One of my very favorite things to do is swim. But its not just swimming I enjoy, its anything having to do with the water, whether it’s on the hot sands off the Atlantic coast, skiing on the ocean’s surface or feverishly pounding Olympic-sized pools with breast stroke after breast stroke.

No matter what kind of water sporting events you enjoysnorkeling, deep-sea diving, scuba diving, sailing or ocean dwellingyour best swimming companion could very well be the Croton 1650 Feet Dive Watch, primarily due to its amazing water resistance capacity.

To say that 1650 feet is deep is to state the blatantly obvious. In light of this, perhaps the best way to illustrate such a depth is by offering a record-breaking feat. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the deepest dive with scuba gear is 437 feet off the coast of the Bahamas. If you don’t think this is deep, consider what Open Water Sport Diver Manual has to say about going deeper than 250 feet, saying “…the average diver is more or less useless and becomes a safety menace to himself and others.” In other words, the Croton 1650 can withstand what the human body cannot!

Some of the other impressive features of the Croton CA301062SSGY include the band, which is stainless steel with a diver’s clasp and safety lock. This truly is a strong lock that’s a bit difficult to latch into place and equally as difficult to take off. However, if you’re a swimmer, this is exactly what you want (as anyone who has lost his or her watch while swimming will tell you).

Outside of the Croton 1650 Feet Dive Watch’s water resistant capability that places it in the upper echelon of high-end watches (e.g. Tag Heuer), its sleek design is impressive as well. The luminous hands and number markings seem to harness light for a generous amount of time. What’s lacking in this model, I find, is the sweeping second hand that I always look for in watches. However, because this model has a quartz movement, which traditionally keeps better time than automatics, it offsets the drawback of not having a sweeping second hand (the “drawback”if it can be called thatbeing that I find sweeping second hands more pleasing to look at).

Another nice thing about this watch is the weight it has. At the rock bottom price of $170, I was expecting it to be on the lighter side, but the weight is considerable (not as much as other Ceylon watches I’ve tried, but at 5.9 ounces, it’s enough weight to satisfy).

Some other features: a unidirectional rotating bezel with a luminous marker at the top of the bezel; the case material is stainless steel with a screw down case back (I like exhibition back’s more, but considering it’s the back of the watch, it’s really a non-issue) with dimensions of 42 mm in diameter and half an inch in thickness.

The dial of the watch has a nice textured look to it, with a zigzag, vertical design. It’s a nice embellishment of the dial because it gives it a dual color look when light reflects off it (i.e. the color of the face is black but if light hits it just right, it has a light grayish hue). The watch is also available with a white face.

Once again, this Croton watch is a great watch for the money and a watch that anyone would enjoy. However, its specs are geared for swimming enthusiasts, all of whom are sure to be impressed by its performance for many laps to come.

Zai Zhu
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-business-articles/watch-review-croton-1650-feet-dive-watch-ca301062ssgy-70531.html

St. John, the smallest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, is a pristine, protected wonder that offers undeveloped stretches of paradise and unparalleled beauty from its lush interior all the way to its white sand beaches. While many travelers pencil it in as a daytrip from the bustling and more commercialized island of St. Thomas, the only way to truly experience this Caribbean jewel is to stay along its shore and spend your entire vacation seeking out its hidden treasures.

Highly-regarded and consistently voted one of the best beaches in the world by Condé Nast Traveler magazine, Trunk Bay is so breathtaking that it is almost indescribable. The heart-shaped bay is lined by striking white sand and turquoise water so crystal clear that disrupting its calm and scenic splendor seems like a sin. While you will certainly find the usual suspects for activities, including swimming, sunbathing, and scuba diving, snorkeling is by far the most popular due to the underwater, self-guided trail located near the shore.

If Trunk Bay is the shining star of the island, then Caneel Bay is a full moon that radiates a soft glow over the north shore. Accessible through the Caneel Bay Resort, visitors will find seven beautiful beaches on 170 acres that are perfect for swimming, kayaking, and sunbathing. In addition to these spectacular bays, you can also try Honeymoon Bay, Cinnamon Bay, Leinster Bay, and Salt Pond Bay to escape the crowds and relax on a secluded, private strip of sand that is adjacent to the warm waters of the Caribbean.

Since many of the beaches are part of the Virgin Islands National Park, which covers more than 7,000 acres and 60 percent of the island, access to more than soft sands and eternal sunshine is almost always at your fingertips. Although the beaches are the featured attraction, hills, valleys, and tropical rainforests are all begging to be explored on the miles of hiking trails that tell a story of history and survival. Be sure to check out the Bourdeaux Mountain Trail, which leads to the highest point on the island; the Cinnamon Bay Nature Trail, home to sugar plantation ruins; and the Reef Bay Trail, always popular for its forest lands, petroglyph rock carvings, shimmering waterfall, and sugar mill remnants.

If you find that you have a little down time during your stay, be sure to visit Fort Berg (or Fortsberg) and the Annaberg Ruins. The Fort Berg ruins, located on a peninsula that juts out into Coral Bay, represent the site of a 1733 slave revolt that was viciously put down by soldiers. The Annaberg Sugar Mill Ruins, located on Leinster Bay Road, offer a glimpse of the equipment and labor needed to run an 18th century plantation in addition to breathtaking views of the shoreline.

Although St. John is known as being a sleepy island compared to St. Thomas, there is a small commercial center on Cruz Bay and friendly locals are certainly willing to help you along your travels. The laid-back atmosphere and abundant attractions make it easy to never explore another island, but if you feel compelled to journey across the water, you can hop aboard one of the ferries that regularly commute from Cruz Bay to Red Hook or Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas.

With unspoiled beauty around every corner and the warm waters of the Caribbean an inviting attraction, St. John is an island that requires your undivided attention. Rather than jumping from one island to the next, surround yourself with St. John’s lush mangrove forests and sparkling white sand beaches in a vacation rental. St. John vacation rentals offer relaxation at all hours of the day and place all of the picturesque activities and attractions of this island paradise just steps outside your private patio. Live like a local with St. John rentals and experience a getaway that surpasses all of your wildest expectations.

Jen W.
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/st-john-where-natural-wonders-flourish-110203.html

Mantangale Alibuag Dive Resort is one of the Philippines sought after beach and dive resort. It is known to be one of the country’s most beautiful spot. Mantangale Alibuag Dive Resort is situated south of Bohol Sea and Camiguin, bearing the name to be Asia’s best house reef dives, home with many coral diversity and gifted with the oceans bountiful and mysterious, beautiful fascinating creatures. “Alibuag” is a native term that means “freshwater spring” which is a natural occurrence in many Dive sites at the resort ; Making Mantangale Alibuag Dive Resort as the most famous Scuba Diving Resort in the Philippines.

The resort is located at Balingoan, Misamis Oriental one of the provinces in Mindanao, Philippines, approximately 80 kilometers from Cagayan de Oro City airport which served daily flights from NAIA- Manila’s International Airport and Cebu City (Cagayan de Oro City is known to be the City of Golden Friendship because of the warm welcome Cagay-anon’s give to foreigners and the Capital City of Misamis Oriental) from the airport you can take a cab to Mantangale Alibuag Dive Resort or MADR.

Being the most famous Scuba Diving Resort in the Philippines, Mantangale Alibuag Dive Resort (MADR) is a habitat for eleven diving sites that offers different variety of corals from brain coral to shallow coral gardens, schools of fishes of different kinds, shrimp corals, pygmy horses and many exquisite sea creatures, you can even witness the mandarin fishes mating in the late afternoon!

MADR is definitely not just a Scuba Diving Resort in the Philippines; it is a paradise, a haven of marvelous bio diversity and an evidence of Mother’s Natures abundant wonders.

Mantangale

im going on vacation soon and i wanna go scuba diving but i wanna know if i need anything like a license. Or can i just do it?
THANKS:)

No, you do not have to have a license to go scuba diving. However, you must have passed a scuba certification course and have your certification to rent equipment or get pressurized air in your tanks.

There are small tourist companies that will, for a fee, take you diving while providing you with equipment. They give you some very limited lessons and, of course, your diving experience is also very limited.

So, basically, without that certification you don’t have the freedom that a licensed diver has.

Each of us has been to Hawaii before but when we where younger and each had our families with us. We need a slower paced,more cerebral trip that would not necessarily include scuba diving and ballooning. We could even use advice on where to stay.

Thanks!

I would suggest going to Maui. There are all sorts of different things to do there for whatever level of activity you feel comfortable with. I liked the relaxed pace and so many beautiful beaches to walk on. We went on a snorkel trip on a glass bottom boat so even if you didn’t want to snorkel you could still see some of the fish through the bottom. If you go in the winter months you are likely to see whales, especially if you take a whale watching cruise. Watching the sunrise from Haleakala was fantastic: http://www.squidoo.com/haleakala-sunrise-bike-trip Our group did opt to ride down the road from the volcano on bikes, but you don’t have to.

I would recommend staying in a condo – larger and about the same price. We enjoyed having the convenience of a kitchen to make a few meals, snacks and beverages and actually enjoyed barbecuing a couple of dinners instead of going out to a restaurant. I like to use trip advisor to help me pick a place to stay. I find the ratings and comments from other travelers to be very helpful. We really liked the Maui Hill in Kihei: http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-3885119-10775740?URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tripadvisor.com%2FHotel_Review-g60632-d90132-Reviews-a_cja.10775740-a_cjp.3885119-m13092-Aston_Maui_Hill-Kihei_Maui_Hawaii.html

I would also recommend going to the show at Warren and Annabelle’s in Lahaina, especially if Warren is appearing. He is absolutely hiliarious and his show is especially entertaining to people who are 50+ – lots of references to popular TV shows of the 1950s and 1960s. Have fun – I wish I was planning a trip back soon.