Today is the official “First Day of Summer”!! Nothing epitomizes a dream summer vacation more than this photo of the beautiful Green Turtle Club Resort & Marina, the very first Guy Harvey …
The Dive God Visits Cuba
12 Apr 20166:37 PM
by Sue Cocking, Guy Harvey Outpost staff writer
scocking@guyharveyoutpost.com
In his 62 years of scuba diving, Neal Watson (a.k.a. the Dive God) has pretty much done it all: set world records for depth and distance; tangoed with huge sharks; travelled the world; and appeared underwater in numerous television shows and movies. But there WAS one place on the globe that Guy Harvey Outpost’s dive team leader had never taken the plunge: Cuba.
That is, until very recently.
Watson joined Guy Harvey Outpost Resorts president Mark Ellert; Guy Harvey Research Institute head Mahmood Shivji; and Scuba Radio founder Greg Holt on a four-day diving/fact-finding mission to the island nation under the ‘people-to-people’ program.
To say the Dive God was wowed by his visit would be a gross understatement.
“This place ROCKS!” Watson said. “This is the pinnacle. I have literally travelled around the world and you’d be hard-pressed to find any place as uniquely different from any other culture in the world as you find 45 minutes from South Florida. Unbelievable!”
Watson’s enchantment began almost as soon as he deplaned in Havana: downtown streets filled with vintage American cars.
“It was like being in the world’s biggest antique car show,” he said.
And things only got better from there.
Accompanied by their Cuban American guide, the group rented a 1957 Pontiac, overnighted at a family-run bed and breakfast; sampled hand-rolled cigars at a tobacco farm; enjoyed dancing and listening to acoustic salsa music at various Havana night spots; sampled the signature daiquiris at La Floridita– a favorite hangout of author Ernest Hemingway; and, oh yes, dived.
The group cruised west in the Pontiac for about six hours from Havana to a dive resort in the village of Maria La Gorda located on the western tip of the Pinar del Rio province. Watson was pleasantly surprised at the fleet of clean, modern dive boats; well-maintained rental and first-aid equipment and the capable, friendly and knowledgeable dive crew.
The group only had time for a one-tank dive — an 80-foot-deep guided drift along mountainous coral heads and scenic caverns in a marine park established in 1984. It reminded Watson of his underwater explorations of Andros and the Exuma Islands in the Bahamas.
“Amazing,” Watson said.
Shivji, a marine scientist who has logged hundreds of dives, also was impressed.
“The coral reefs are in really good shape compared to quite a few other places I’ve been diving,” Shivji said.
The Guy Harvey Outpost team enjoyed the whirlwind visit so much that it organized another cultural/scientific/diving expedition to Cuba in June in conjunction with the Reef Environmental Education Foundation. The trip sold out in one hour. Stay tuned for more about future Guy Harvey Outpost expeditions to the island.
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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.
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Share your photos, videos and experiences with Guy Harvey Outpost by hash tagging #OutpostAttitude to all of your social media posts.
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 has pretty much done it all: set world records for depth and distance; tangoed with huge sharks; travelled the world; and appeared underwater in numerous television shows and movies. But there WAS one place on the globe that Guy Harvey Outpost's dive team leader had never taken the plunge: Cuba.
That is, until very recently.
Watson joined Guy Harvey Outpost Resorts president Mark Ellert; Guy Harvey Research Institute head Mahmood Shivji; and Scuba Radio founder Greg Holt on a four-day diving/fact-finding mission to the island nation under the 'people-to-people' program.
To say the Dive God was wowed by his visit would be a gross understatement.
"This place ROCKS!" Watson said. "This is the pinnacle. I have literally travelled around the world and you'd be hard-pressed to find any place as uniquely different from any other culture in the world as you find 45 minutes from South Florida. Unbelievable!"
Watson's enchantment began almost as soon as he deplaned in Havana: downtown streets filled with vintage American cars.
"It was like being in the world's biggest antique car show," he said.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Cuba.mules_.jpg"><img class="alignnone wp-image-4014 size-full" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Cuba.mules_.jpg" alt="Cuba.mules" width="800" height="531" /></a>
And things only got better from there.
Accompanied by their Cuban American guide, the group rented a 1957 Pontiac, overnighted at a family-run bed and breakfast; sampled hand-rolled cigars at a tobacco farm; enjoyed dancing and listening to acoustic salsa music at various Havana night spots; sampled the signature daiquiris at La Floridita-- a favorite hangout of author Ernest Hemingway; and, oh yes, dived.
The group cruised west in the Pontiac for about six hours from Havana to a dive resort in the village of Maria La Gorda located on the western tip of the Pinar del Rio province. Watson was pleasantly surprised at the fleet of clean, modern dive boats; well-maintained rental and first-aid equipment and the capable, friendly and knowledgeable dive crew.
The group only had time for a one-tank dive -- an 80-foot-deep guided drift along mountainous coral heads and scenic caverns in a marine park established in 1984. It reminded Watson of his underwater explorations of Andros and the Exuma Islands in the Bahamas.
"Amazing," Watson said.
Shivji, a marine scientist who has logged hundreds of dives, also was impressed.
"The coral reefs are in really good shape compared to quite a few other places I've been diving," Shivji said.
The Guy Harvey Outpost team enjoyed the whirlwind visit so much that it organized another cultural/scientific/diving expedition to Cuba in June in conjunction with the Reef Environmental Education Foundation. The trip sold out in one hour. Stay tuned for more about future Guy Harvey Outpost expeditions to the island.
*****************
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.
**********
Share your photos, videos and experiences with Guy Harvey Outpost by hash tagging #OutpostAttitude to all of your social media posts. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/the-dive-god-visits-cuba/){kind=link}
![](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/today-is-the-official-first-day-of-summer/&media=https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/today-is-the-official-first.jpg&description=Today is the official "First Day of Summer"!){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Cuba Un-canned: See It With the Locals&body=Here are some of the locals you will meet during <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/">Guy Harvey Outpost's</a> guided people-to-people expedition to Cuba December 13-18:
--The son of Fidel Castro's official photographer;
--the director of the Cuba's Masonic museum;
--a rural tobacco farmer;
--a mixologist who will teach you how to make the perfect Mojito.
And the locales you will visit will combine mainstream stops (Floridita --creator of the daiquiri-- and Museo de la Revolucion, stone walls with 1950s bullet holes) with way un-trodden destinations (Cueva El Palmarito --the largest cave system in Latin America, and a fishing cooperative in Cojimar, where Ernest Hemingway's captain spent most of his life).
Your hosts will be Justin White-- operator of <a href="https://www.docfordscubaexpeditions.com/">Doc Ford's Cuba Expeditions</a> and nephew of best-selling novelist Randy Wayne White--and Sports Illustrated photographer Ron Modra.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/MG_1480.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4874" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/MG_1480.jpg" alt="" width="2100" height="1400" /></a>
"The people we are going to meet are incredible-- interesting, intelligent, diverse age groups," White said. "You'll see the monumental places but the targeted people and events introduce you to real people living their daily lives. The most valuable experience you can have is to be with the people and ask them questions. There are no airs put on."
With new U.S.-to-Cuba travel restrictions set to take effect in mid-September, White is taking special care to stay on the right side of the law: staying only in private lodgings, taking meals in private restaurants; interacting one-on-one with Cuban people; and travelling in a 12-member group.
"We will abide by all the policies and restrictions put in place," White said. "We focus on people-to-people exchanges."
The six-day, five-night itinerary is packed with authentic experiences: poring over photo albums with Raul Corrales, whose father shot reams of images of late Cuban leader Fidel Castro and his friend author Ernest Hemingway; walking the docks at Cojimar, the small fishing village where Hemingway's "Old Man and the Sea" was set and where the author's captain Gregorio Fuentes lived to be 104; visiting Finca Vijia where Hemingway's boat, Pilar, still sits; touring a tobacco farm and coffee plantation; and hiking to a huge cave in the countryside. It also hits some of the typical tourist spots such as the Tropicana nightclub and Old Havana. And there will be multiple opportunities to ogle (and photograph) all the old cars, with Modra coaching on the finer points of capturing images.
If you <a href="https://guyharveyoutpost.com/expeditions/cuba/">book your expedition</a> by Aug. 31, you'll receive free airfare from Fort Lauderdale to Havana. For more information, visit <a href="https://www.guyharveyoutpost.com">www.guyharveyoutpost.com</a> or call the Outpost Travel Desk at 800-513-5257. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/cuba-un-canned-see-it-with-the-locals/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Guy Harvey Outpost to Open St. Pete Beach Resort&body=
<a href="http://www.guyharveyoutposttampabay.com"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-1109" title="Guy Harvey Outpost, A TradeWinds Resort" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/logo_ghostpete1.jpg" alt="" width="356" height="335" /></a>
Third Location for Guy Harvey Outpost Resorts Program
Miami, Fla. (FEBRUARY 16, 2012)— Guy Harvey Outpost Resorts and Marinas today announced plans for opening its third resort in St. Pete Beach, Florida, with the rebranding and renovation of the popular TradeWinds Sandpiper Suites to reflect the hospitality company’s emphasis on marine conservation and outdoor pursuits. To be branded the Guy Harvey Outpost, a TradeWinds Resort, the 211-room beachfront resort represents the company’s first Florida property, complementing its two projects in the Bahamas Out-Islands of Bimini and Rum Cay.
“The Tampa Bay/St. Pete area is a perfect fit for our first ever Guy Harvey Outpost in the U.S.,” remarked Guy Harvey in announcing plans for the conversion. “Not only does the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation support a number of marine research organizations and conservation initiatives in the area, but there are a seemingly endless amount of outdoor activities in the Tampa Bay region to keep our Outpost guests busy.”
<a href="http://www.guyharveyoutposttampabay.com"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1110" title="Guy Harvey Outpost, a TradeWinds Resort" src="http://guyharveyoutpost.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/tradewinds1.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="365" /></a>
“Florida has some 1,200 miles of beachfront but only one where the Gulf meets Tampa Bay. One great beach and two amazing bodies of water make for endless water sport activities and a great resort setting to use as your base camp,” commented Mark Ellert, Outpost president. “Conde Nast Traveler magazine selected St. Pete Beach as one of the top six Florida resort destinations in its latest edition, so we’re in good company with our decision to put a flag here.”
Designated a “Blue Wave” beach by the national non-profit Clean Beaches Council, St. Pete Beach meets the council’s highest criteria for water quality, cleanliness, safety, maintenance and conservation efforts. The Guy Harvey Outpost is situated at the center of St. Pete Beach.
In converting to a Guy Harvey Outpost, owner and manager of the property TradeWinds Island Resorts intends to further its commitment to bringing conservation and recreation together. “The resort was the first to receive the coveted ‘Two Palm Florida Green Lodge’ designation for our ongoing conservation initiatives,” notes Keith Overton, president of TradeWinds Island Resorts. “By teaming up with Guy and his Outpost hotel brand, we’re boldly underscoring our company’s commitment to his vision that the future of sustainable tourism sits at the intersection of conservation, education and recreation.”
Water sports are virtually unlimited in the Tampa/St. Pete area, notes Captain Ned Stone, Outpost Programs Director. “You’ll run out of time before you run out of things to do in the area.” Ticking off the many water sport pursuits, Stone adds “there’s world class offshore and backcountry fishing, scuba diving on mysterious wrecks, dolphin encounters, a life-time of back country kayak and stand up paddle boarding, kiteboarding and surfing.” https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/guy-harvey-outpost-to-open-st-pete-beach-resort/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Join A Live Summertime Easter Egg Hunt in Florida’s Big Bend&body=Small, weird-looking, but very tasty --even raw--and very easy to capture. Only available in the summer and early fall and never in a seafood market. You and your family must be hunter/gatherers to harvest them. They're bay scallops-- the premier mollusk of Florida's Gulf coast Big Bend region. And there's still plenty of time left to catch your share.
"So far, the season's been excellent," said Steinhatchee charterboat captain Bob Erdman. "Limits every day in three to four feet of water."
Erdman wasn't kidding. Last week, he and wife Carole guided my friend Kyle Stewart and me to gather our boat limit of eight gallons. It took us a little bit longer than last year because the region's scallop counts are down, but that just extended the fun.
The captain opted for the scallop grounds about five miles north of the mouth of the Steinhatchee River. His reasoning was simple: thousands of hunters have been plucking the grass beds to the south since the season opened on June 16, so hunting north might produce bigger shellfish.
As usual, Erdman was right. Snorkeling above the mixed turtle and manatee grass with mask and fins, I didn't spy as many of the little flying saucer-looking animals as last summer, but the ones I found were definitely larger with barnacle-encrusted shells.
"Those may be last year's scallops," Erdman said.
Harvesting them couldn't be easier. You just reach down and pick them up. Their weak escape attempts consist of clapping their double shells together clumsily. This is basically an underwater Easter egg hunt where the 'eggs' sometimes try in vain to get away. Kids as young as five can do it.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IMG_1305.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4836" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IMG_1305.jpg" alt="" width="3264" height="2448" /></a>
Best places to hunt are in mixed patches of sand and grass where the grayish-white shells are easiest to spot. Sometimes they'll be nestled in the sand; other times, you'll find them perched on blades of grass. Erdman advises scouring the bay bottom closely for the ridged shell's profile.
The hunt itself is entertaining even if you don't spot scallops every two minutes. You'll encounter schools of mullet and pinfish, sea stars, and occasionally a stingray. I came upon a small ray while hunting; it bolted in the opposite direction when it saw me.
A few safety tips: boats must display a red-and-white diver-down flag while scalloping and divers must stay within 300 feet of it in open water and within 100 feet in a river, inlet or channel. Boaters must slow to idle speed when they draw close to the flag.
The bag limit is two gallons of whole scallops or one pint of meat per person, with a maximum of ten gallons whole or 1/2 gallon of meat per vessel. The season runs through Sept. 10 in the Steinhatchee area. If you plan to hunt in the St. Joseph Bay area to the north, the season opens July 25 through Sept. 10. In the popular Homosassa - Crystal River area, the season opened July 1 and closes Sept. 24.
To book a scalloping trip with captain Bob Erdman, call 352-356-2554. Rental boats and accommodations are available at Good Times Motel and Marina (352-498-8088) or Sea Hag Marina & the Shacks at Sea Hag (352-498-3008). Both facilities also are staffed with scallop cleaners who charge $7-$8 per pound. Have your scallops prepared and served with an array of sides at Kathi's Krab Shack (352-498-0605) or do it yourself. Hint: cook them anyway you want-- just don't overcook them.
For a complete rundown on scallop seasons and regulations in Florida, go to <a href="http://www.MyFWC.com/Fishing">MyFWC.com/Fishing</a> and click on "Saltwater Fishing", then "Recreational Regulations" and "Bay Scallops". https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/join-a-live-summertime-easter-egg-hunt-in-floridas-big-bend/){kind=link}
 or Facebook (www.facebook.com/GuyHarveyOutpost) with #OutpostAttitude and win a free Caribbean Mayan hammock from Natacha's Boutique.
String your hammock up in the backyard for a lazy afternoon of reading or snoozing, then check out Guy Harvey Outpost's best hammock getaways:
The Islander Resort, a Guy Harvey Outpost in Islamorada, has an array of summer scuba diving packages with Capt. Slate's Scuba Adventures. Dive with Slate's friendly moray eels and colorful tropical fish, explore sunken ships, and learn how to hunt for lobsters with your expert guide. If you prefer to stay on the surface, islanderwatersports.com offers boat and paddleboard rentals; guided personal watercraft tours; fishing charters; sailboat rentals and lessons; kayak and bicycle rentals; fishing rods; and beach umbrellas. For families with kids, the Islander conducts one-hour-long Marine Science Camps at 2p.m. on July 26; Aug. 2, 9, 30; and Sept. 13. Find out what it's like to be a marine scientist studying sharks, corals, fish and other creatures.
TradeWinds Beach Resort, a Guy Harvey Outpost on St. Pete Beach, offers a Suite Summer Saver where you can save up to 35 percent (including resort fee) for a three-night stay until Aug. 31. While you're there, be sure to take the plunge in the 33,500-gallon aquarium at RumFish Grill featured on Animal Planet's popular show "TANKED". Snorkelers aged 8 and up can swim with 30 species of fish-- all equipment included-- for $35. Tours are conducted Tuesday through Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. and reservations are strongly recommended. For more information, visit swimwithourfish.com.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpost.com/special/"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-4140 size-full" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Summer-Blog-Image-St-Pete.jpg" alt="Summer Blog Image St Pete" width="600" height="300" /></a>
The Hotel Playa Media Luna and Keen M Bluewater Charters, a Guy Harvey Outpost Expedition Lodge and Outfitter in Isla Mujeres, Mexico is conducting whale shark snorkeling trips through mid-September. You don't need to be a certified scuba diver to take the plunge with the world's largest --and perhaps gentlest-- fish in Mexico's warm Caribbean waters.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpost.com/special/"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-4141 size-full" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/summer-blog-image-mexico.jpg" alt="summer blog image mexico" width="600" height="261" /></a>
Isabela, the largest of the eastern Pacific's remote Galapagos Islands, is a wildlife wonderland, and the Iguana Crossing Hotel, a Guy Harvey Expedition Lodge, provides the base camp for your adventure with five-day, four-night packages. Observe numerous species of whales; scuba dive with sea lions and sea turtles; and watch giant land tortoises and penguins.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpost.com/special/"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-4142 size-full" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Summer-Blog-Image-Galapagos.jpg" alt="Summer Blog Image Galapagos" width="600" height="300" /></a>
To book your Summer Story, <a href="http://www.GuyHarveyOutpost.Com/specials" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CLICK HERE</a> or call 1-800-513-5257.
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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.
**********
Share your photos, videos and experiences with Guy Harvey Outpost by hash tagging #OutpostAttitude to all of your social media posts. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/swing-in-a-free-hammock-this-summer/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Guy Harvey Outpost Initiates "Trash to Treasure" Art Program&body=<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/11707509_946851132049337_3373697342381427908_n.jpg"><img class=" size-medium wp-image-2821 alignleft" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/11707509_946851132049337_3373697342381427908_n.jpg?w=300" alt="11707509_946851132049337_3373697342381427908_n" width="300" height="239" /></a>While a fleet of anglers chased mahi and wahoo in Guy Harvey Outpost Resorts' Bonfire Tournament on West End, Grand Bahama Island in June, artist Bobby Little stayed behind, keeping very busy at a table in the shade of Old Bahama Bay Resort as part of the “Trash To Treasure” initiative of the Bonfire Series.
One of several artists to be featured in the Guy Harvey Outpost "Trash to Treasure" program, Little used a wet saw and grinder to demonstrate for local artisans and resort guests how to turn waste conch shells into fashion jewelry.
Over a few hours, the piles of discarded shells were crafted into beautiful designs of angelfish, sea turtles, mermaids, pelicans and dolphins.
Guests purchased the finished products for $10 to $20 apiece, with a portion of the proceeds going to local vendors. Spending about $1,300 for tools and supplies, Little says, a Bahamian artisan could set up at a resort and make back his or her investment in about two days.
"One full-size conch shell is worth $300 to $500 when it's cut into jewelry," Little said. "You could create an industry on every island. Anyone who wants to work can work. Now you have a product made in the Bahamas you can sell in the Bahamas or you could export."
The Bonfire Beach Bash & Tournament at Old Bahama Bay featured Little-- a 53-year-old Hollywood, Fla. native who has lived on Rum Cay near San Salvador for decades and who doesn't limit his artistic vision to mounds of conch shells. On his frequent beach strolls, he collects washed-up plastic and turns it into trinkets; fashions rings out of whelk shells; converts dead coral into candle holders and lamps; and is best known for his dramatic 'burning' wahoo and marlin sculptures made of scrap metal. A 16-foot wahoo filled with flaming palm fronds and smoldering charcoal dramatically lit up the post-tournament Beach Bash. Both the wahoo and marlin are expected to be turned into artificial reefs that create habitat for marine creatures and attract divers.
Guy Harvey Outpost Resorts proposes to launch a series of beach clean-ups combined with fishing and art festivals in the Bahamas and South Florida where artists would collect trash, turn it into something beautiful, and compete for prizes for the best creations. Proceeds would be put toward ocean conservation.
"It will benefit the artists, the islands-- anywhere there's trash," Little said. "And there's such a large demographic that follows Guy Harvey's name."
Story by Sue Cocking, Guy Harvey Outpost Staff Writer https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/guy-harvey-outpost-initiates-trash-to-treasure-art-program-2/){kind=link}
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