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Heres your Bonaire chance. www.ebookers.com currently list Bonaire at £530, if you travel back on Sunday, for September that ties in with Natasha's deal and I make it that you get 7 nights luxury accom including diving in a top location for around STG900. I've looked at pricing this package from europe including Dutch, German & Spainish tour operators and none come in at less than STG1300 exclusive of diving. A chance too good to miss me thinks.
Back in April of 1991 while on a trip to Turks & Caicos, I met some folks who'd been diving in Lake Baikal (central Siberia) the previous summer as part of an exchange of trips. Two of these divers, Jack and Sue, really enjoyed the experience and planned to return in August. They suspected I'd enjoy traveling to the USSR because of my attitude towards new experiences, so they invited me to join them. I accepted their invitation and made plans to travel. We were to dive with about 20 - 30 Italian divers and about 30 members of the Neptune Dive Club of Academgorodok (just outside Novosibirsk) in the Sea of Japan.
I don't know how much you remember about that time period, but 1 week and 1 day prior to our departure a coup took place in the Soviet Union. This was the 3 day period when all hell broke loose. The image that sticks in my mind is Yeltsin standing on a Soviet tank in front of the Russian White House (parliament building). I was wondering if we'd be allowed to go. All my friends told me to stay home. All the Italians cancelled their trip.
Jack, Sue & I arrived in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) on Wednesday, August 28 - exactly 1 week after the coup ended. We toured the city then traveled to Novosibirsk where we stayed in a dacha (villa) once used by Brezhnev and Tito. While there (3 days), we met many members of the Neptune Dive Club, toured the city and had a grand time. From there we traveled to the State Marine Reserve located south of Vladivostok. At the time, Vladivostok was a closed city (foreigners were not allowed), so we had to get special permission to travel through. We were not allowed to tour the city. Tuesday through Saturday we stayed at the camp (no running water - very basic) where we dived and became good friends with members of the club. Leaving the park, we traveled to Moscow via Vladivostok.
Why? To have an experience I'd always remember. What I didn't count on was how much that experience would change my life. The Russians I came into contact with are the friendliest people I've ever met. I now have a family as a direct result of that trip. Both my children were born in Novosibirsk, although they are pretty typical Americans now.
That is an experience a person would always remember. I have heard wonderful things about the Russian people. I am happy to hear that those things are true.
What was the diving like there? Was it really cold? What kind of sites did you see underwater?
I'm heading to the Florida Panhandle in a few minutes for the wedding of two dear friends I met on Diverlink and who met each other there as well. Upon my return, I'll be happy to respond to your questions, your mission is to decide how much detail you want (I've been known to get long winded) and do you want more info on the entire trip or just on the diving.
Ohio
George's Livery (a pond, literally, that is now closed)
Portage Quarry www.portagequarry.com
Gilboa Quarry www.gilboa quarry.com (I think that's right)
White Star Park
France Lake
Indiana
Blue Springs (last I was told this had been closed although rumors abound about it being re-opened)
Hidden Paradise
Lake James
Michigan
Lake Huron out of Lexington, MI
Florida
Ginnie Springs
Catfish Hotel and Manatee Spring at Manatee Springs State Park
King Spring and Three Sisters at Crystal River
Living Seas at Epcot, Disney World
Panama City with Hydrospace
Vortex Spring
Grand Turk
Went with Oasis Divers www.oasisdivers.com and stayed at the Arawak Inn, HIGHLY recommend it! That inn is an old apartment building so your room is actually an apartment.
La Paz, Mexico
Cay Sal Banks trip aboard the Nekton Pilot, HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend that!
Well, that's my story!
Dream destinations (arranged from "will get to do it" to "keep dreaming")
Tobermory
the missile silo in Texas
Bonne Terre (spelling?) mine
Bermuda
Belize aboard the Nekton Pilot
Great Barrier Reef
Ber
__________________
"When the gates are all down and the signals are flashing the whistle is screaming in vain; and you stay on the tracks ignoring the facts well you can't blame the wreck on the train." Don McLean
Happy to be a dork diver! www.dorkdiver.com
Watergal,
You made me laugh out loud on that one. I was wondering if anyone would be clever enough to notice I didn't post my trips.
You win a trip for two to ...oh wait ..I can't do that ..
But I can post my list.. since you asked.
And by the way I love everyone's lists. Very impressive group of divers on this board wouldn't you say?
In the four years of being a diver ..
Cozumel (several times) and going back in March
Xcaret
Grand Bahama Island
Coco Cay Bahamas
Key Largo
Islamorada
Roatan
St Lucia
Guadaloupe
St Thomas
Tortola
Virgin Gorda
Bonaire
Belize
You win a trip for two to ...oh wait ..I can't do that ..
No problem; a trip for 1 will do fine!
I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of board members. Active and diverse--that may be part of why folks are so helpful when questions are asked.
Sooo...what's the best diving for the money for us east coasters. Cozumel? It's hard to beat $$$ wise.
Hey Scubalover, where are you diving in the Turks & Caicos? Grand Turk by any chance?
Ber
__________________
"When the gates are all down and the signals are flashing the whistle is screaming in vain; and you stay on the tracks ignoring the facts well you can't blame the wreck on the train." Don McLean
Happy to be a dork diver! www.dorkdiver.com
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