You will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do...

Exactly the reason I travel. You know, before the kids start popping out. Then life is over ;-)

Scuba diving: a new addiction

I've always loved the ocean, and tropical places are my favorite destinations, so I guess it was only natural for me to decide to become a certified diver.  Though I'll admit I was terrified when I first signed up for my beginner diving course in Belize. Despite being a decent swimmer, my risk-adverse self was afraid of all the possible things that could go wrong while underwater: running out of air, equipment malfunctioning, being eaten by a shark (hey it could happen!), and more recently, I've developed an irrational fear of the lethal box jellyfish that can kill an adult human within seconds. Not to mention, I'm also a little claustrophobic. 

But thankfully, I came to my senses and decided to not let my absurd fears hinder me from experiencing the underwater world through diving. After all, we only live once and I fully intend on exploring what this planet has to offer during my time on Earth.

My first experience with diving was rather pleasant. We went with Belize Diving Services for our Discover Scuba class (This class is only an introduction to scuba diving and does not get you certified. Great for those who are new to diving and just want to try it out before investing time and money becoming certified). Our instructor was wonderful; he taught us basic safety exercises and we went for our first easy dive.

Taking the first plunge was nerve-wrecking that I needed assistance jumping off the boat :P

After Belize, I gained a little confidence in myself and knew I wanted to become certified someday. A few months later, we eventually obtained our open water certification in Maui with Maui Diving (they offer the most inexpensive open water course I could find on Maui - $189!)

[photo courtesy of our instructor]

Eagle rays [photo courtesy of our instructor]

Though even after becoming certified, I was still a bit uneasy about diving for some reason. Maybe because in Maui I panicked during the exercise where I had to take off my mask underwater (water went up my nose and I started to choke and thought I might die. But really, it wasn't that bad in retrospect). Or maybe because I dreaded having to carry 40+ pounds of gear on my back (nearly half my body weight) and walk to shore to begin our dive everyday, and now I absolutely loathe shore diving (vs. boat diving) for this reason. Then I thought perhaps diving was just one of those things that I needed to do more often to become more comfortable with.

Fortunately, turns out I was right about that.

In Thailand last Thanksgiving, we completed two dives at Racha Yai off of Phuket with Sharkey Scuba and somehow that experience changed everything. For the first time, all the anxiety I had about diving disappeared and I felt completely at ease underwater. I realized that having a great divemaster makes a big difference, and being properly weighted with weight belts also makes a world's difference for buoyancy control. I wish I could've stayed underwater forever, and now I feel like I'm addicted and am always thinking of places to go with diving opportunities!

Moray eel

Moray eel

School of barracuda

Places I want to dive eventually

• Great Barrier Reef, Australia
• Big Island, Hawaii (night dive with Manta Rays)
• Red Sea, Egypt
• French Polynesia
• Southeast Asia again: Malaysia? Indonesia? Philippines?

Tips

• Consider buying your own wetsuit if you have smaller body dimensions or if you get cold easily, like me. I'm tiny and it's impossible to find a properly fitted wetsuit at dive rental shops so I opted to get my own 5mm wetsuit (most places I've been to only carry 3mm which is too cold for me). I've learned that avoiding the cold is a major contributor to my enjoyment of scuba diving.
• Complete the classroom portion of the open water course online before you leave for vacation so you won't have to spend vacation time "studying".
• For taking underwater videos, get a GoPro.

Port Antonio, Jamaica

Our trip to Jamaica was rather atypical in that we didn't stay in a 5-star all-inclusive resort amongst hordes of tourists on spring break. Instead, as I was planning our trip and deciding where to stay, I stumbled across Great Huts, a "resort" that offers eco-friendly huts (yes, huts) with outdoor showers (and yes, outdoors!). After reading raving reviews on TripAdvisor we decided to give it a try. Great Huts is located in Port Antonio, a 3-hour drive from Kingston. The long drive may sound daunting but I feel the experience of going off the beaten path was certainly worth it. Highly recommended for those seeking an unique, rugged experience. 

Upon arrival, we were pleasantly surprised by the African-inspired decor throughout the lobby. 

There is also a mini "farm" on the property that contained all sorts of small animals including rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, roosters, and an assortment of parrots.

We stayed in a bamboo hut our first night, though we ended up having to switch rooms the next day after a rough first night. There was some loud music playing outside the resort that we could hear from our hut, and there was also an annoying rooster that woke me up consistently throughout the night since the hut was RIGHT next to the aforementioned farm. I was pretty tempted to slaughter the rooster the next morning and eat it for breakfast, but I refrained. Needless to say, it was basically impossible to get a good night's rest. 

It was the cutest little looking hut though, isn't it?!

Complete with mosquito netting

Fortunately, after complaining to the hotel staff the next morning, we were able to switch to a larger room (without extra charge) that was farther away from the farm for the remainder of our stay. Hooray, who doesn't love exceptional customer service?!

Our new room had a private outdoor shower and sink area!  Though I think after a few days of this I longed to return to more pampered living conditions. Sometimes one can only handle a certain amount of lizard-encounters in the shower and giant bugs crawling in the sink ;) This was unforgettable though and I'm glad we did this.

Private outdoor shower

Lizard friend in the shower

Right outside of Great Huts was a jerk centre, which was supposedly the biggest jerk center in the country. I wasn't exactly blown away by the jerk. There actually is a jerk restaurant in Menlo Park, CA near where I live that I thought was better.

Some things to do around Port Antonio include: Reich (Reach) Falls, Somerset Falls, Frenchman's Cove, Blue Lagoon, and bamboo rafting on the Rio Grande. 

Swimming at Reach Falls

Swinging on a rope at Somerset Falls

Rafting on Rio Grande

Tips

• Blue Lagoon is supposed to be a public area. But there are scammers trying to convince you to pay them an "admission fee" for staying there. If you decide to visit, try not to talk to anybody and certainly do NOT give them any money. If you have a "good" taxi driver, hopefully they will warn you of this.
• Wear bug spray. LOTS of it.