La Jolla California

A Week ago I went to San Diego to see if I can get something going for Kapitol Reef there. I have read in several lists that La Jolla cove is one of the top 10 snorkel locations in the world. We should have a presence in a top 10 snorkel location.

So one of my main goals while there was to get in the water and voice my opinion on if it is one of the top snorkel destinations in the world. I have snorkeled in some of the great locations. For example I have been to Bonaire which is a top dive destination, I have been to Curacao another great dive location. I have snorkeled in Jamaica at Montego Bay and It was incredable.

My opinion of La Jolla is this. I can see why people love it there. The colors of the rocks with the deep grass flowing under water reminded me of a Kansas wheat field swaying in the breeze. The California state fish in all of its bright color was beautiful. The many specie of sea bass was spectacular. It is in my opinion one of the great places of the earth to snorkel. I did have my Kapitol Reef snorkel equipment with me. I love the way I dont get tired. I run out of time before I get tired with Kapitol Reef equipment.

If you get close to San Diego California and you want to see something real cool, get in the water at La Jolla Cove. You wont be sorry. Skim boarders at La Jolla. They start in 1" water and go out and catch a wave.

Looking down the street to the Life guard tower at La Jolla Cove in La Jolla. These people deserve the Kapitol Reef equipment.

The coast line of La Jolla just around from the cove.

Our trip to Italia

Here are a few pictures of our recent trip to Italy to visit Annalisa and Massimo. These pictures are not in any order just a few to share with you a little about our trip to the ancient land of the Romans. What a beautiful country rich in history and great stories. I am amazed at the number of brilliant minds and artistic genius that have come from this small country. Take some time and enjoy these pictures and feel free to leave any comments. I should note that we snorkel everywhere we go that has ocean and Italy was no different. Livorno is on the coast of the Mediterranean sea. We snorkeled with our Kapitol Reef snorkel equipment a couple of times. It was fascinating. It is not known for its tropical fish but it was cool just the same. I also want to say thanks to Massimo and Annalisa for their hospitality and to Massimos parents Pietro and Miranda Noe. They feed us and made us feel like family. Wonderful people that we have grown to love. Annalisa we have always loved.

Annalisa standing outside the jail where Paul the apostle was held prisoner by the Romans.

Changing of the Guard at the museum for soldiers in Rome. The monument was built by Mussolini.

Watch out for vampires!! my wife tells me that this manhole could have some in it. A Volterra manhole

A beautiful young woman on a beautiful old Volterra street.

The street in Volterra




For all of you Twilight fans, here is the actual clock tower in Volterra! It is just an hours drive from Livorno so we made the trip, it was well worth the drive! not for the movie but for the city. It is amazing that a city like this still stands.

The Coliseum in Rome. What an experience. I had a sleepless night before driving to Rome. It was hard to believe that we were actually going to be here, seeing this sight. It was an incredible experience.

This group of beautiful people is standing in front of an ancient wall built to protect Livorno from the sea.

Just a quick photo of ancient Roman Buildings. That is right from my camera in Rome!!

We are climbing these 100 steps to the top of a monument that Mussolini started but was never able to get finished.

Two Happy Snorkelers at the Mediterranean Sea in Livorno. Look at the Kapitol Reef fin.

I got to snorkel in the Mediterranean Sea with my daughter. Kapitol Reef snorkel equipment works wonderfully in the Mediterranean.

Livorno Italy

The Leaning Tower of Pisa, In Pisa Italy about 15 min drive from Livorno

The old fort of Livorno on the coast of the Mediterranean.

Greetings everyone from Livorno Italia. Debbie and I left a week ago and flew to Livorno Italy. Livorno is a port city on the west coast of Italy. It is about 3 1/2 hours north of Rome. It is on the Mediterranean Sea. What a beautiful and simple city. It is about the size geografically as Washington Utah, yet there are about 25o,ooo residents in Livorno. As a port city shipping is a big part of there economy. This picture in is in front of the original City of Livorno. This building is thousands of years old. In the old days it was important to build a fortress to keep the Pirates from pilaging the city. War was a big part of the lives of the people that lived in this Protected city.

This city is about 15 minutes from Pisa the home of Galileo and where you will see the leaning tower.

Look at the next post for our snorkeling experiance.

Cruise season is almost here

Well snorkel fans, the cruise season is almost here. Mid October starts the cruise season. It is when people want to get away from the cold and visit some beautiful and warm locations. Many will visit the Mexican Riviera, many will cruise Hawaii and still many will head to the Caribbean. I am a fan of the Caribbean. There is so much culture to experience. Many of the islands in the Caribbean are nations unto them self Jamaica and the Bahamas. Many are owned by other nations i.e. Roatan is part of Honduras, the ABC islands of Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire are owned by the Netherlands. St. Thomas St. Croix and St. John are part of the United States Virgin Islands. All of the above are beautiful places to visit. They all put a lot of money into getting visitors to visit their islands and to make sure that you are safe while you are there.
So as you think about getting away from the hustle and bustle of life and you want to get away from the cold and go really relax consider going on a cruise to the Caribbean Sea. There are some great deals out there right now. A beautiful place awaits you. And if you go make sure that you spend some time snorkeling. If you don't take the time to see what is under the surface of the ocean then you are missing half the beauty. It is an amazing world under the surface of the sea.

So go on a cruise and snorkel while you are there. If you have any questions about the islands that you read about on these pages send me a note and I will respond. Make sure that you use Kapitol Reef snorkel gear.

Cabo Pulma..... North of Cabo San Lucas

The Newest Kapitol Reef dealer, Eco Adventures of Cabo Pulma!! You have to go see Cabo Pulma if you want to see the best snorkeling on your Cabo San Lucas Trip. If you go to Cabo Pulma I mean WHEN you visit Cabo Pulma contact Eco Adventures, they can take you snorkeling, diving and feed you.

Welcome to Cabo Pulma, what a beautiful place in the world. Get into the ocean and see the beauty of the Sea of Cortez. Cabo Pulma in a Mexico National Park in the Sea. Take the time to Visit. A very Eco friendly place.

Do you recognize that face? If so let me know on comments. If you are right you might win a prize. And look he is smart enough to use the Kapitol Reef equipment!

Look at this smart guy using the Kapitol Reef snorkel. Going deep at Cabo Pulma, it is Brad Thomas.

Look at that Star Fish. There were alot of them at this location in Cabo Pulma

This fish is laying on the rock trying to hide from us. My son Ben pointed it out to me.

Under the surface at Cabo Pulma

On the Way to our first shoot.

Kevin Watt runs the day to day operations at Kapitol Reef, his neice Lorena behind him. Lorena is the model in our infomercial. Brad Thomas in the background.

I found this shell on the bottom, that black spot is the critter still in it.

Ben Banks with Tel Stewart on the right. Brendon Gunn in the back, on our way to Lovers beach/pelican rock one of the best snorkel locations in Cabo. Make sure you get out there.

The arch at Lands End of Cabo San Lucas..

A Nice Place To Stay in Cabo.

This is the sunrise from the patio of the house we are staying at. That is the back side of Lands End. Wow. Get to Cabo if you can.

View from the deck of the House. That is the pacific coast beach. Back yard view. It is amazing.

The Pool and lounge area. This is a house not a resort.

This is the front entry to the house where we are staying. That is the Pacific Ocean in the background to the right.

This is the little place that we are staying at in Cabo while we shoot the infomercial. Stephen Wade owns it and has let Dixie College use it for their work. What a great guy.

Cabo Film Day 1

Back in Cabo. We are here with the Dixie State College film department. They are doing an Infomercial on the Kapitol Reef snorkel equipment. Stephen Wade owns a home in Cabo and he has made it available to the college for this week. It is an incredible home. I will be doing posts all week.

Fisherman

Are you a fisherman? Do you love going to the lake and catching the big lunkers? Let me suggest that you pick up some Kapitol Reef snorkel equipment and take it to the lake to study the fish you are trying to catch, in their environment.

I started fishing as a young boy with my dad. I fished alot more as a boy scout at scout camps. I took my kids fishing when they were young. I have fished my entire life. Then a couple of weeks ago I went snorkeling at Sand Hollow reservoir and watched the fish in their own setting. That is right. I noticed that the Bass are usually about 12" from the bottom. I saw some that were tucked inside of bushes and others that hid themselves under rock ledges and others that were out in the open, but they were all about 12" off the bottom. What a great thing to know. If I want to get their attention then I need to put the bait about 12" off the bottom so that I get their attention. I also noticed that they stay put much of the time. They move around however they must not move around all the time. We watched these fish for over an hour and they stay within 20 feet of where we first saw them. We swam down to them and herded them along but them they would come back to the same area.

Next time I take my rod out I will also take my snorkel mask and fins. I will get in the water and find the big ones, see where they are at and determine the best way to approach them. I will then get out and try to catch the big one.

Sand Hollow. (Fresh Water)

Catfish protecting their young.

Have you ever gone to your local lake to go snorkel? I did not until about a week ago. And then again last night. If you want to see some cool stuff go snorkel at your local lake, provided that there is some visibility. Sand Hollow was not crystal clear but it was clear enough to swim with and see the Bass and the Cat fish. Really it was amazing. A week ago my son in law Nick Nelson and I went to Sand Hollow and snorkeled. We were Awe struck. Nick found a fishing lure on the bottom of the lake that had about 7' of fishing line attached. He started to dangle it in the water as he swam around with his Kapitol Reef snorkel gear on. The Blue Gill fish loved playing with it. None of them were big enough to bite it. Earlier we had found a ledge and dove down to see what was under the ledge and we found two big Bass. One was about 5 lbs and one was 2 1/2 lbs so with the lure and line Nick swam over to the top of the ledge and dropped his lure over and it feel to the bottom. As soon as it hit the bottom the 2lbs Bass went right for it and grabbed it. He caught a 2 plus lbs Bass while he was swimming in a lake. It was crazy to watch him try to keep his snorkel above the water and try to bring that fish close enough to him to let it off the hook. I was able to get to the fish while he pulled it in and get it off. It was one of the funniest things that I have witnessed.

Yesterday, I went to Sand Hollow with Nick again and Mike Christensen another son in law. Mike found a couple of Cat fish in a nest protecting their new babys. A whole school of baby catfish, they were so small that it looked like big mass of black. It was a little weird because one fish stayed down and over the top of the baby's while the bigger one swam above the other and watched us. It seemed as though they would attack if we were to get too close so we kept our distance. It was fascinating. See the above picture.

Cabo San Lucas Scout Trip.

O la, everyone! I just got back from Cabo San Lucas, if you ever get the opportunity to visit you should. It is desert country with beautiful water and sandy beaches. This is a picture of the cave at lands end.

Cabo is located at the end of the Baja California. It is where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez.

There is a gap in th mountain where you can walk from the Sea of Cortez to the Pacific Ocean. The beach on the Cortez side is called Lovers Beach. The Beach on the Pacific side is called Divorce Beach. I am standing on Divorce Beach and taking a picture through the gap at Lovers Beach with a Carnival Cruise ship in the back ground.

This is the bridge at Lands End. Look at that water. It is rough in there.

There is some good reef here especailly close to Pelican Rock where the underwater shots were taken.

As you go around the corner and enter the Pacific side they say DO NOT get into the water or you will drown. Very strong under currents that make getting back in to shore next to impossible. While we were there someone went in and the rescue people were called out to save them.

What a great place to vacation. Lots of beauty and fairly inexpensive. Look at that guy using the Kapitol Reef Snorkel. Smart man.

We saw many species of fish and some pretty rock reefs. The Sea of Cortez has bigger fish I am told. We will be going back to film our infomercial in two weeks and will do alot of our filming there. We will do it at a beach that is a Mexico National Beach called Cabo Puloma. Enjoy the photos.

Charisma

Here is the Charisma, a Grand vessel. It is currently in Nassau.

charisma

While in Nassau I met Captain Jared Burzler. He is the captain of the "Charisma" a Yacht that does charter trips for executive groups. Groups will charter this Yacht and spend weeks at sea, deep sea fishing, scuba diving, spear fishing, snorkeling, and touring the Caribbean. This Yacht carries with it a couple of Jet skis and a ski boat so that they can do watersport recreation as well. It is a nice set up. It looks like they will be offering the Kapitol Reef snorkel equipment starting in a month or two to their guests. I agree with them that people should have the best equipment and Kapitol Reef is the best snorkel equipment.

From the looks of this picture they are putting our snorkel to good use.

Can you Identify?

Can you identify this specie of fish? They are found abundantly in the Caribbean. Post your answer on comments

Stuart Cove

Look close at the fish at the bottom. He is about 40'deep. It is a shark!

Greetings again from Nassau Bahamas.

Today we went on a snorkel tour with the largest excursion company on Nassau. "Stuart Cove's". If you get to Nassau take this tour!! These guys no what they are doing and they will show you some great stuff. Take alook at these photos, one is a video. Just a quick warning, I am getting use to the new camera and tried an underwater video. It went pretty well until the end, just bear with the camera man. Look at what is under the water!

Kapitol Reef Testimonial

Take a look at this testimonial of the Kapitol Reef snorkel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qMgo92--9Q

Look close at this one. This fish, name unknown by me, looks alot like the grass.

This is a 1 1/2" shell that was moving, Look close on the right you will see legs

A Baby stingray. Colored to match is surroundings

This is a Lion Fish. If he pokes you with one of those feather

looking things it is instant agonizing pain. Highly poison es.

But it looks cool. The garbage in the bottom of the ocean is not

Pretty.

Blue and Red Kapitol Reef snorkel sets. They look good in the water.