Greetings from the Monterey Peninsula!

[ridgebackpilot]

I was first certified 45 years ago in Florida and since have been diving all over the world, including the Caribbean, Red Sea, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans. Did my graduate work on the Great Barrier Reef and worked as a park ranger at Biscayne and Virgin Islands National Parks.

My most recent trip was a week diving with my son at Gardens of the Queen National Park, Cuba. By far the healthiest reefs I've seen in the Caribbean. On most dives, we saw big groupers (including Goliath) and were accompanied by at least a half-dozen curious Caribbean reef sharks. I'd highly recommend Avalon's live aboard operations there.

Getting back in to underwater photography now in a big way. Looking forward to learning a lot here!

 

[drrich2]

Welcome to ScubaBoard! You've got an enviable log of dive experiences. When you say healthiest reefs you've seen in the Caribbean, in what way? Really large hard corals? Lush gorgonian growth? Small and/or medium fish population density?

Richard.

 

[ridgebackpilot]

Welcome to ScubaBoard! You've got an enviable log of dive experiences. When you say healthiest reefs you've seen in the Caribbean, in what way? Really large hard corals? Lush gorgonian growth? Small and/or medium fish population density?

Richard.

Healthy in terms of coral cover, fish populations, and especially the abundance of predators like groupers, jacks, and sharks. Many more accessible reefs closer to the coast, lacking protection, are largely devoid of big predators. My trip was with Global Conservation, which is working to protect and strengthen the management of national parks worldwide.

 

[Tripp]

Welcome to ScubaBoard and Howdy! from Texas. Thanks for the heads up about the Avalon.