Swimming with wild dolphins, even off a beach in the UK, is a dream many have, but having had this experience shows that hidden, almost fatal hazards are involved…

I had been touring in my car with my partner Debbie around the Isle of Wight, UK, the small island off the Hampshire coast unique for its abundant flora fauna, glorious panoramic views, dinosaur beaches and superb blood-red sunsets. We had reached the south west part of the island on our tour. This has always been my favourite part, with shallow beaches stretching away between ‘chines,’ where natural ancient streams had cut away the rock creating ravines leading down to the sea.

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Going to Hawaii is something you just have to do. Face it, it’s the state that doesn’t belong with the rest, it’s undeniably friendly and gorgeous, and it wouldn’t be right of you to ignore its existence when you’ve so dutifully visited the less-stunning American counterparts that birthed you, raised you, and currently shelter you. It’s on all of our lists as it should be on yours, so if you’ve yet to sail in this direction with the mainland at your back, accept the inevitable and start planning your trip today.

Your secret musings (you know you’ve considered this trip before) have left you worried about one thing; with five islands to choose from, which one should you set in your sights for this upcoming vacation? You can’t really go wrong with any of them, but let us suggest Kauai as a great place to start. Lush, lovely, and bursting with diversions, it’s practically welcoming you with open arms.

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Knee boarding is similar to surfing wherein the rider paddles on his abdomen into a wave on a knee board, then rides the wave face normally on both knees. However, kneeboard designers are recognized for their wild experimental excesses.

The advantage of kneeboarding is that it gives the rider the skill to deal with tube rides that might require too fast of a take off for a standup surfer or body boarder to get into and might get too tight or steep for a stand-up board surfer to deal with.

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Sometimes major life lessons come from the most unlikely of sources. As strange as it may sound, I learned one of my biggest lessons about the importance of knowing what I want out of life and the best way to get it, from a green sea turtle.

I was snorkeling off the coast of Hawaii. The day had already been spectacular, in that I had seen a purple spotted eel and an octopus, both of which were new for me. There were also thousands and thousands of fish, representing every color you can imagine from the most striking of neon blue to the deepest reds. I was about 100 feet away from the beach, and diving down among some large rock structures, when I turned to my right, and saw a large green sea turtle swimming next to me. This was the first time I had ever seen one in the wild, so I was ecstatic. I rose to the surface, cleared my snorkel, and floated on top of the water, so I could watch him.

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Reason 1 : The weather

Depressed by the long, dark winters in your home country? Stuck indoors due to endless days of grey drizzle? Thailand’s blue skies and warm days can offer a much needed tonic to even the most sun-starved S.A.D. sufferer.

It is definitely hot and sunny in Thailand. Bangkok, somewhat surprisingly, boasts the highest average temperature of any capital city in the world. In April the temperature in Bangkok can reach over 40C but at other times of the year can drop as low as 10C.

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There’s nothing quite as mysterious as that which is contained underwater. Since the beginning of time, man has attempted to explore the deep of the sea; to investigate the secrets it holds. The modern equivalent of this exploration is scuba diving – a one-man voyage that can yield enormous adventure. But before you can dive, you must crawl, so to speak.

Deciding whether scuba diving is right for you depends solely on your personality. If you’re someone who enjoys swimming, exploring, and adventurous activities, then chances are you will thoroughly enjoy scuba diving. However, in order to complete the training and scuba dive safely and successfully you must also be in good physical health.

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Penguins are flightless birds of the order Sphenisciformes, family Spheniscidae commonly found in the southern hemisphere. There are seventeen known species of penguins in the world, all of which are found in the southern hemisphere. Although the popular notion is that penguins are found only in cold climates, there are actually very few species of penguins found in such places as Antarctica. Some may even be found in the Galapagos Islands near the equator.

Of the seventeen species of penguins, the largest is the emperor penguin whose average height is 1.1 meters or 3 feet 7 inches and weighs 35 kilos/75 pounds or more. The Little Blue penguin is the smallest penguin species and stands at only 40 cm tall or 16 inches tall. The penguin’s diet consists of fish, krill, squid and sea life caught underwater. A penguin is adaptable to both land and ocean, and its body is extremely hydrodynamic, allowing it to swim at great speeds. A penguin’s wings have evolved to become flippers. On land, however, the penguin is characterized by its upright stance and peculiar waddle.

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Part 12

Long-neck [Plesiosaurus]

Stern-toes, about his arrival back home, had told me a strange, a very peculiar, if not unbelievable story about a Long-neck [which is, for clarity sake] one of those spine-creatures that live in most of the lakes and rivers of our habitat and eat fish for the most part, but they have been known to eat humans, and similar forms of life, and many other creatures that get in their way, or line of travel. They have four-flippers, and in this case it was the one he saw in the Garden, that is, it was one which was close to 30-feet long,–which is a good size one. The ones I’ve seen were about 20 to 25 feet. I never go in the water because of them, they got sharp teeth, and a big head, looks approximating to a snake’s head with its long body, for a neck; –a spine to go with it, like a human: –what a mixture for a creature, –a snake, fish and human features. They swim in the lakes and can capsize anything floating it seems. In any case, you should know Stern-toes by now, if he can capture a picture in his brain, he wants to see, see and see again. He actually told me the creature came right up to him, I mean really right next to him, out of the lake, slowly and stomping like a monster [and looking like one also], I can just visualize it; he was of course in the ‘Garden of Eve,’ he had seen the foot steps we have talked about, and now was looking intently in the lake, and yes, here comes a Long-neck, big-eyed, fang-hanging, big lipped water-creature: and yes, he stood kind of dumbfound in front of him as if he wanted to get caressed, or stroked on the head. I asked Stern-toes, what he did, what was he thinking about, and he said,

“I embraced him on the head; because I wanted to get a good view of him.” And we both laughed until our stomachs hurt.

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