Dream Tropical Treasures

[barnowl1950]

this is the nearest I ever got to a snake in caribbean

 

 

 

part of a (sequiny) disply in the cruise terminal on aruba;)

Oh a FAKE SNAKE... so relieved it was unable to crush you to squeeze the life from you:D

[geomagot]

seriously guys...keep the pics coming (they are tremendous!) this is seriously brightening up my out of caribbean cruise season blues

 

barnowl you really must give snorkelling a try....especially in caribbean

 

look whats under there....its like a garden

 

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it took me 5 years to convince ms beloved magot to give it a go and now she has all the gear and you can never get her out of the water (and I mean all the gear?? all the expensive gear! why cant she just use the kids postmanpat snorkels like I do?);)

 

and the things you can find down there?.....such beautiful flora....like the rather nice (weighty) american masoninc gold & platinum ring that I am now the proud owner of:cool::p

 

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[barnowl1950]

Oh wow amazing sea life and you found sunken treasure too.

 

These are all fantastic pics everyone is posting, absolutely beautiful!!!

[CRUISIN LINDA]

It's a Canon SX220HS Linda.

 

I got this one just after Christmas in the sales and and still getting used to it. Some different settings than the previous Canon's I have had, the way it sets itself on Auto is totally different to the old ones and getting used to the way it handles low light levels is proving tricky. I am having to go into program mode and set the ISO manually.

 

It's breaking me in slowly.....:D

 

Mine is a Canon PowerShot A1100IS. It was recommended by someone on the Braemar a few years ago and it has a view finder which is unusual, unless it is very expensive camera. When we were in Gran Canaria last year, someone asked us to take a photo of them and I noticed that you could see the screen in bright sunlight. Is yours like that? I can't remember what make it was.

 

I would like to update my camera but don't want one too complicated :o

[Little Nell]

Mine is a Canon IXUS, which to my shame I use as a point and shoot, also one of the few with a viewfinder.

 

It is at least 5 years old and is a great camera except in poor light.

 

I could always read the instructions and change the settings manually :eek:

[Little Nell]

Geo, that is what I want to do in the Caribbean, snorkel. Fantastic pictures.

[barnowl1950]

I did see a boa once in dominca and I once saw a dead boa on aruba (boas are pretty harmless) snakes are so shy you will be very very lucky to see one (even in the forest) and most (like blind snakes) are harmless (the mosquitos are more of a problem in the rain forest...definitely need some deet if you are going to the waterfalls or river tubing there

 

st kitts has no snakes as they have a mongoose population (they dont have many rats either because of the mongoose)

 

despite all my tropical travels....... the one place I have seen the most snakes is in the new forest in hampshire

 

Strange how things happen after you speak about them.

Think we must be psychic sometimes geo?

Have just seen pics in todays DM of a cat being rescued from the jaws of a Boa-constrictor.

[Jakanne1]

Geo, that is what I want to do in the Caribbean, snorkel. Fantastic pictures.

 

I cannot swim out of my depth. Must be able to touch the bottom and be able to breathe (and keep my hair dry).

 

However, after lying on the beach for nearly two weeks in Mexico (except one tour to Chichen Itza) I felt the need to do something exciting before returning home....so I went scuba diving.

 

I was scared at even the thought of wading out to the boat because I noticed it was moored quite a way out. The water was very warm so that was a plus point. To cut this short, when we got to the scuba diving spot we all had to wear life vests. I put on the snorkel mask and could not even put my face in the water....so along came hubby and unceremoniously ducked my head in the water. All of a sudden I met with another world.....just like your photos Geo!

Absolutely fantastic and I spent an hour exploring that underwater world and watching the brightly coloured fish. No turtles however.

 

I look forward to doing it again...but the water must be warm! Maybe a Caribbean cruise.....:rolleyes:

[gillhalfpint]

I had the fantastic snorkel with turtle experience from the Dream in the Caribbean. It was my first go, and I was nervous and hung onto the steps for a while with my face on the water to practice breathing through the tube, then let go and WOW. I was one of the last to get out. Saw the turtles like your photos and loved it enough to have another go later in the week. Try it if you can, an amazing experience.

[joeholiday2]

Great underwater pics Geo.

 

My only foray into underwater photography is using a bag purchased on ebay for my old A90. (the button fell off in Cannes last year, so it's stuck in auto mode) the bag works well keeping it dry, but I wouldn't trust it enough to put my best camera in it.

Tried it at Virgin Gorda and between the Pitons in St Lucia. Most pics got deleted, they are nothing like yours believe me....

 

Linda, most of the powershots (esp the earlier ones) have a viewfinder, that was my main reason for buying into the brand. It's the newer ones like mine and many Ixus' that tend not to have a viewfinder, to be honest I don't find it an issue, it's a more accurate representation of what the picture will turn out like anyway. It works fine in bright sunlight unlike my older powershots, hence the need for the viewfinder on those.

 

Looking at the spec of your 1100IS, it's probably not worth changing until it breaks, it's very similar spec to mine.

Try a few test shots on the "easy" mode (that's the heart symbol) and compare it with the same scene in auto mode, you might be surprised with the results, esp when using flash. Keep experimenting in the garden when you have some free time, after all it's not like the old days when we had to have them developed....it's free now.

 

Nell, Sorry if I got too techie for you......;)

You really do need to try snorkeling in the carib, it's fantastic.

[barnowl1950]

I'm not a strong swimmer as I get out of breath easily (asthma) but yes I can see myself doing snorkeling, why not. Would regret returning home and not giving it a go.

[Little Nell]

We are going to Antigua, St Lucia, St Kitts and the British Virgin Islands. Has anyone been snorkeling on any of those islands? Bermuda looks to have nice beaches but I don't think Thomson has been there before?

 

I suppose what I would really like to know is this....where are there "must do things" and where would you be better to spend the time on the beach and do some snorkeling?

 

Joe, photography becomes too technical for me the minute "settings" are mentioned :) It would help if I read the manual ;)

[gillhalfpint]

I went on the snorkel with turtles on changeover day at Barbados, then went on the Starwind trip from Grenada where I saw more fish shoals. I think they do one from a lot of the islands though, so there is choice. They look after you as well and the mix going in are experienced and novice so don't be afraid to try it.

[geomagot]

the baths at virgin gorda nell....great place to practice snorkelling for the first time, most of the pools are shallow and have sandy bottoms so you can stand up easily, you wont get buffeted by waves and the pools are teeming with little fish....like being in an aquarium.... great place to introduce the kids to snorkelling

 

[Little Nell]

Thanks, Geo, looks amazing. I have snorkeled before, albeit a long time ago. I love the sea and don't need to feel ground below my feet :) I can see me spending most of my time in the sea.