Scuba Diving with Seals - Glouchester, Massachusetts

Diving in New England gets a bad rap.  It's murky, it's dark, there is nothing to see, the water is cold.... Oh, the list goes on.  For all the warm water divers out there, who only don their gear when the temperatures are warm and the water is clear, you are missing out on some amazing local diving.  Amazing sea life, famous ship wrecks, and artifact finding right here in our sometimes murky waters.  

If you are lucky, you may even get the chance to swim with something a little bigger than lobsters and flounder.  Over labor day weekend, I had this awesome opportunity to spend some time in the water with some of New England's favorite residents, harbor seals and gray seals. 

Diving Back Beach - Rockport, Massachusetts

Back beach, Rockport

If you missed Monday's post, I talked all about New England diving and our first dive site on Sunday morning, Folly Cove.  After a great dive at Folly Cove and a quick surface interval, we made our way back to the cove (without our gear) to see how the entry would be as the tide receded.  They were NOT kidding about that dive site at low tide, its nearly impossible to get across those slippery rocks with heavy gear.  

After the tide was too low and the rocks FAR too slippery for a second dive at Folly Cove, I headed south to Back Beach in Rockport, Massachusetts with fellow divers Corey, Emily, and Chris. 

Diving Folly Cove- Gloucester, Massachusetts

New England diving usually goes a little something like this.... Rocky shores, zero to there-are-my-dive-buddies visibility (10 feet?), and marine life typical of the Atlantic shores ranging from a hue of brown to brown.  It isn't always the most exciting of marine life or best visibility, but I will say this without a doubt, it makes you a better diver.  We are all used to "brail diving" as we like to call it, when the visibility is so bad you just sort of feel around with your hands to find the bottom or things around you so when things get mucked up or the vis is low, we don't panic. 

Before I go on, know I am not complaining, that diving these sometimes murky Atlantic waters is how I love to spend a Wednesday afternoon (and many a weekend).  You should also know not all New England waters are treated the same.  Where Stonington Point usually sees visibility in the 5-10' range, many lakes, quarries, and areas of our coast get visibility ranging from 20 to 30+' which to us New Englanders is amazing.  We can travel around the NE coast to find some better visibility and abundance of critters.

Grand Cayman - VIDEO

I am so happy to finally... FINALLY have my Grand Cayman video up and running for you all.  First off, I had to go through a lot (I mean a lot) of GoPro footage.  Then there was the whole trimming clips, adding music and the work of phasing between clips. Oh, and let's not forget to mention the three times GoPro studio crashed when I was almost done.  And not just crashed, crashed and deemed my project folders invalid.  It's been a treacherous journey here my friends.  But here it is, and I love it, and it is such a fun way to look back at a fantastic trip with a great group of people.  These videos are by far my favorite souvenir from trips near and far. 

Video 

Link to YouTube

Scuba Diving on Grand Cayman (recap)

Before I go into my last Grand Cayman post (yes, this is my last GC post) I have to start with an apology.  I am sorry for being so on and off and inconsistent in my blogging lately.  Sometimes it can be tough to find the balance between the 40+ hour work week, adventures, and the blogging in between.  But nonetheless, I am here and we are going to recap my last Grand Cayman post.  Todays post is the finally sum up of diving on the island of Grand Cayman.  A breakdown of dive sites, the critters we saw and an interactive map with details on all our dive sites.  Happy Friday and let's talk about diving. 

Compass Point Dive Resort - Grand Cayman

Planning dive vacations can require a lot of research.  You are looking for a nice resort with great diving and easy access at an affordable price.  You spend a lot of time stalking flights, emailing resorts, and comparing different weeks of travel to find the trifecta of quality, convenience and price.  Hopefully, at the end of these spread sheets and emails you find the type of resort you are looking for and most importantly, in your price range. While I researched flights, two friends headed west to Las Vegas to scout out different dive resorts and island destinations.  What they came back with was Compass Point Dive Resort in the Cayman Islands. 

Hammocks and the dock at Compass Point

Compass Point Dive Resort is a "Dedicated Dive Resort" on the quiet East End of Grand Cayman, the largest island of the "Cayman Islands".  Compass Point aims to bring Live-A-Board style diving at a land based resort.  Their motto is "roll out of bed and onto the waiting dive boat".   Far away from the crowds, easy access to some of the islands best diving, and at a great price, Compass Point had a lot of what we were looking for in a resort.  

Scuba Diving the Kittiwake Wreck- Grand Cayman

Scuba Diving the Kittiwake, Grand Cayman 

I am officially back from one glorious week spend soaking up the 83 degree sunshine and scuba diving in Grand Cayman.  I apologize for the lack of posts while I was gone (glitches with my brewery posts), but promise that the Cayman posts to come will make up for it all.  The first post in the Cayman series is one of the main island's most popular dive sites, the Kittiwake Wreck.

Scuba Diving Fort Wetherill - Jamestown, Rhode Island

Welcome to another segment of Katie Wanders... to Jamestown, Rhode Island.  

Get ready for lots of talk about Rhode Island this week.  I am sort of in love with the whole state (fine, I am absolutely smitten!).  Right on the Atlantic and full of New England charm with a great Marine Science focus through the University of Rhode Island, and lots of opportunities to go diving.  Did I mention fresh seafood like lobster, littlenecks and oysters?