Monthly Archives: December 2012

Aruba, Vacations

Final Friday in Aruba

Leave a comment

La Cabana lobby, ArubaWell, it’s the last day, and we’re feeling a little melancholy. The last few nights, we’ve been playing in the Glitz Casino, here at La Cabana. It’s a fun casino, giving us lots of play for our money. In fact, we have won most nights, although one night we lost a little. With all the free drinks they serve, it’s been a pretty amazing deal! It has meant we get up a little later than usual, mind you. Overall, we’ve enjoyed La Cabana, but the one really big negative has been the doors to the rooms. They are very heavy, and slam quite loudly. With the hallways being all tile, and the bedrooms right by the hall, it’s created some loud noisy echoing BANGS!

Porcupinefish and green moray We spent a lazy day snorkeling around our favorite places, taking a last long look around, saying good bye to our fishy friends. There is a longish rocky shelf, under which a large porcupine fish resides. I’ve posted pictures of him hiding before. Today I dove down and grabbed onto the shelf, holding myself under for a long look around. Imagine my surprise when I found there were TWO big green moray eels under that shelf! If you take a close look at the picture I have posted here of the porcupine fish, you can seen the mouth of one of the green morays peeking out from in front of the porcupine’s head.

Shelled creature, Boca Catalina, ArubaWe saw something rather unique. This is a sea creature of some sort, we’re not sure what. He was crawling along the sand, rather slowly. It could be a small conch, but it’s an awfully dark color for a conch, so I don’t think so. I’ve done some little bit of poking around the internet, and it seems to be like a murex shell, but again – not really sure that’s what it is.

Queen Angel. Malmok Beach, Aruba The Queen Angelfish is not that big, maybe ten inches would be a good sized one. They are a bright yellow and blue, and are active swimmers.

Queen Angel. Malmok Beach, Aruba

It’s always fun chasing them around trying to get a shot. Here are a couple of ones we took today that I thought showed them in a neat light.

We’ve decided to try a restaurant called The Queen’s for our last dinner here. It’s got really great reviews on Tripadvisor, and they serve Keshi Yena, a dish I really love that is a local Aruban specialty. Should be a fun night.

 

Aruba, Vacations

Winding down

Leave a comment

Iguana, ArubaThursday dawned with a wonderfully calm ocean, and perfect, beautiful blue skies. It’s going to be tough heading back to the normally cloudy Vancouver! We’ve been pretty lucky, weather wise this month away. Most days have been pretty darn good. Two or three were spoiled by rain, but overall, we really can’t complain about the warmth, the blue skies and the calm oceans. Pam took another great macro shot, this one features one of the locals, sunning himself on the rocks above the hot tub at La Cabana.

Couple of snorkelers We took to the ocean around noon. And it was really great. Super clear water, and amazingly calm. Check out this self portrait! It’s how we’ve faced the world for basically three or four hours every day for the last month. Is it any wonder the fish are nervous when I peek under a rock at them?

We saw an amazingly huge barracuda today. Usually they don’t want to hang around snorkelers, and casually swim away when you try to approach. This one wandered off when we tried to get close, then came back a few minutes later. I swam after him to get a shot, and he slowed, turned and stopped. Big ass BarracudaHe remained stationary for a good ten minutes or more. We were taking pictures, filming him and a group of snorkelers from one of the ships started coming around. We said, “Hey, check out this big barracuda” – I’m always amazed how people miss seeing these fish that are so large! I said to one woman, “See the barracuda?” She looked at me, “Who me?” she says. I said, “Yes, look!” and pointed. Well, she looked, shrieked “HOLY SH**!!” and started swimming away as fast as she could move!

Hawksbill turtle, ArubaWe saw quite a few turtles again, starting at the turtle grass just off of Boca Catalina. As we swam north to Arashi Beach, we spotted our friend the hawksbill. He’s a great looking turtle, and let me approach him closer than he has in the past. I guess he’s starting to recognize me! haha

Grouper in ArubaI like this shot Pam took of a grouper next to some coral. They are a shy fish, usually trying to hide from the camera. Pam used to like to eat grouper, but she won’t anymore. She thinks they are too cute to eat!

French Angelfish, ArubaAruban waters have an awful lot of French Angels, and Pam is always distracted by them! They are larger than a lot of the fish, and are easily spotted. As you swim along, your eye is just naturally drawn to them. Here is a brief movie of three of them swimming along together.

Lionfish at Malmok Here’s a picture of another lionfish. They are such nice fish to look at, but such a pain! I wish there was some way we could do more as snorkelers to eliminate them when we find them. There has to be something we can do, other than take pictures of them! Some restaurants are starting to serve them, just not enough. With very few natural predators in Caribbean water , they are starting to decimate local fish populations.

One last day tomorrow in Aruba, then it’s the long flight home.

Lionfish Lionfish
Aruba, Vacations

Just turtles!

Leave a comment

Green turtle, ArubaThis trip has certainly been highlighted by the number of turtles we have seen! It’s been a rare day we haven’t seen several turtles. Tuesday and Wednesday were no exception with another half dozen or so sightings each day. The turtle grass we’ve recently discovered off of Boca Catalina had another four or five. Big ones and little ones, greens and hawksbills. It’s amazing how big some of them can get! The greens are usually between 250 and 450 pounds, and a couple we’ve seen have been on the high side.

Green turtle, Aruba While swimming toward Malmok Beach, there is a small reef. One green turtle was tucked under a chunk of coral, in fairly shallow water. When we started taking pictures, he started to swim around, quite unconcerned with us. He went for a long, lazy swim, towards Malmok, then circled back toward Boca Catalina in a big circle. The amazing thing was, there was no one in the ocean with us! Eventually we swam by a Dutch family of four, who had never seen a turtle. They were delighted when Pam told them we were following a turtle. The turtle took us on another big circle of both beaches. Eventually, other snorkelers joined in, and it was quite funny to see the turtle leading a pack of his own!

Hawksbill turtle, Arashi BeachAt Arashi Beach we came across a hawksbill in really shallow water too. I was swimming between two rocks whose peaks actually go above the water line, and coming toward me was this hawksbill! He took a gander at my ugly mug and turned and swam away! We followed him for a time, but he swam straight out to sea in almost a straight line. He wasn’t interested in leading the snorkelers on a conga line.

Bluehead wrasse, Aruba
We saw some interesting stuff in close to shore at Arashi Beach. There were lots of little guys that have been tough to photograph because they dart in and out of the coral so quickly.

Yellowtail damselfish, ArubaBut today, once again the ocean was very calm and we were able to remain stationary over a single point for a long time, so we were able to get some of the more elusive guys, like the brilliant blue speckled juvenile yellowtail damselfish.

Blue tang getting cleaned In the ocean, we often see fish cleaning other fish. The long needlefish getting cleaned by a juvenile french angel is one we see quite a lot, but they will not let us approach close enough to get a clear shot. Today we were able to see a smallish blue tang getting cleaned by a tiny French Angel. He was barely bigger than your thumbnail! The movie is fairly brief, so give it a look. It’s quite interesting.


Mutton snapper, ArubaPam got a great shot of the mutton snapper. It even shows the blue streaks near his eyes.

We spent some time in the Glitz casino here at La Cabana. It’s a small intimate casino, with slots, almost all penny slots. There are a few gaming tables, that were quite busy. The drinks are free, and I’ve never been in a casino where the girls are so attentive! Not even Vegas keeps your glass as full as these gals! We had some pretty good success on Tuesday, so we didn’t mind going again on Wednesday.

Aruba, Vacations

Turtle Tuesday – a day early!

Leave a comment

Green Turtle, Boca Catalina, ArubaToday was another calm, lovely day in Aruba. We slept in again, and got to the ocean around noonish. We checked to see if the green moray was in his home, and he was, but he didn’t come out at all, hiding under his shelf of rock.

Flying gurnard, Boca Catalina, Aruba We decided to go and see if we could see some more of the flying gurnards, and instead we saw the first of many turtles. That’s right, we saw an amazing six turtles today! It was absolutely unbelievable.  We saw two really enormous turtles, one with a strange shell, with a ridge down the middle, and a concave shell, sloping away from the central ridge.

Flying gurnard, Boca Catalina, ArubaWe did see lots of flying gurnards too, but this is easily the biggest we’ve ever seen. It had to be twice the size of the ones we saw yesterday. I’d say his wingspan was well over two feet. He was located a lot further south too, way down by the bait ball. The movie shows him under the fish first, then coming out from under (you’ll love this Karen!)

Bird at Hadicurari Beach, Aruba Another cool thing we saw was a strange bird hanging out with the pelicans along ridge overlooking Hadicurari. Not sure what the name is, but he was totally unconcerned about us. Maybe a cormorant? I dunno. The closer we got, the less it bothered him! The pelicans all hopped away, but he just stood there, kind of daring us to do something. So I splashed him with water! That finally got him to move.

Night Sergeant, Hadicurari Beach, ArubaWhile swimming along the wall, we saw lots of great fish of course. Pam got a great shot of the Night Sergeant, a fish who hangs around rocks, and like to get pushed around by crashing waves. He’s hard to get a shot of, because the water is usually so turbulent. But today was pretty calm, and she nailed him. Here is a video of a spotted moray eel, climbing up the wall. The video came out pretty nicely, so we decided to include it here.

We went to dinner at JH Yees, billed as an Asian fusion restaurant. It combined Japanese sushi and tempura with Chinese Szechuan and Mandarin dishes. The restaurant is on the second floor of a group of building close to the high rise hotels. It has a nice interior, highlighted with replicas of the Chinese warriors discovered in a tomb. There was a modern twist with unique architectural highlights, private rooms separated with curtains, and outdoor area and a unique central courtyard. Service was very nice, attentive and prompt, provided by Chiko, our Philippino waiter.

Pam gets rammed by a boatWe started with Peking Dumplings ($6.25) for four plump juicy dumplings with a spicy pork filling. We split two mains, Orange Chicken ($19.95) and Szechuan Beef ($20.95). The white chicken chunks were deep fried, with a nice orange sauce, and served with fresh orange slices. Pam liked the flavour, but thought the chicken was a little dry. The beef was served with fresh vegetables, and was tasty. Singapore Noodles ($17.95) rounded out the dinner. They were very nice, tasty with lots of pork, shrimp and vegetables in a spicy sauce. I liked it a lot, but it could have had a few more noodles! With two Balashi, a Coke and 15% service charge, the total was $87.65. It was about on a par for what we’ve paid for Chinese food in other Aruban spots, but the ambiance was very very nice. I’d go there again.

Flying Gurnard A flying gurnard Flying gurnard Flying gurnard Flying gurnard
Aruba, Vacations

Easy Sunday

Leave a comment

Green moray eelWe slept in, after a hard week of partying with Mike. haha We didn’t get mobile until nearly noon. It was another day with very calm winds, and lots of sunshine. We took to the water at Boca Catalina and just puttered around. The water was so calm again, and the fish were all relaxed.

HighhatI went to a spot where we normally can find a Queen Triggerfish, and instead we found a rather large green moray making himself at home! I had quite the surprise to dive down to take a picture of a highhat and have the menacing jaws and about two feet of a green moray pop out from under a ledge, weaving back and forth, as if to protect his space! He was certainly a big one, in the six to seven feet length in total.

Octopus Today though, was octopus and squid day – seemed every few feet we saw one or the other. We saw a group of squid that was easily the largest group we’ve ever seen. It went on as far as the eye could see! And visibility was great!

Spotting octopus is not easy. They can blend in so amazingly well, it’s easy to simply swim right over them. Sometimes they look so much like coral, you can’t tell the difference, unless they move. Check out the picture of him: you can hardly tell he’s there, unless you look very closely right near where his tentacles are attached to the rock.

I’ve got two movies to show today featuring the same octopus. He was really active, hopping from rock to rock, cycling through colors, and just amazing us.

This next video could have been a thing of beauty, but it’s certainly worth watching even though it’s not perfect. It shows him virtually hidden, then when I zoom in on him, he’s goes a deep black, with yellow “feet,”  hops off a rock, hops onto another, walking a little, then compressing himself into a tiny hole!

Sgt. majors, Malmok BeachThis picture is especially for Mike… all these Sgt Majors kept coming around, and we’re certain they were upset you never said “See you next year!” Seemed like there were more than ever today.

Goldentail Moray eel Pam has been experimenting with different modes on her new camera, an Olympus Tough. We’ve had them in the past, and really liked them. We got her an expensive Nikon last year, but the pictures just never turned out very well. It’s funny, sometimes paying more doesn’t necessarily get you better results. Check out this picture of a gold moray eel, you can literally see the flecks of gold dappling his body. A prize winning shot!

Sunset, December 16The sunset picture is taken from the balcony of our unit at La Cabana. We’re on the fourth floor, the top floor, the penthouse as Pam calls it. We sat on the balcony having a drink, getting a little sun, watching it drop into the ocean. Some sailboats came by as it was going down… very nice. I’m adding a little movie of some sailboats drifting past the setting sun. You can hear the music in the background – a live band in the poolside bar of La Cabana.

 

Just diving in Good sized octopus Octopus Octopus in the garden First Sunset as locals Small octopus
Aruba, Vacations

Saturday leavings

Leave a comment

Sailboat passing the setting sunToday was Mike’s last day, of a too short vacation. It’s a real shame he had trouble getting here. He kind of got gypped with the weather too, with a couple bad snorkeling days. Ah well… Mangel Halto made up for a lot of deficiencies in the holiday! It was so calm today, that we could easily have done it again!

Squirrelfish gives us the eye Mike’s flight was at 6 PM, but we had to switch to our new resort, La Cabana, by 11 AM, so the day was pretty much a write-off. We looked for a t-shirt for Mike – he wanted one with a Balashi logo, but no one had his size. Unreal! It wasn’t a total waste though, as I managed to find an Hawaiian shirt that is not in my collection!

Pam and I dropped Mike at the airport, and headed straight to the ocean. It was super super calm, and the visibility was awesome. We stayed in the water til sunset. Spotted soapfishIt was fun to be in the water when it’s that calm, since you don’t need to use your flippers much, and the fish seemed a lot more relaxed as a result. Some fish who are super shy didn’t mind us hovering over them, and Pam took some really great shots.

GrouperThis grouper just lazed about the sand, hardly moving. Usually they take off the minute they see us, but today was special. Pam took a really nice video of him just hanging about the bottom, not running to hide.

Queen angelfish, And here is a movie of a Queen Angelfish bumping the same grouper around a bit…  quite funny. The queen angelfish is a very active fish, flitting from one rock to another. I love the super colorful body on this fish – it easily catches the eye when you’re snorkeling!

Just a couple words about our new resort – we’ve never stayed here before, but it’s very near the Paradise Beach resort where we stayed last year. It’s right on Palm Beach, a long white sand beach, that is perfect for swimming and relaxing. The room is ok, a little small, but we have a nice view over the ocean from our fourth floor balcony. The bed is only a queen, but comfortable. WIFI is $35 for the week, using Setar, the same guys the Paradise Beach used. It’s a super fast system, and far superior to what we had at Caribbean Palm Village. Well worth the money. It also has a very nice lobby, really posh, with a huge stained glass window. There is a casino just off the lobby, so I know where I’ll find Pam. 🙂

 

Bailey in the airport
Aruba, Vacations

Mangel Halto, finally!

2 Comments

Mangel HaltoFriday dawned with next to no wind, so we quickly loaded up the car and headed south to Mangel Halto. It’s a wonderful snorkel site, but only when the wind is calm, and today was absolutely dynamite! It’s a lovely location, right near a group of mangrove trees. We entered the ocean right off of a pier, so it was super easy to get in. We easily managed to get to the “good stuff” and beyond!

Coral at Mangel Halto We actually got outside the reef, where the ocean was crystal clear, and calm. It required a bit of hard swimming to get over the shallow reef water, but once opposite the shallows, we were rewarded with some of the best coral and reef fish we’ve ever seen, anywhere, any island!

Coral at Mangel HaltoThe coral rivals that near the Royal Sea Aquarium, with the large elkhorn formations, but I think the Mangel Halto coral is more diverse. Lots of different types to see and explore, that’s for sure! Lots of different colors, shapes, and sizes. The ones that sort of wave in the water are very cool, and lots of little fish hang around them, hiding from the predators.

Midnight parrotfish One of the coolest fish is called the Midnight Parrotfish. He’s a dark blue/black fish with bright blue markings around his face. We saw not one, not two, but FOUR of these beauties. They are kind of shy, and take off when you point the camera at them. This one was kind of far away, hence the fuzzy nature of the shot, but it gives you an idea how lovely he looks.

PorgyWe saw a big ocean triggerfish, first one this year on Aruba. He was out near the dropoff, and the pictures are not as clear out there. We saw lots of big porgys too. They would lead us a merry chase. We’d try to get a shot, and they’d quickly turn, so we have a lot of great shots of their bums! This one got caught too close to us, and we managed to nail him.

Caribbean Reef SquidPam took a great movie of some Caribbean Reef Squid. They were really close to her, and didn’t seem too shy about her taking the movie. They are certainly fun to watch, waving, and oscillating, varying their color at will. Very neat indeed. This movie was taken with the Olympus Tough camera.

For dinner we went to El Gaucho’s. It’s an Argentine steakhouse that we’ve gone to every time we’re here. Everything was terrific, as usual. The hostess, the waiters, the food – all first rate.