Swim with Pigs in the Bahamas
Do you fancy doing something different on your next holiday? How about going on a trip to an island paradise in the Bahamas and, er, going swimming with pigs? I did say ‘different’! Contrary to tradition, it is not simply Hollywood’s elite that lives in luxury in the Bahamas. There is a gang of extremely lucky pigs that also call the island paradise ‘home’. A group of around 20 wild pigs live on Big Major Cay in the Exumas and welcome visitors. They are accustomed to guests and food coming hand in hand, so as soon as they hear the sound of visitors in the shallows the pigs come trotting…
Top Shark Diving Destinations
Diving with sharks is the ultimate dream for most scuba divers. As the apex predator of the oceans, sharks command a lot of respect and getting up close and personal with them is a truly incredible experience. Shark-diving in the Bahamas Divers are spoilt for shark encounters in the Bahamas. Caribbean Reef Sharks are everywhere (some of them surprisingly large) but there is also a host of other shark species that are fairly common around the islands including hammerheads, nurse sharks, lemon sharks, tiger sharks and silky sharks. Whale sharks in Australia There are a few locations that boast regular visits from Whale Sharks but nowhere seems as reliable as…
Top 10 Things To Do at Atlantis, Bahamas
Ever wonder what a casino resort is like? Do you have a secret fondness for bold extravagance? If so then look no further, The Atlantis, on Paradise Island in the Bahamas is for you. While the Atlantis Resort is a hotel, it is also a casino, marina, aquarium, waterpark, shopping centre and it also hosts an array of bars and restaurants. It is easy to spend a few days exploring it all and taking it all in. While it is a loud and brazen kind of a place, it is also great fun if you are a fan of the marine environment, gambling, or any of the above really! 1.…
The day I became a Shark Photographer
The season was coming to an end and it was time to decide where to go next. As a globe-trotting diving instructor the world, it would seem, was my oyster. I came across a job listing “Underwater Photo / Video Pro needed in the Bahamas” The Bahamas featured in my mind as a string of jewel-like islands strewn across the glittering Caribbean Sea (which I later realised was not true. The Bahamas are actually too far North to be in the Caribbean, they are in the Atlantic.) Still, the Bahamas sounded perfect. Before I knew it I had landed at Nassau airport on New Providence Island (having been allowed in…
Expat Life – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Expat life is vastly different from visiting somewhere as a tourist. Tourists enjoy the best of places but rarely experience the difficulties that expats face. Daily life, encountering and rising to the challenges, as well as enjoying the highlights of life overseas can be very rewarding, but it can take time. The Good And now for something completely different Expats live in a different country from their country of origin. As such, those choosing to live as expats are often seeking something different. It may be different weather, a different language, or different food. It may be simply for the challenge of being outside their comfort zone. Whatever the reason,…
My Dad – My Travel Hero
My parents are travellers. Not the strange hippy kind but the curious-about-the-world type. Travelling is something that always interested Dad especially. From a young age he was curious, taking part in his school exchange to Germany as a gawky teenager and later spending his gap year in Swaziland (in the 1960s when gap years were far less common than they are now). My parents met and I was born in Luxembourg, while they were both expats there. I blame them both for my nomadic streak! From a young age, my brother and I were taken abroad as our parents explored the world. Thanks to them I have fond childhood memories…
How to sail around the world on a luxury yacht
The yachting industry can seem, to an outsider, like a well-kept secret, but I’m going to let you in on it. Do you fancy the idea of sailing around the world on a luxury yacht? Want to know how to get paid to do it? Read on. What do you do onboard a yacht? The key things to understand are that yachts require maintenance and service standards are extremely high. Interior crew maintain the interior guest areas laundry and crew mess. Crew from the deck and engineering departments maintain the exterior and engine room, whilst also supervising guest use of toys (such as jetskis, waterskiing and scuba diving). Pros and…
Lights, Camera, Location!
It is all too easy to find yourself stuck in a routine and to slowly come to recognise that maybe there is more to life. If there are reasons that you can’t escape the routine just yet, then sit back and enjoy some armchair travel. Be inspired and plan your own adventure. These are some of the movies that have inspired me to travel. The Beach – Thailand This story follows a young backpacker who leaves Bangkok for Thailand’s beaches and discovers an island community where he realises he has a lot to learn. This is probably one of the first travel movies that ‘spoke’ to me. As an impressionable…
Get Wrecked in Nassau
Nassau is a wreck divers paradise. For years local dive operators have been sinking wrecks at carefully planned locations, making some fantastic dive sites and over time, artificial reefs. Since the boats are cleaned and prepared specifically with diving in mind there are lots of easy wreck penetrations available and the difficulty scale varies from advanced to easy peasy. Here is my guide to my favourite wreck dives off Nassau. Willaurie The Willaurie wreck is a favourite of most divers who know the area. She is 45m long and lies at a depth of 18m. She was sunk in 1988 and is now heavily encrusted in marine growth, the colour…
Let the Music take you away
The memories made on the road are one of the best things about travelling. Reminiscing over photos is great, but smells and sounds can transport us to other places too. Which music takes you back somewhere? Click the name of the song for a listen! Tarkan – Simarik As soon as I hear this song it takes me to Oludeniz in Turkey. My first trip to Turkey, as a 17yr old, involved lots of nights out dancing and this song was played in every restaurant and every bar without exception. You’d think I might not have heard it much outside Turkey, but then Holly Valance released an English version called…
