DESTINATIONS
Some of the bonuses of "Cruising for a Living":
Swimming with the sting rays in the Cayman Islands
This experience was so surreal that I took the tour twice, and even bought the video! I've never been this close to sting rays before. Growing up on the water near our beach house in Kaneohe Bay, I remember my dad warning us not to get near any sting rays. So, emotionally it's like meeting one of your big demons, looking it in the face, and feeling your fears disappear as you realize that you really can touch, even hold a sting ray in your arms, and nothing bad happens. Actually, it's all amazing...
Grand Cayman is like being in Waimanalo on Oahu. The weather, the feel of the sand, nature-wise the water is as clear as any I've seen in Hawaii. We just went swimming at the Ihilani resort near our house out in Ewa, Oahu, and I was thinking "the water is like the Caymans". Amazing you can be thousands of miles away, and it all seems kinda familiar (except of course the people and culture are VERY different).
And then there's Cozumel...
Matt with Angie at Fat Tuesdays Cozumel