When if ever are things going to go back to normal?

24 minutes ago, waterpixel said:

Ciao Davide,

Thank you so much for your detailed and messages! I will definitely check both places out ! Argentario seems like a great place and I am planning to go to Tuscany next year! I will give you a shout when/if I go!

Alex

I look forward to see you there then.

I'm in Rome. Argentario is my daily destination on the weekend. 1.5h trip by car.

10 hours ago, TimG said:

My pleasure. I don't think you'd be disappointed. If you decide to go ahead, let me know and I can suggest dive operators depending on where you stay.

The majority of the diving is on the south-east side of the island on the Dutch half. Most dive sites are about a 15-20 minute boat ride. Two tank dives are the norm.

As a rough guide, the Simpson Bay area is a good place to base yourself. Lots going on: restaurants, bars, beaches etc. Car hire is the norm for getting around easily. From the airport (Princess Juliana International) to Simpson Bay is about 5 minutes.

The French side is great for good eating (no surprise, eh!) and about 10 mins from Simpson Bay.

I have a question about diving in St. Marteen: is it mainly by boat trips from the diving base or is it more using rental cars and going on your own from the shore?

Wolfgang

Hey Wolfgang

Its boat trips from the dive centres. There are only a couple of shore dives. 

2 hours ago, oneyellowtang said:

My daughter also spent 3 weeks in Sint Maarten this summer working towards her DM (diving was good, but not great... sorry @TimG)

Who did she dive with? 

On 9/10/2021 at 3:54 PM, Davide DB said:

For Strait of messina just ask to Pietro. Lately Mimmo Roscigno & co. went there diving with Domy Tripodi, a resident uw photographer who has a diving center in Saline ioniche just south of the strait and the best dives are from the beach. Mostly macro. You can see his photos here. Mimmo Roscigno posted several photos shot there last month.

https://www.facebook.com/ficarelladiving.salinejoniche

Reggio Calabria is an intl. airport so it should be easy getting there directly. Scilla, Saline and other spots are within few minutes by car.

Just as example, diving at "La Montagna" (The Mountain) from shore in front of the city in winter time 

That Cerianthus is 40 years old at least. This video cuts make me sick!!!

 

Just another sample of a beach wreck dive on the Sicily side of the Strait.

After a year off, I returned to my usual dive spot in the Caribbean - Roatan.   I come from the western US, and I've been to Roatan 9 ties.

Covid protocols were in play for my trip, which took place the last week in September and first week in October, 2021.  But once I got to Roatan, and out of the airport, just about everything was back to normal, though a reduced normal.

Traveling to Roatan for me usually involves traveling through Houston.  Or Miami, but I hate traveling to and through Miami.

This year I had to overnight in Houston (or go via Miami) then pick up the 10am flight to Roatan.  Aside from having to wear a mask the whole trip, when i got to Houston most of the airport restaurants were closed by 9pm.

Getting into Honduras (Roatan) only required proof of vaccination.  Once on site at my usual place - Reef House in Oak Ridge - it was really just back to normal the entire 2 weeks I was there.

The day before I flew out I visited a doctor for a $20 quick test to allow me back into the US.  Took about 20 minutes.   Once back at the airport, it was back to masks.

I did have empty seats on the Roatan flight.  Looking at the crowd in the immigration hall, it seemed we had the usual amount of divers flying in, but very few of the usual local residents coming back home.  (They go through a different line, and that line was very small.)

All of the big resorts on Roatan closed for a year in 2020.  I think they are just opening back up, but I visit at my resort's emptiest time of year so it is hard to tell.  (My resort only has 11 rooms, so isn't representative.)