We love going to Bonaire and that's why we'll journey back the re again in 2018. Bonaire is what you could call very "reliable" diving: Conditions are generally very predictable and don't vary that much day-to-day or even month-to-month. And it's a destination that's really got something for everyone, whether you're a newbie or an old salt. Our general plan is to stay with our friends at Buddy Dive and do a 2-tank boat dive each morning. After a break for lunch, we've got the afternoon free to explore the island, do a shore-based dive at one of Bonaire's many marked dive sites, or even just dive from the dock at Buddy on their house reef (which is actually quite good). And for the past few years, we've done a 6PM "dusk dive" each day that we're there, not only to see the reef starting to change from day top night, but also to observe the nightly River of Fish, which is seemingly endless parade of Creole Snappers making their way north Add into that Tarpon, seahorses turtles, colorful reef fish, and healthy corals, and you've got an ideal dive destination.

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There are a couple of places that we travel where it feels like we're coming home rather than going on a vacation, and when we go to Murex Dive Resort in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, it definitely feels like we're coming home. The area is simply am amazing place to dive. Using Murex (at the south end of Manado Bay) as our base of operations, we can easily go across to all the wonderful sites that lie within Bunaken Marine Park, where pristine vertical walls of hard corals will greet us while thousands and thousand of colorful fish dance over our heads. On top of that, many of the near-shore sites to Murex have become very productive "muck diving" areas where you might find seahorse, Ghost Pipefish, or even a Blue-Ringed Octopus. Plus we'll definitely do an overland trip to the Lembeh Straits for a day of diving what's been referred to as the "Muck Diving Capital of the World" and where we've seen such creatures as a Mimic Octopus, Devil Scorpionfish, and Pygmy Seahorses.|

Simply put, diving with Murex - aside from being a fabulous place to stay and dive - gives you incredible dive opportunities that can be found nowhere else in the world. (The house reef is pretty good too.) The air sked in and out of Manado require us to do this as a 9-day trip which means you'll get in a LOT of diving and, since all meals are also included, you get a lot of bang for your buck. And on the way home, since we have to overnight in Singapore regardless, there's an optional Singapore Stopover add-on that can give you time to explore that fabulous city/state.

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Can you say "Whale Sharks"? Can you say "hundreds of Whale Sharks"?? Because that's the big (no pun intended) attraction in coming to Isla Mujeres, a wonderful small island that's about 10 miles off of the Mexican coast across from Cancun. Every year from roughly May to September, hundreds and hundreds of Whale Sharks gather in these waters. The specific purpose is still not understood. But it known as the largest gathering of Whale Sharks in the world. And you can be snorkeling right in their midst. In fact, we can almost GUARANTEE that will come nose-to-nose with one or more of the largest fish in the ocean. And we'll have three mornings to interact with them. But that's not all.

We'll also spend a couple of scuba dives exploring the various sculptures and structures that make up the Cancun Underwater Museum, an unique combination of art and nature interacting. And we'll take a day to go down to Tulum (on the mainland side) to explore one of the cenotes found in that area under the watchful eye of an expert guide. And we'll even spend a morning exploring a local wreck and one of the offshore reefs.

If you've got a non-diving S.O., this is a perfect trip for them because three of our six dive days are snorkel-only since that's the rule with Whale Sharks. And, unlike most "normal" dive trips, not only are you doing something different each day, but the pace is very slow and relaxed so there's a lot of time and opportunity to just chill out.

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We first visited Roatan in 2013 and it's high time we went back fro a second look. Even though we had some weather issues back then, we really liked the resort (Anthony's Key) where we stayed and we saw a lot of really interesting critters. And for those who like boat dives, this is the perfect setup as - even though there's shore diving available - the standard package is three boats dives each day we're there. Yahoo!!! And we'll be staying out on the Key in their Superior rooms which means that after the diving is done, you can relax on your own deck overlooking the water before we head off to dinner (which is included, as are all the other meals).

Roatan sits at the bottom end of the world's second-largest barrier reef so it's well-stocked with fish and corals. It's also known, as in Bonaire, for being a great place to go find little things, like the "pea" (which is really a juvy Smooth Trunkfish) that you see lower left, so-named because they really ARE the size of a pea.

So if you're looking for a great destination that's fairly easy to get to and which offers so nice diving, give us a call about Roatan. We're already getting a lot of interest on this one and it'll fill rather quickly.

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