Travels to Playa Flamingo
Today I was able to dive the legendary Catalina Islands for the second time with Aquacenter Dive Company. Our first immersion was at Roca Sucia, presumably named “Dirty Rock” because it is covered in bird droppings. Visibility was between 30 and 40 feet and in addition to the tropical species we spotted yesterday, we also observed an unbelievably large school of bigeye jack along with blunthead triggerfish, guinea fowl pufferfish, spotted porcupine fish and blennies.
However, the most amazing sighting of the day was not what we discovered underwater, but what we spotted from the boat …
Location: Gold Coast, North Pacific, Playa Flamingo, Playa Grande »
Activities: Bird & Wildlife Watching, Massage, Pacific Beaches, Scuba Diving and Snorkeling »
This morning, I was thrilled to dive the Catalina Islands with Aquacenter Diving in Playa Flamingo. The Catalinas compose an archipelago of volcanic and sedimentary islands just a few miles offshore from Flamingo. Due to soft coral and fragile sea fans, these islands are normally, but not exclusively, reserved for intermediate to advanced divers who can navigate deep and drift dives (where divers are transported by tidal currents) without a problem. Today, visibility was decent – between 20 and 30 feet – and our hopes of seeing exceptional marine life were high.
A small speedboat …
Location: Gold Coast, North Pacific, Playa Brasilito, Playa Conchal, Playa Flamingo »
Activities: Horseback Riding, Scuba Diving and Snorkeling »
In preparation for today’s canopy tour, I ate a protein-filled vegetable omelet at Flamingo Beach Resort’s restaurant, Arenas. However, I probably would have skipped breakfast had I known what a long, rocky road I would be bumping along en route to the countryside.
The “monkey bus” picked me and two other guests up in the lobby at 8:15 a.m. The flatbed was as tough as a tank and fun to ride in, but seemed to have an insufferable maximum speed of only 13 miles per hour. We bounced along ten minutes of paved street and 15 …
Location: Gold Coast, North Pacific, Playa Flamingo »
Activities: Canopy Tours, Pacific Beaches »
