500 Adrenaline Adventures (Frommer's) - Lois Friedland [31]
Although the weather in Guam is uniformly warm and humid year-round, the island is located in a part of the Pacific Ocean that’s ominously referred to as “typhoon alley.” Typhoons are said to hit the island once every 8 years, usually in October or November, so you might want to avoid visiting during those months. The last typhoon occurred in 2002 with winds reaching 180kmph (112 mph). Guam is also home to a large U.S. military base, and the U.S. plans to move another 8,000 marines plus 10,000 dependants here from the southern Japanese island of Okinawa by 2014. Because of its proximity to Japan, Guam is especially popular among Japanese tourists, and is sometimes called “America in Asia.” If you don’t plan to travel quite as far as Guam, but like the idea of taking your kids on a submarine, tours are also offered in Hawaii and the Caribbean. —JS
Guam Visitors Bureau, 401 Pale San Vitores Rd., Tumon ( 671/646-5278;www.visitguam.org).
Tour: Atlantis Adventures, 319 Aqua World Marina Rd., Piti, Guam ( 671/649-5050;www.atlantisadventures.com).
When to Go: Jan–Apr.
A.B. Won Pat International Airport.
$$$ Outrigger Guam Resort, 1255 Pale San Vitores Rd., Tumon Bay ( 671/649-9000; www.outrigger.com). $$ The Westin Resort, 105 Gun Beach Rd., Tumon ( 671/647-1020;www.starwoodhotels.com).
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Stuart Cove SUB Bahamas
See Coral Reefs in a Mini-Sub
Nassau, Bahamas
You don’t have to be a scuba diver to experience the thrill of exploring the delicate coral reefs in the Bahamas. Using a bubble-headed mini-sub you can motor quietly among colorful parrotfish, red-and-white zebra striped lionfish, and other marine life swimming around coral reefs 4.5m (15 ft.) underwater. There is a powerful, magical mystery to the world floating by around you.
The personal SUBs (Scenic Underwater Bubbles) look like a futuristic underwater motor-scooter. (If you’ve ever seen the TV series Sea Quest, the mini-subs are similar to the escape pods used by the crew to abandon the ships in an emergency.) You sit on the compact craft with your head inside a bubble, allowing for a clear view of the underwater world surrounding you. You breathe normally. The air you are breathing in the bubble comes from a SCUBA cylinder that uses a ScubaPro regulator to keep air flowing continually.
The 3-hour mini-sub adventure with Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas starts with a brief orientation about using the SUB, then a short boat ride to one of the coral reefs near Nassau. Once in the water, you put your head in the bubble, slide your body onto the seat, and put your feet on floorboards. You’re escorted underwater to about a 4.5m (15-ft.) depth, where you wait for the rest of your group. When the guide gives the go-ahead, simply turn on the SUB and steer it as you would a car. You motor along at a speedy 2 knots per hour among schools of fish and alongside the reef. (Be sure to bring along an underwater camera.) Everyone follows the guide, and there are also professional divers with the group, in case anyone needs assistance. The underwater adventure lasts about 30 minutes. The rest of the time you can swim or snorkel off the boat, or just laze in the sun.
Exploring the aquatic life in a personal SUB (Scenic Underwater Bubble).
Snorkel Bahamas, another Stuart Cove program, takes guests to three locations. With some fish food to spread around at the first stop on a shallow reef, you’re sure to be surrounded by swarms of fish. At the second stop, you’ll visit a shipwreck, perhaps one of the wrecks used to make the 007 film Never Say Never Again. It’s your choice to get in the water or watch from the boat on the third stop, when a bait box is lowered in the water to attract sharks.