Mike in the Wild

We should have listened more carefully as we settled into our seats for our circumnavigation boat tour of Antigua.  But I was distracted—rattled by last-minute changes to the meeting spot, the start time, and a tense standoff over the condition of my American cash.  Yes, I knew there were supposed to be no rips in the bills I used to pay for the trip.  I just hadn’t noticed one when my husband and I pooled our money in our stateroom that morning.  So I missed the moment when the captain asked the group a question that would soon matter very much: Does anyone have back problems? Our friend Jackie had joined us on a seven-day Caribbean cruise out of San Juan.  For months, we’d planned excursions on each of the five islands we’d visit.  Jackie and I both love snorkeling, and she’s fond of recounting her kayaking adventures in Costa Rica and zip-lining triumphs in Roatan.  The tour I found sounded tailor-made for her: Adventure Antigua’s Extreme Circumnavi...

Almost two years ago, I rented a car on Cozumel to visit several beaches where I intended to snorkel reefs that were not too far off shore.  Windy conditions creating choppy seas prevented me from swimming to most of the sites.  And an aggressive barracuda scared me away from the reef that I actually almost reached off Punta Sur on the Mexican island's southern tip.   From a cruise ship on my most recent stop on Cozumel, I joined a morning tour that promised visits to two additional sites on my original must-do list that were not reachable without a boat: Columbia Shallows Reef and El Cielo.  I'm happy to report that this time the weather and marine life cooperated with my plans.  And not only did I snorkel those places, but the tour added an unexpected third stop for a close-up encounter with sea turtles. The short title "Snorkel, Starfish, and Beach" didn't quite convey how exciting my excursion turned out to be.  Of course reading the details offere...

Most people with a limited amount of time on St. Thomas head immediately to Magens Bay Beach.  Cruise ship passengers by the hundreds include at least a short stop at the longest and, possibly, most beautiful beach on the island.  While undeveloped and protected as a park, I've always understood that it's not known for its snorkeling, lacking easily swimmable coral reefs.  As a result, on my recent visit to the Virgin Islands, I headed to Coki Bay at the northeastern end of the island.  As the taxi driver reminded me in the cruise port about my favorite pastime, "I've lived on St. Thomas for forty years; believe me, it's the best!" I actually had a list of several other snorkeling spots to consider: Secret Harbor, Lindquist, Brewers Bay, and Sapphire.  Each was off of a sandy beach, and each had its own attractions.  However I was familiar with Coki already, having snorkeled there just over six years ago.  It was a pretty beach with the requisite Virgi...

Belize is the quintessential destination for anyone eager to explore the Mesoamerican Reef, the world's second largest coral reef system.  The country's entire Caribbean Sea coastline, more than one hundred miles in length, is edged by segments of the reef usually only a short boat ride to the east from local ports.   On my seven-day cruise's stop in Belize, at Belize City, I headed to Caye Caulker, part of the string of barrier islands to the north of the capital city.  The sandy cay lies to the west of a section of the reef that's part of a network of pristine marine preserves.  Nearby was another unbelievable site - or maybe un-Belize-able as the locals liked to advertise - a sandbar petting zoo of sorts populated by timid sharks and gentle stingrays.   I had turned my back on the reef, quite literally, on my last cruise to Belize over a year ago, when I headed west and inland to Lamanai.  While I was in awe of the site's ancient Maya...