MARATHON, Florida Keys — A rehabilitated loggerhead sea turtle that convalesced about four months at the Florida Keys-based Turtle Hospital was fitted with a satellite-tracking transmitter and released …
Diving with Santa Claus
6 Dec 201610:41 AM
It turns out that Santa Claus carries more than toys in that reindeer-driven sleigh: a set of scuba tanks. And you will have two opportunities to dive underwater, sit on his lap, get your photo taken, and present him with your holiday wish list.
Santa’s sleigh will take him first to Pompano Beach where South Florida Diving Headquarters, a Guy Harvey Outpost Outfitter, will host a two-tank dive on Dec. 11. One of Captain Jeff Torode’s dive boats will give you and Santa (and a couple of his elves) a lift out to the 70-foot-deep wreck of the Ancient Mariner where you’ll proceed down to the deck for a photo op. For the second dive, you and Santa will do a drift dive along a shallower reef. Afterward, digital photos will be available that you can convert to holiday cards or decorations or just plaster all over Facebook and Instagram. Cost is $60; for reservations, call the shop at 800-771-DIVE or go to www.southfloridadiving.com.
Then on December 22, Santa arrives at Captain Slate’s Scuba Adventures, a Guy Harvey Outpost Outfitter near Islamorada, for a two-tank afternoon dive on a couple of shallow reefs where snorkelers also are welcome. You’ll get a photo session and a holiday gift. Cost is $85; for reservations, call 800-331-3483.
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![](mailto:?subject=Rehabbed Turtle Released off Florida Keys to participate in Tour de Turtles’ Event&body=<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/11754301_733884743406613_3971705450198939655_o1.jpg"><img class="wp-image-2826 size-medium" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/11754301_733884743406613_3971705450198939655_o1.jpg?w=293" alt="11754301_733884743406613_3971705450198939655_o" width="293" height="300" /></a>Photo Courtesy of Andy Newman.
MARATHON, Florida Keys -- A rehabilitated loggerhead sea turtle that convalesced about four months at the Florida Keys-based Turtle Hospital was fitted with a satellite-tracking transmitter and released Friday off the Florida Keys.
Named Aaron, the subadult reptile crawled into the Atlantic Ocean in front of several hundred cheering spectators at Marathon's Sombrero Beach.
It is the only rehabilitated turtle of 12 that is part of the Tour de Turtles initiative created by the Sea Turtle Conservancy.
Beginning Aug. 2, the online education and awareness program will track the reptiles for three months. Turtles will be followed after releases in Panama, Costa Rica, Nevis, W.I. and Florida.
"It's the sea turtle who goes the furthest distance in three months that wins the marathon and wins the Tour de Turtles," said Dan Evans, research and technology specialist with the Sea Turtle Conservancy. "The takeaway from the whole program is to really raise awareness about sea turtles, to get people interested in sea turtles through technology and to also let people know what they can do to help protect sea turtles."
Aaron was discovered floating in a Key Largo boat basin in March. It was treated at the Turtle Hospital in Marathon for an intestinal impaction and parasites in its digestive system with antibiotics, anti-parasitic medications, lactulose, vitamins and a diet of squid and fish
Learn more here:
Tour de Turtles: <a href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tourdeturtles.org%2F&h=tAQHKPX4B&enc=AZNRUuCt5hIJx33XuBw3zcy-tyIGy6-uvyaKnyWxJIqBOGXfS-FZhNUD9qYelatOGq5nvUvQfLji-c1LuPjQIHfPRp0Ozwei5hGNAK5NXO43BlJOoeO3jgyaOvEHeYj8yzW6Q_4HWMe16xT2rBmfZnbMniNaxUwTNHRt1sglx8RB5_g9jX-9IilW42_-LENnsnAnqxdwHfydNJWMKTInmj71&s=1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.tourdeturtles.org</a>
The Turtle Hospital: <a href="http://www.turtlehospital.org/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.turtlehospital.org</a>
https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/rehabbed-turtle-released-off-florida-keys-to-participate-in-tour-de-turtles-event/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Guy Harvey Outpost Club to Open on Rum Cay, Bahamas&body=<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/rum-cay-aerial-lr1.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-949" title="Rum Cay, Bahamas" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/rum-cay-aerial-lr1.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="412" /></a>
Second Location for Guy Harvey Outpost Properties Program
Fort Lauderdale, FL - November 28, 2011 - <a title="GHO web site" href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com" target="_blank">Guy Harvey Outpost Resorts LTD</a> announced today plans to open its second boutique resort property on <a title="About Rum Cay" href="http://guyharveyoutpost.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=80&Itemid=87" target="_blank">Rum Cay</a> in the southern Bahamas. The popular <a title="Sumner Point M&V web site" href="http://www.rumcaymarina.com/" target="_blank">Sumner Point Marina & Villas </a>property is undergoing renovations and reopens this spring as the Guy Harvey Outpost Resort & Marina, Rum Cay.
Rum is the southern gateway in and out of the Bahamas, just like <a title="About Bimini" href="http://www.bahamas.com/out-islands/bimini" target="_blank">Bimini</a> is to the north, so this is a great complement to our system and certainly will be a welcome Outpost for any of our customers spending time further down the island chain," notes company President, Mark Ellert. The Rum Cay project follows the reopening of the <a title="BBGC web site" href="http://www.biggameclubbimini.com" target="_blank">Bimini Big Game Club</a> last year as a Guy Harvey Outpost. Rum Cay is an out-island destination known for its rugged and unspoiled beauty, and daily life on Rum is little changed over the past hundred years.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/rum-cay-bluffs-lr1.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-952" title="The unspoiled bluffs at Rum Cay" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/rum-cay-bluffs-lr1.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="366" /></a>
"Every serious angler or diver has the Southern Bahamas on his or her bucket list, every mariner knows it’s where you put in for fuel and shore leave and with a lack of crowds or development, Rum Cay enthusiasts consider it their own private island retreat," adds Ellert, who oversees location selection for the firm. "For all these adventure travelers, we intend the Outpost Club & Marina to be the destination of choice in the Southern Bahamas."
The island has approximately 60 permanent residents and is roughly 50 miles southeast of Georgetown in <a title="About The Exumas" href="http://www.bahamas.com/out-islands/exumas" target="_blank">the Exumas</a>. Conception Island, which is part of the <a title="About the Land and Sea Park" href="http://www.bnt.bs/parks_exuma.php" target="_blank">Bahamas National Land and Sea Park</a> sanctuary, figures prominently in the company’s interest.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/rum-cay-marina-lr1.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-954" title="Rum Cay Marina" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/rum-cay-marina-lr1.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="366" /></a>
"Conception is just 10 miles from Rum," said the company’s chairman, <a title="Guy Harvey Inc. web site" href="http://www.guyharvey.com" target="_blank">Dr. Guy Harvey</a>, who holds a Ph.D in marine fisheries management. " In addition to the fantastic diving there, we intend to work with government in expanding the coral and shark research work of the <a title="GHRI web site" href="http://www.nova.edu/ocean/ghri/" target="_blank">Guy Harvey Research Institute</a> which is a cornerstone of our Outpost program in the Bahamas."
Named Santa Maria de La Concepcion by Columbus who visited the island on his first voyage to the New World, Rum Cay is believed to have acquired its modern name from a shipwrecked cargo of rum. The island’s most famous shipwreck is that of the 101-gun <a title="About the HMS Conqueror" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Conqueror_(1855)" target="_blank">HMS Conqueror </a>which sank off Sumner Point in 1861, and is now preserved and protected as the Bahamas Underwater Museum.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/snorkling-off-rum-cay-lr1.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-956" title="Snorkeling off Rum Cay" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/snorkling-off-rum-cay-lr1.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="828" /></a>
Widely recognized for its outstanding diving and fishing, Rum Cay is also popular with surfing and kite-boarding enthusiasts, and sky diving over the island is quickly gaining in popularity. This December the resort hosts its second "Jump Boogie", a weeklong skydiving and kite-surfing event.
"Rum Cay has always interested us because of its unquestionable natural beauty and its top-of-class sporting activities, including extreme sports that appeal to a new generation of Guy Harvey friends and fans," emphasizes Ned Stone, who leads the company’s "Outpost Pursuits" program. "Surf, kite and paddle boards are the new beach sports, and we intend to bring our top-of-class DNA to these as we’ve done for fishing and diving."
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/rum-cay-surfing1.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-957" title="Surfing Rum Cay" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/rum-cay-surfing1.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="367" /></a>
The Sumner Point Marina is situated on the southeast tip of Rum Cay. The marina and adjoining club facilities have been owned and operated by the Little family since 1960. Known for its protected marina, picturesque beachside cottages and gourmet dining, the property exudes the bohemian flair of its owner and artist-in-residence, Bobby Little.
"It’s time for our family to take this incredible property to the next level", remarked Bobby Little in announcing the conversion of his boutique resort. "I was raised on Rum, as has my son. With our renovations and the support of the Guy Harvey Outpost brand and management, I expect our property to become a beacon for sustainable tourism in the Southern Bahamas. I can’t think of a better legacy for our family, for the Bahamas or for anyone who has come to call us their island home."
For more information, visit <a title="GHO web site" href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com" target="_blank">Guy Harvey Outpost</a>. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/guy-harvey-outpost-club-to-open-on-rum-cay-bahamas/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Guy Harvey Receives Certificate of Appreciation on First Anniversary of USS Kittiwake Sinking&body=<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/guyaward1.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-1042 " title="Guy Harvey receives certificate of appreciation for sponsorship of USS Kittiwake sinking" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/guyaward1.jpg" alt="" width="495" height="329" /></a>Guy Harvey accepts a certificate of appreciation from CITA President, Harry Lalli and Acting Chief Officer, Leonard Dilbert during the Kittiwake Sinking Anniversary Reception at the Governor’s House. The event was held in recognition of the one year anniversary of the ship's sinking as an artificial reef.
Grand Cayman - January 5, 2012 - In celebrating the first anniversary of the sinking of the <a title="Sinking of the USS Kittiwake" href="http://guyharvey.wordpress.com/2011/01/09/cayman-islands-creates-new-artificial-reef-with-sinking-of-the-ex-uss-kittiwake/" target="_blank">USS Kittiwake</a> as an artificial reef, The <a title="CITA web site" href="http://www.cita.ky/" target="_blank">Cayman Islands Tourism Association</a> recently presented Cayman resident and celebrated marine wildlife artist and conservationist <a title="Guy Harvey Inc. web site" href="http://www.guyharvey.com" target="_blank">Dr. Guy Harvey</a> with a certificate of appreciation.
An ardent supporter of the project, Dr. Harvey was on hand a year ago and photographed the sinking of the USS Kittiwake and its short journey to the bottom, 64ft below the surface off the north end of <a title="About Seven Mile Beach" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Mile_Beach,_Grand_Cayman" target="_blank">Seven Mile Beach</a>. The <a title="GHRI web site" href="http://www.nova.edu/ocean/ghri/" target="_blank">Guy Harvey Research Institute</a> served as one of the many original sponsors of the effort to make the USS Kittiwake an artificial reef. The effort received substantial support from the local dive and business communities as well as the government.
Watch the video below to take an underwater video tour of the USS Kittiwake with Guy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnggzEo5Nv0&list=UUK-ol6-5sVk_NcRHN1LtmOQ&index=3&feature=plcp https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/guy-harvey-receives-certificate-of-appreciation-on-first-anniversary-of-uss-kittiwake-sinking/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Diving Thrills with Huge Fish at Guy Harvey Outpost in Mexico&body=<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/makodredge1-2.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-2914 alignleft" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/makodredge1-2.jpg?w=300" alt="makodredge1 (2)" width="300" height="177" /></a>
It looks just like a giant, wide-open front-end loader plowing the surface of the Caribbean Sea, except it's ALIVE. A 15-foot long whale shark -- one of hundreds that gather annually from June through mid-September in the waters around Isla Mujeres, Mexico--is sucking up its dinner of plankton as a horde of enthralled snorkelers hovers nearby to watch. The calm, placid giant-- broad and brown with white dots-- pays them no mind and cruises slowly along, feeding on the spawn of bonitos with its huge dorsal fin sticking up out of the water. A few feet away, a six-foot- wide manta ray joins the buffet line, and the snorkelers' heads swivel wildly back and forth.
The waters around this small island just off Mexico's northern Yucatan peninsula are one of very few places in the world where just about anyone can get close-up and personal with the largest fish in the ocean in its natural environment. And captain Anthony Mendillo of Keen M Blue Water Charters is your best choice for tour guide.
One of the region's pioneering whale shark tour operators, Mendillo zealously protects these charismatic creatures and delights in introducing them to visitors.
"The whale shark dive is so cool because the whole family can enjoy it," he said. "Children can go. You don't have to be a professional diver or a professional naturalist to appreciate the magnitude of the experience."
Indeed, the Mexican government prohibits scuba diving with the whale shark aggregation; only mask, snorkel and fins are allowed. Visitors are not permitted to touch the animals or use flash photography.
Although the 2015 whale shark season has wound down, Isla Mujeres and Keen M offer other unique topwater and underwater opportunities: snorkeling with sailfish and cage-diving with mako sharks.
From January through early March, Keen M boats escort their customers to the catch-and release of up to 50 sailfish per day on rod-and-reel by homing in on seabirds diving on schools of sardines that form tight bait balls. After everyone's arms are worn out from reeling in sails and letting them go, it's time to jump in and check out the spindlebeaks' living room.
"I have people who catch a double and now they're down there in their underwear ready to jump in," Mendillo said. "It's a very happy medium when a guest can say, 'I saw a sailfish eat a sardine; now I know how to hook them.'"
The occasional wahoo has been known to join the sails in crashing the bait balls, adding to the excitement.
For the extremely adventurous, Keen M offers cage-diving with mako sharks that cruise the region in March and April. If you go, you just may spot a mako sporting hardware on its dorsal fin. That's because Guy Harvey and colleagues from Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center have implanted several with tags to track their movements.
Your headquarters for diving and fishing in Isla Mujeres is the Hotel Playa Media Luna, a Guy Harvey Outpost Expedition Lodge. There are plenty of openings for 2016.
*****
Sue Cocking chronicles the Guy Harvey Outpost travel and adventure experience in regular blog posts on GuyHarveyOutpostNews.com/. For 21 years, Cocking covered the full spectrum of outdoors adventure opportunities in South Florida and beyond for the Miami Herald, including fishing, diving, hunting, paddling, camping, sailing and powerboat racing. She is a certified scuba diver and holder of an IGFA women's world fly fishing record for a 29-pound permit. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/diving-thrills-with-huge-fish-at-guy-harvey-outpost-in-mexico/){kind=link}
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