A travel-insurance company recommended by Robert and Miriam Bacon of Lake Worth, FL, is Amex Assurance Co. (800/541-3522 in San Diego, CA).
They wrote of the company, “Their insurance is low cost; for example, $87 family coverage for one to eight days or $127 for up to 31 days.
“After our trip to Australia and New Zealand and after another trip to Morocco, our modest claims were processed quickly and to our complete satisfaction.”
We enjoyed immensely Brenda Milum’s letter “Finding Good Snorkel Sites” (May ’15, pg. 28). We also snorkel around the world and have been to many of the places she described.
Visitors to South Australia can get eye to eye with great white sharks, thanks to Adventure Bay Charters (Box 88, Port Lincoln, South Australia, 5606, Australia; phone +61 8 8682 2979, www.adventurebaycharters.com.au).
The Shark Warrior takes up to 27 passengers from Port Lincoln to Neptune Island, where sharks will be lured using sound waves, not bait. Guests can dive into the 6-person shark cage (using a surface-air supply; no scuba certification needed) or watch from the completely enclosed, 6-person Aqua Sub pod with 360-degree views.
Visitors to Queensland in northeastern Australia can swim with humpback whales on a trip with Sunreef (110 Brisbane Road, Mooloolaba 4557, Queensland, Australia; phone +61 7 5444 5656, www.sunreef.com.au).
Departing from and returning to Mooloolaba, the 3-hour excursion costs AUD115 (near $90). Wetsuits and snorkels are provided. Reserve ahead; 20 participants maximum. Whales migrate past the area July through October.
Living in Seattle, Washington, can get you under the weather, and this was particularly true for me in March 2014, one of our rainiest months ever. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I booked my husband, Ken, and myself on a trip to Belize!
My husband, Steve, and I took the “Ultimate Galápagos Exploration & Ecuador’s Amazon Wilds” tour, Jan. 11-25, 2014, with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT).
Upon arriving in the Galápagos Islands seven days into the trip, we were asked to sign a Release of Liability agreement before we would be allowed to swim or snorkel.
Two underwater archaeological parks have been set up in the bay off of Angra do Heroísmo, Terceira Island, Azores.
At Naufrágio do Vapor Lidador, scuba divers can tour the wreck of the Lidador, a steamship from the 1800s. The passengers survived, but the ship was pushed against the shore and sank into 30 feet of water. Divers can read underwater plaques and follow a line around the Lidador.
The province of Bocas del Toro, Panama, boasts protected cloud forest with monkeys, toucans and sloths; Caribbean beaches reached by boat or trek; breakers for surfers; snorkeling and scuba diving at coral sites with dolphins and tropical fish; sites with manatees, and indigenous communities to which visits can be arranged.
Newly opened in Bocas Town, the Bocas Sustainable Tourism Alliance Tourist Information Center (Calle 3, Isla Colon, Bocas del Toro; www.discoverbocasdeltoro.com) offers bookings with member tour operators, hotels and restaurants.
14 days/13 nights, Feb. 25-March 9, 2012, includes eight nights’ scuba diving (gear provided; activities for nondivers). Highlights: In Yangon, MYANMAR lake barge cruise, Shwedagon Pagoda/ Bagan/Mandalay/Inle Lake/Jumping Cat Monastery/board Diva Andaman in Kawthaung/barracuda, nurse sharks at Burma Banks/in Koh Tachai Pinnacle, THAILAND, see manta rays, turtles/night dive at Koh Bon Wall/Boonsung Wreck. Land and cruise, $6,840. Single supp., $985.
Journeys Within (Truckee, CA; 877/454-3672).
