Diving and Snorkeling

We took the 11-night “Belize/Barrier Reef/Guatemala” cruise on American Canadian Caribbean Line’s Grande Caribe, Jan. 24-Feb. 4, ’05. We had cabin 44A, and the cost for the two of us was $5,151.

Roatán, a well-known destination in the scuba diving community, is an undiscovered jewel in most other circles. Part of Honduras’ Bay Islands chain, which consists of three islands and 60 islets and cayes, Roatán is the largest island, situated in the Caribbean 35 miles north of the Honduran mainland.

The killer tsunami of Dec. 26 devastated parts of Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India and even reached African shores. The total loss of life may never be known. Thailand’s six southern provinces along the Andaman Sea also were battered by the tidal waves. The popular tourist beaches in Phuket, Krabi, Phi Phi and Khao Lak suffered varying degrees of death and damage though, on the whole, much less than their Indian Ocean neighbors.

The passenger freighter Aranui 3 is the best way to see the lush, raw beauty of the remote French Polynesian islands of the Tuamotu Archipelago and the Marquesas. I sailed on the Dec. 13, ’03, voyage out of Papeete, Tahiti. With cabin space on board for only 200 passengers, the friendly Polynesian crew made us feel like family. Their pride in the Aranui 3 was immediately evident.