Diving and Snorkeling

In southern Utah are Zion, Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef national parks as well as Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Highway 12 connects Bryce with Capitol Reef, through the scenic heart of Grand Staircase-Escalante, but along the highway, from the small village of Boulder, is a wonderful detour worth the extra time and scenery: the absolutely astounding Burr Trail.

Friends urged, “If you loved Africa and Antarctica, you’ll love the Galápagos!” So, after much research, I found a cruise that fit my criteria. The 10-day “Galápagos Aboard National Geographic Endeavour II,” with Lindblad Expeditions (New York, NY; 800/397-3348, www.expeditions.com), was an expedition of a lifetime.

I departed Orlando, Florida, on Oct. 26, 2019, and met my cruise companions at the comfortable Hilton Colon Guayaquil in Ecuador.

Scuba divers in Fiji may see up to eight species of sharks on “The Shark Dive” with Beqa Adventure Divers (Lagoon Resort, Fairway Place, Pacific Harbour, Fiji; phone +679 3450911, fijisharkdive.com). 

On the 2-part dive, divers first descend to a maximum depth of 100 feet, where they may see bull sharks, before ascending to shallower waters to view smaller species. After snacking in the boat while heading to the next site, divers then reach a depth of 55 feet to feed bull, tiger and other sharks by hand.

Reefworld, a pontoon hotel with two underwater suites, is scheduled to open off the coast of Airlie Beach in the Whitsunday islands of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef in late 2019.

Guests have a choice of a Reefsuite, an underwater room with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the abundant sea life, or the deck-level Reefsleep, with a special “reef bed” under the stars.

After widespread bleaching in some areas of Australia's Great Barrier Reef in 2016-2017 led to a mass die-off of corals (Dec. '16, pg. 63), a milder 2017-2018 summer, along with the success of new coral nurseries, resulted in a better-than-expected recovery. Surveys have shown that new and rejuvenated corals are showing vibrant colors in areas that had been widely bleached.