Holbox - July 2006

We saw and swam with about 20 WhaleSharks today...along with Mantas, Turtles and Dolphins....of course I got seasick for the best swimming ...these are cool creatures!...Seasick meds tomorrow...and I will swim with every WhaleShark I can ......More tomorrow

All I can say is WOW!!! I never expected these animals to be so cool! YES they are real and they are magnificent!!!

Every ounce of effort to set this up...plan & prepare and for some to get here...has been completely worth it today alone!!!

I am already disappointed that we are only doing 2 days with these gentle giants!

Awesome, awesome, awesome.

The only bad news (except as travelnsj noted above) - it is impossible to fin fast enough to keep up, but the boat crews herd them so they tend to stay close. There were so many after awhile we didn{t bother chasing them, they kept criss'crossing through our path....

wow.

Pics may be problem, as the water is so rich with plankton vis is poor, and camera shots challenging. Scubastorey had a great camera angle several times so we are hopeful. - and btw, she is the top finner in the group - the human scooter.

And, we still have one more day, plus coz, plus lots of tequila. Life is good.

Everything they said about this place is true! We saw loads of whale sharks. Also mantas and dolphins. And as an added bonus, we even spotted two turtles doing the nasty yesterday!

Awesome, awesome, awesome.

The only bad news (except as travelnsj noted above) - it is impossible to fin fast enough to keep up, but the boat crews herd them so they tend to stay close. There were so many after awhile we didn{t bother chasing them, they kept criss'crossing through our path....

wow.

Pics may be problem, as the water is so rich with plankton vis is poor, and camera shots challenging. Scubastorey had a great camera angle several times so we are hopeful. - and btw, she is the top finner in the group - the human scooter.

And, we still have one more day, plus coz, plus lots of tequila. Life is good.

If there be whalesharks, there be plankton

OHHHH..I am a jealous rag...but happy you guys are seeing the big guys as you had hoped..so when re you planning the next trip

Sounds like everyone is having a great trip! Super!!!

Not having been diving in nearly 4 years, much less not having gotten the exercise I need to stay in shape, I've been a little concerned as to how much trouble I will experience in trying to get good photos of the whale sharks on my trip in 2 weeks. Between now and then I hope to get some exercise, but it's not going to be enough. I went out to the lake today to practice snorkeling with my new housed DSLR and to evaluate it's buoyancy, which is decidedly negative. I'll also tote along my Nikonos V and 15mm lens, which will be eminently more manageable but limited in how many shots I can take. Between the two, hopefully I'll get a few good photos in spite of the reduced viz, and the challenge of staying with the fish long enough to get some good compostions....and not swallowing water in the process! ha!

Daryl

Edited by Jazzdiver, 16 July 2006 - 09:31 PM.

Back from my portion of the trip, which started from the Cancun airport where Mandi, Jerry and I went to the Isle of Mujures for a few days of diving with AquaAdventures ( Highly recommend them) then back to the Cancun airport for a 3 hour van ride to a ferry for a quick 40 minute ride to the island of Whalesharks. we awoke the next morning and headed for the awaiting boats for the 45-50 minute boat ride to the "Secret Area" on the way the captain detoured us to a pod of dolphins..always a treat, then it was not far to the whalesharks.. and then the hopes and dreams were played out as we each took our turn to swim side by side with the awesome fishes.. they were 18-20 feet long and so wonderful to see... several people noted the eye-to-eye contact will be one of their most cherished memories. The guides were very helpful in keeping swimmers with the whalesharks. They were there to help, but also to protect the whalesharks form the more 'adventureous' swimmers. after our time ran out we journeyed back to the dock with re-accounts of the days events..and with hopes that tomorrow would bring more of the same. The next day's trip to the area was meet with a disappointment- it took about 5 minutes to find some activity, but WOW what heard quickly and often as 2 whalesharks and the largest Manta ray I've seen joined us and gave us photo ops that were awe-inspiring to say the least. The manta cruised beside the boat and the whalesharks stayed close so we took turns again to swim with these gentle giants and then to our pleasure a group of about 80 Eagle rays were spotted but didn't stick around long enuf for all to see. The guide again was helpful and didn't seem to tire out , like we did. I believe that when we left, we were satisfied that our experience and didnt feel rushed to be finished swimming, they even tried to get me close for swim with the manta but the manta wouldn't have any of me and just dove away and thats seemed enuf for all and we headed back. Kamala had made arrangements for those not doing the Coz part to leave before the others and we made it back to the airport with time to spare and that ended a trip that will be un-matched by any other.

My thanks to Kamala for making it happen.

Wow, I'm real sorry I missed this years trip, so add me for to the list for next year!

Sounds like a great experience!

Hey checking in from Cozy...we are settled and diving...it is GREAT Carribbean diving by other Carribbean standards...just not what Cozumel used to be. The reefs are starting to heal and come back...you can see new life on many of them next to the fallen soldiers.

We picked up two more divers and they are fitting into a well established group that just did Holbox together quite nicely! Scubaduba and kkutexas are as sweet as they are new to the group. It won´t take them long to be old veterans.

We did our first day of diving and saw sharks, eagle rays and a huge turtle on the afternoon dive. 8 people did the afternoon dive and we´ve had the best support from the resort giving us our choice of 1 boat or 2 daily even though the resort is FULL. The dive shop is not completely rebuilt so storage for gear is a problem. We are now diving the Big Splash everyday so we can leave lead and misc stuff on it and the hotel gave us the storage office in the lobby as our gear storage area. They are really bending over to help us feel more comfortable. The whole resort has been remodeled and it is beautiful. The food is always awesome and it is order off the menu despite being on a meal plan. Everything is included except for lobster, prem alcohol and I think the jumob shrimp. There are so many other choices I have hardly noticed not having 100% of the menu items available. And my lobster craving has been met thanks to Scott aka Travelnsj who treated me to lobster dinner in Holbox!

And for those that may not know...Scott is the reason we have this trip! He did the alignment of the moon and the stars and the 7th house and decided Holbox in mid-July! He helped me research several vendors and has been awesome in keeping the energy focused on this fabulous trip. :resect:I can clearly say that the whalesharks have been in the top 3 encounters I´ve ever had!!!! Thank you again Scott!!!

Well its time for breakfast and off for more adventures...we´ll keep you posted! -ww

I want to say thanks to Scott and Kamala also. The whale shark experience on Holbox is one of themost amazing encounters of my diving life. I couldn't stop saying WOW! They are such beautiful and docile creatures.

This was my first trip with SD and it will definitley not be my last . What a wonderful group of people who made me feel like a part of the group immediately. Everyone was so friendly and fun! I can not say enough nice things about them. For all you newbies out there this is the group to dive with because they will nurture you and make you feel a joy in diving.

I am not a newbie diver but this was my first trip on my own and I felt totally welcome with my new SD friends.
Thanks everyone for such comraderie.

Some highlights aside from the whale sharks:

- the food.....lobster, lobster & more lobster, even lobster pizza!!!
- the ambiance of Holbox Island...so laid back
- the ice cream, (hmmm, food again)
-being the only one with a toilet bowl seat, only to find it was not attached! wheee...
-watching Pocahantas give Divewire Salsa lessons! They were good dancers!
- Kamala's never fading smiles & energy
-so much laughter & fun with new friends
- SEEING SO MUCH OCEAN LIFE IN ONEPLACE......dolphins, tortugas(turtles) mantas, and of course the sight every diver longs for.....the whale shark.

I will definitely go again.
Can't wait for my next trip with SD!

Great trip with a great bunch, here is Sqzmee with one of her new friends.

Edited by Latitude Adjustment, 24 July 2006 - 09:04 AM.

Great trip with a great bunch, here is Sqzmee with one of her new friends.

Hello all,

Well, having just returned from my Holbox trip with a small group of six from Lone Star Scuba, all I can say is WOW!! What magnificent and gentle giants those whale sharks are! We enjoyed a fantastic day of snorkeling on Saturday, with an estimated 50-60 whale sharks observed from the time we left on our boat at 7:30am until we returned at 2pm. At two times seemingly escorted by a small pod of wild dolphins, we also were thrilled to see three instances of manta rays flying from and crashing down upon the water in a display that only made us all wish such antics could be predicted! What a great photo opportunity...and what an unpredictable one!

Saturday's activity was in plankton-rich waters that also thrilled us with being among a group of 10 whale sharks later in the afternoon. Was I glad! When I began the day, I was so quickly getting winded in trying to reach, keep up with, and photograph the whale sharks, that I was uncertain I'd ever get any really good photos. Fortunately, for not having been diving in several years, I began to remember the "feel" of my split fins and how to most efficiently kick with them. That, in combination with the group of ten whale sharks staying reasonably within the same area for a while, found me able to seek out and obtain at least a few good photos I was pleased with. Perhaps the most exciting for me was to snorkel along between a pair of whale sharks who seemed in no great rush to leave me in their wake:



Sunday didn't find us in the throngs of whale sharks we'd seen the previous day. Instead, most of the boats had opted to go out to clearer waters, meaning less plankton and thus fewer whale sharks, but better visibility for improved photo quality. As it turned out, the whale sharks were inexplicably far fewer in number that day, presumably spending more time at depth, at we only saw a total of 3 on Sunday. Fortunately however, the last and the largest, was just lingering around as if it didn't mind giving us plenty of opportunities to test our snorkeling and photography skills out on it. I still hadn't mastered good breath-holding long enough for more than 3-6 shots at a time, much less at greater depths that would permit shooting upwards as I preferred, but I did get to explore quite a few different angles. The smile I had upon leaving Holbox wasn't quite as big as this one that I captured when I swam out over the head of the whale shark and shot from an inverted position, but as I look at my photos tonight and think of what I experienced, I'm indeed one happy but tired snorkeler!



For any who haven't had an opportunity to make this trip, I definitely encourage you to do so at some point in the future!

Daryl

Edited by Jazzdiver, 31 July 2006 - 10:11 PM.

Nice shots, all I got was spots in front of the lens

Edited by Latitude Adjustment, 01 August 2006 - 06:48 AM.