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Given the often challenging nature of domestic travel within the Philippines, would it be feasible to transfer from Malapascua to a dive resort in Sogod Bay (specifically, Padre Burgos)? I assume that I am not the first diver to want to combine these two destinations into one trip and would be...

I read on the website of a liveaboard that I am considering (the Aqua) that guests should not bring external camera flashes because the Galapagos does not permit flash photography of wildlife. If this is true, does it also apply to underwater photography, or only to land photography (the...

Looking at the video, it seems that our boats saw almost all of the same things, down to that little guitarfish at Punta Tosca (I recognize the background). Your boat may have had better luck with hammerheads though. I would also agree that Punta Tosca was probably the least rewarding site. I...

What boat were you on? During my trip, I saw the Rocio del Mar, the Valentina, the Vortex, and a research vessel (Sharkwater). How did your experience compare to mine? Did you see many of the same things, and experience similar conditions?

Conclusion I enjoyed this trip and consider it a success. I graduated to the “big leagues” of more challenging diving from a liveaboard in an extremely remote pelagic area with big animals. I scratched a major item off of my bucket list in seeing and photographing manta rays, and I...

Marine Life Manta rays were another major bucket list item for me that I had hoped to see on this trip, as I had never seen one before. The manta encounters turned out to be the most rewarding aspect of this trip by far, even for those that had encountered mantas before. Of course I already...

Underwater Environments The Revillagigedo Archipelago, to use its formal name, has four islands, only three of which are on the typically liveaboard itinerary: Socorro proper, San Benedicto, and Roca Partida. On this trip, we spent three of our six diving days on Socorro proper; we spent one...

Quino El Guardian I got the sense that the Quino el Guardian is a converted vessel, rather than a purpose-built liveaboard. If so, it served its new purpose well enough in most ways but still had some disadvantages. Living, dining, socializing, and relaxation spaces were more than adequate for...

Introduction I enjoyed my first liveaboard trip to an extremely remote pelagic destination for “big animals” – Socorro, or, to be more precise, Mexico's Revillagigedo Archipelago. The frequent, extended, and “up close and personal” encounters with manta rays are clearly Socorro's star...

It has taken a while, but living in Florida has just barely started to impact my cold tolerance, which was high even by New Yorker standards when I first moved here. For example, I remember diving the Spiegel Grove in the dead of winter earlier this year and not even noticing that it was 68...

The price of tank rentals is a significant proportion of what I have spent on local diving this first year. I thought about buying tanks in an attempt to reduce costs in the long-term (i.e. several years) but the hassles, maintenance, and filling costs that you and others have mentioned were...

The guide service at Horizon Divers is not free but very reasonably priced by local standards. When I used it early this year, it was an add-on of $40 for a guide a two-tank trip if I was the only guest using the guide, and $25 if I was splitting the guide with another guest. A good investment...

Those are also just nicer reefs in general, IMHO, with better growth and more moving animals.

Did you see any significant difference between diving from Tavernier and diving from Key Largo proper? Or was it more or less the same? Was there a particular operator in Tavernier that you would recommend? As for your first drift diving in Palm Beach County: Boynton Beach would have the...

Is there a specific operator in Tavernier/Islamorada that you would recommend? Is there one that stands out for great service, in your opinion, like Horizon Divers?

Is the underwater environment of Islamorada and Taviernier any different from that of Key Largo, aside from the lack of crowds?

The only shore diving I have done here so far is at the Blue Heron Bridge. My understanding (and someone please correct me if I am wrong) is that the only other shore diving in South Florida is at Lauderdale-by-the Sea. What I saw of the reefs on boat dives in neighboring Pompano Beach persuaded...

I heard about Pompano Dive Center; local divers talk about “the good old days” on their boats. Why did they close? Is Sea Experience the one with the small six-pack boat that “hot drops” divers and will go out with only two divers?

The Future The opportunity to dive locally in South Florida has literally changed my life as a diver. I can dive more frequently and in shorter bursts on weekends without having to travel internationally or even out of state. The two dive operations in Miami are just fifteen minutes from my...

Marine Life The richer marine life of South Florida, compared to the Caribbean islands where I did much of my diving before moving here, has been one of the most rewarding aspects of living and diving here. At first glance, it might seem similar to the Caribbean at least insofar as it has most...