Back to Maui

I am back on Maui this week. We are having success getting the People of Maui to see the value in using Kapitol Reefs snorkel. You can now buy Kapitol Reef at Maui West Dive and at Two Maui Dive Shop locations. If you see a Boss Frog store any where you can pick up the Kapitol Reef Snorkel and Mask. You can also Rent Kapitol Reef equipment and Boss Frogs.

There is so much beauty under water here on Maui. Turtles are everywhere.

The whales have begun their journey back to Alaska. I have only seen One whale this trip while seeing over a hundred last month.

Snorkel Maui

Snorkeling Maui was one of the most amazing snorkel experiences that I have had. We saw so much. From butterfly fish of every kind to White mouth eels to a hundred Turtles etc etc etc.

If you get a chance to take a boat out on a snorkel trip do it. The captain of the boat will know the places to go to see the great sights. We did 5 Snorkel excursions. Every on was worth the money. And they all fed us breakfast and lunch.

Look at this guy taking a nap at the bottom of the Sea. If you are on Maui, go to west Maui and stop at mile post 14. Go out 50 yards or so and you are going to see Turtles for sure.

Incredible sights of every kind every where. It is amazing to see so many sights.

The Ocean is a vast and amazing place. This is a view from a depth of 40 feet. To me it shows how vast the ocean is. It goes on forever. What lies beyond what the eye can see?

Maui

I am in Maui Hawaii this week. It is beautiful here. It is also Whale season and so we have seen many whales. They say over 9000 are in the area right now. They surface constantly. If you get a chance to visit Maui in February do it. If you like the creatures from the sea you will love Maui in February.

Look at the pictures. Mothers nursing their new babies to males fighting for the attention of a female.

On one of the 4 snorkel excursions that I went on, there were several turtles in all sizes. Here are a few images of some of them.

Belize

Have you ever heard of the Blue Hole? It is in Belize C. A. but it is actually approx 60 miles off the coast of mainland Belize. It is a famous scuba dive spot. I did the Blue Hole last friday. We went down to a depth of 130' and hung out. We saw a 6' long Grouper and 2 large sharks. It was fun.

Belize Central America. What a great and interesting place. The Mainland is filled with Jungle and wild animals. It is south of Mexico on the Ucatahn Peninsula. In Belize there are many ancient cities called Mayan Ruins. I visited Altun Ha an ancient city about an hour outside of Belize city.

Turks and Caicos, the Caribbean Provo

I just returned from a trip to Turks a Caicos. Most people ask "where is that? I have never heard of it." Turks and Caicos is a small group of islands that are owned by the UK. It is east of the Bahamas in the Atlantic. I am told it is 100 plus miles north of Haiti. It is a Beautiful piece of Heaven on earth. The people are very nice there. It is know for diving as it has a couple of great diving spots. The main island in the small group is called "Providenciales. It is the island that most people fly into. If you go on a Cruise to Turks and Caicos you will go to the Island of Grand Turks. They speak english and us the US dollar as their currency.

As Always I went with the Purpose of getting operations to carry the Kapitol Reef Snorkel equipment. There is a Dive shop there called Dive Provo that has been a customer for over a year. They love our snorkel and sell a lot of them. We did pick up a couple new customers.

Turks is a beautiful Place. It is flat with a few slight hills. I stayed at the Comfort Suites which cost $120 per night. It is the cheapest place I could find. It was a great place to stay. It was clean and updated. Beautiful Pool on the property with Restaurants and shopping close by. It is a short one block walk to the beach. You can reach them at 649-946-8888. They do take American Express. (Many times small companies on the Islands wont take American Express Card.)

An interesting Story. I got on the plane to leave and after everyone was on we just sat there for 30 minutes or more. I was wondering why and the Pilot came on the intercom and said that They were having a problem with immigration. (Not what I want to hear when in another country.) He said that a man and his wife with a British Passport had just arrived an hour earlier on the same plane that we were leaving on. Turks Immigration would not let this man stay and were insisting that he return on this Delta plane. Finally the man and his wife came out and boarded the plane. We taxied out and just as the pilot was ready to hit the throttle he backed off. Back on the intercom to tell us that Immigration would not let us leave and we were headed back to the gate. When we got to the gate immigration officials came out and boarded the plane and took the man off for 30 minutes. Then they brought him back and we finally left.

It made me nervous to have a person on our plane that another nation would not let him in. Especially when it is a British citizen on a British Island. Every thing turned out Great.

If you ever get the chance to Visit Turks and Caicos GO. It felt safe and it is Beautiful.

I did snorkel and saw some great Fish. Not a lot of Reef but they do have some Reef.

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..