait for the animals. Sometimes they come, sometimes they don’t. Luck of the draw!

diving, scuba, socorro — **Incredible color! Photo by Bob Kaltreider**

Diving the Revillagigedo Archipelago in Mexico!

February 28, 2016 By Tam Warner 14 Comments

And what are the Revillagigedo Islands, you ask? They consist of four volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean, and they are beloved by divers because of the unique ecosystem which exists under the blue waters. Where else in the world can you see dolphins, mantas, sharks, whale sharks, whales and other creatures together in one area? Where else can you actually play with dolphins in the wild? Where else do Manta Rays seek out divers so they can play with their bubbles? And the sharks! White tips, Tigers, Silkies, Galapagos, and Hammerheads together on the same dive site. It is nothing short of miraculous.

I just returned from diving these incredible islands, and I want to share with you the wonder and beauty of these animals. I am planning to write five posts about my incredible experience, both above, and below, the water. I traveled alone, but met up with 21 other divers from around the world. US, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Mexico, England, Scotland, South Africa, Sweden, and a British national living in Qatar. It is truly a privilege to spend time with people who come from other backgrounds, other cultures, other places. We are all so different, and at the same time, so alike. I love the differing languages within the English language, “Oh I love your swimming costume”. “I plan to have a bit of a lie in”. “Did you fill your bottle?” Swimming Costume! I just love that for bathing suit! A bit of a lie in is sleeping late. The bottle isn’t booze…it’s the air tank! It makes me smile just to hear the different accents and phrases every day. (The most frequently asked question? “What are the Yanks up to? Donald Trump?!!!!!”)

These people came together for one purpose: to dive the Revillagigedo Islands. Socorro, San Benedicto, Roca Partida, and Clarion Island are the four in the Archipelago, but to my knowledge, Clarion is just too far out to make it worth the trip. The other three have all of the dive spots we visit. This was my second trip to Socorro, and my third trip on the Solmar V. The service, staff and food on the Solmar V is excellent, absolutely superb. The boat needs a bit of updating, though, I must say. The boat is getting a little tired though it is still satisfactory. I don’t think it has changed at all since my August 2010 trip to Guadalupe Island to dive with the Great White Sharks. As I said, though, everything else is wonderful.

Boobies roosted while we stayed at San Benedicto Island.

Cabins on dive boats tend to be small, but my cabin on this trip was the smallest ever! I could barely turn around in it, and did not really try to, but it had ample storage, a bed with more storage, and a combo shower/toilet sink. Divers do not spend much time in their cabins, so they are really just for showering and sleeping.

2016-02-15 15.06.12 — The faucet in the sink becomes your shower wand! Clever and compact!

2016-02-15 15.09.18 — All the floor space in the cabin with the door open!

To be continued! Stay tuned for Part 2, Socorro Island.

Fab Photos Friday: The World is Water 2

February 12, 2016 By Tam Warner 4 Comments

The World is Water, Part 2. I can never get enough of oceans, ponds, rivers, lakes, seas….just the sight of the water provokes a reaction. It may be calm, wild, turbulent, duckweed …whatever it is, it is lovely.

I will be in the Revillagigadoes Islands for the next couple of weeks, diving Roca Partida, Socorro, San Benedicto, el Boiler…and thrilled to see every manta, dolphin, shark, and hopefully, whale I see! I can’t wait to share it with you when I return! Off I go, on the luxurious Solmar V!

Exif_JPEG_PICTURE — Catalina Island View from the top

DCIM100GOPRO — Incredible view of Lake Tahoe

Smoke that Thunders…Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe

Good morning Thailand! — Good morning Andaman Sea, Thailand!

Incredible view from the hills of Santa Barbara

Waiting on the boat between dives, Caribbean Sea off Isla Mujeres

Roca Partida of the Revillagigadoes Islands (Where I will be for 11 days in February 2016)

Blue Whales on the way to Guadalupe Island (where the Great White Sharks can be found in August/September!)

San Benedicto in the Revillagigadoes Islands (I will be there next week!)

bk 14 canal feeding fish — Catfish going crazy for food in a Bangkok Canal

ca 11 los coronados islands — Los Coronados Islands off Pacific Coast of Mexico (where you can dive with Sea Lions!)

bs 14 elep seal — Elephant Seal Beach off the Pacific Coast Highway

A view from the 18th hole at Grand Isle Resort, Great Exumas.

sb 14 beach — The stretch of beach in Santa Barbara, Ca

sb 14 from the hills — A view from the hills above Santa Barbara

is 14 isla de la plata — Isla de la Plata, Ecuador

Wildebeest and flamingo in the crater — Wildebeest and flamingo in the water hole, Ngorogoro Crater, Tanzania.

chs 12 mag swamp — Magnolia Plantation, Charleston, SC

coz 14 storm clouds — Storm coming in Cozumel, Mexico

I Want Your Opinion!

February 9, 2016 By Tam Warner 16 Comments

In order to stay in touch with my readership, I would like to ask you the following questions. My blog is going well, but it can always be made better, right? I would appreciate it if you could either answer in comments, or email me at travelswithtam@gmail.com. Thank you so much!!!

What do you enjoy the most about Travels with Tam?
What topics are of the most interest to you?
Photo blogs?
- - Stories? What kind of stories?
  - Personal writing?
  - Travel writing?
  - Dive trips?
  - Reviews?
  - Solo Travel?
  - Midlife Journey?
How often do you think I should post? Right now I try for 3 times per week. Should I do more? Or less?
Does graphic design on blogs interest you? Are you attracted to blogs because of their “logo” or design?
For those who are members of the Travels with Tam Community, what made you sign up to hear about new posts? If you have not yet signed up to get notified when I post, why haven’t you?
How can I add value, or excitement, to your life? Is there something you struggle with that this blog can address?

I value every single person who reads my blog, or looks at my photos. Every comment is exciting to me because it means we are communicating! I love sharing my life and adventures with you, and would love to know more about your life and journeys through discussion (i.e. comments!).

Thank you for your assistance! I appreciate you so much!

Fab Photos Friday: the World is Water 1

February 5, 2016 By Tam Warner 23 Comments

We are drawn to water. It makes perfect sense…we are made of water, the beginning of our lives is spent floating in water, and the earth is over 75% water. It is natural that we are drawn to our beginnings. I love all bodies of water, and I intended to do a photo Friday of bodies of water. Now, I realize the world is too large to contain photos of water in one post, so it looks like a series of posts is being started! I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I do…I feel at peace looking at these gorgeous places.

marine life

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