I want to go somewhere warm for spring break, but the places I鈥檝e been considering鈥擩amaica, the Bahamas, and Mexico鈥攅ither have concerning travel-advisory reports or have been making headlines for recent crimes. I can鈥檛 stop thinking about the tourist who was shot and killed in Tulum. Now I’m nervous. Is this just sensationalist news, or should I really avoid traveling to these destinations? 鈥擨n It for Fun and Sun

Spring break is upon us, and many of Americans鈥� favorite sunny Caribbean destinations, long considered safe, have been making headlines of late due to crime and safety concerns, so this is a valid question.

On February 9, the boho-chic Mexican beach town of Tulum, on the Yucat谩n peninsula, made global news when an American tourist was 听in the crossfire of warring drug cartels.

In late January, the U.S. State Department renewed travel warnings to Jamaica and the Bahamas. The agency rates (reconsider travel)鈥攐ne level below its most severe Level 4 warning (do not travel)鈥攃iting in its advisory that “violence and shootings occur regularly in many neighborhoods, communities, and parishes in Jamaica,鈥� and 鈥渟exual assaults occur frequently, including at all-inclusive resorts.”

The State Department considers the Bahamas a slightly safer destination, advisory (exercise increased caution), due to crime. The American Embassy there has reported 18 homicides in the capital city of Nassau since the start of 2024, prompting the agency to , cautioning travelers that “murders have occurred at all hours including in broad daylight on the streets.” With such news, it鈥檚 understandable that you鈥檙e wary of visiting these places.

鈥淭ravel advisories are always important to consider,鈥� says Jack Ezon, founder of the travel agency Embark Beyond, in New York City. 鈥淲e always tell clients to be vigilant, whether traveling abroad or at home. It鈥檚 also very important to put things into perspective. Safety conditions in Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, and New York City are often just as precarious, if not more, but we do not put out warnings about our own cities. You need to be careful anywhere you are.鈥�

One could argue that America is even more dangerous. According to the , there were 656 mass shootings in the U.S. in 2023.

I encourage travelers to look beyond the scary headlines and blanket advisory levels before deciding on a trip. Because if you read the advisories鈥� detailed explanations, you often get a different perspective. For example, the State Department also lists sharks and recreational watercraft such as jet skis among its safety concerns in the Bahamas. And while the State Department鈥檚 advisory notes that 13 of Jamaica鈥檚 14 parishes are listed as 鈥渄o not travel,鈥� these warnings are specific to certain neighborhoods.

When pressed on whether State Department advisories accurately reflect the current safety situation in these host countries, a U.S. Embassy official in Kingston, Jamaica, told me that they share any restricted areas for government personnel with American citizens. These rely on historical data and current trends and patterns and are kept up-to-date.

Realizing that most potential tourists won鈥檛 do further research than a quick scan of these advisories, local officials in both Jamaica and the Bahamas have pushed back against the recent State Department warnings, hoping to give jittery vacationers peace of mind ahead of the high season for tourism.

Still nervous? I spoke with repeat visitors to these countries, government officials, and travel experts to get a better sense of why these destinations are being flagged as potentially perilous, and the precautions to take if you decide to go.

Is Tulum, Mexico, Safe for Tourists Right Now?

On February 26, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico who plan to travel to Mexico to exercise 鈥渋ncreased caution in the downtown areas of popular spring break locations including Cancun, Playa Del Carmen, and Tulum, especially after dark,鈥� specifically flagging tainted drinks and synthetic drugs in the country.

Violence is another concern. Since August 2023, the State Department鈥檚 , where Tulum is located, has stated: 鈥淲hile not directed at tourists, shootings between rival gangs have injured innocent bystanders.鈥� The most recent shooting was similar to a spate of incidents that have happened here in the past three years.

In 2021, during a shootout between drug dealers on Tulum鈥檚 main strip, and in February 2022, rival drug dealers opened fire at the upscale Art Beach Tulum restaurant, resulting in two deaths. In both cases, officials confirmed that the tourists weren鈥檛 targets, but simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. The same goes for the woman killed in cartel crossfire in February 2024.

Additionally, the advisory for the state of Quintana Roo added: 鈥淯.S. citizens have been the victims of both non-violent and violent crimes in tourist and non-tourist areas.鈥�

I鈥檝e been to Tulum three times, but my last trip was over a decade ago, when the beach town was still considered under-the-radar and attracted a mostly hippie, yogi crowd. Tulum has changed since then, says Zachary Rabinor, founder of travel agency Journey Mexico, whose main office is in Puerto Vallarta. 鈥淚t鈥檚 become a hot spot for nightlife, with all-night DJ parties, recreational drug use, and accompanying risks that this type of behavior brings with it,鈥� he says. Rabinor notes that there have been increased reports of petty crime and isolated cases of more serious crime in Tulum in the past five years.

At least have been identified by authorities as operating around Tulum and Canc煤n, and local authorities told that the latest round of violence is a reaction to the state鈥檚 efforts to clamp down on crime.

The State Department has given听most of Mexico听a Level 2 advisory, due to crime. That鈥檚 the same level of caution designated to 70 other countries, including Belize, France, Costa Rica, the UK, Italy, and Germany. Travelers to Quintana Roo, it states, should 鈥渕aintain a high level of situational awareness, avoid areas where illicit activities occur, and promptly depart from potentially dangerous situations.鈥�

I called a dozen Tulum hotels, and none reported cancellations as a result of the recent violence, but half reported receiving calls from concerned future travelers. A member of the reservations staff at told me she鈥檚 been reminding nervous guests that, with its myriad of wellness offerings and six restaurants, it鈥檚 possible to have a great vacation there without leaving the property. And if guests do want to venture off-site, Be Tulum can arrange private transportation for an extra charge.

I also reached out to expat Angelika Pokovba, who is Ukrainian and was raised in the U.S. before moving from New York City to Mexico City and then Tulum, where she has lived for the past four years. Although crime has surged at certain points during her time in her new town, she鈥檚 never felt unsafe. 鈥淧articularly now, it feels that much of the criminal and narcos chaos has calmed down,鈥� she says, adding that 鈥渢here is a lot less petty crime here than other places.鈥�

While Pokovba believes that Tulum continues to be welcoming to international travelers, she suggests that visitors attempt to understand local culture and social cues. And speaking Spanish and having street smarts have been key to her experience, she says.

Still feeling uncertain? Mexico is a large country with plenty of other beach escapes to choose from. Journey Mexico created a with a state-by-state analysis to help travelers understand which areas have little to no travel restrictions. For barefoot-chic experiences with a similar vibe to Tulum, Rabinor suggests considering Isla Holbox, Puerto Escondido, Sayulita, and Todos Santos.

Is It Safe for Americans to Visit Jamaica?

Despite a spate of recent news stories听flagging risks for travelers headed to Jamaica, the island has been listed at Level 3 since March 2022, said Donovan White, Jamaica鈥檚 director of tourism. In fact, the State Department routinely reissues advisories for countries across the globe throughout the year, and on February 7 it subsequently that the January 23 release specific to Jamaica provided an update on health care and medical services that American citizens receive if they are hospitalized there. It was not prompted by a safety issue. However, according to the U.S. Embassy official in Kingston, currently all parishes but two鈥擲aint Mary and Portland, in the northeast鈥攃ontain areas on the off-limits list for U.S. Embassy personnel.

In a January 25 , Jamaica鈥檚 minister of foreign affairs, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, expressed her government鈥檚 disappointment that the recent advisory failed to reflect the country鈥檚 progress in improving safety. 鈥淚t is not insignificant that Jamaica has recorded a more than 20 percent decline in serious crimes, along with strong improvements in arrests and prosecution,鈥� she stated in the release.

The media attention around the advisory comes on the heels of a December 2023 that heralded Jamaica as a 鈥渂eacon of safety,鈥� ranking it as one of the safest locations in Latin America and the Caribbean for visitors. Crime involving visitors is low, just 0.01 percent, says White. The vast majority of crime occurs in non-tourist areas, much like in U.S. cities, says Terry Gallagher, a New York City鈥揵ased publicist who works with the Jamaica Tourist Board.

In 2023, 鈥攁 record for the island鈥�3.1 million of whom came from the U.S. Moreover, Jamaica鈥檚 repeat visitor rate is the highest in the Caribbean, at 42 percent, which leads one to believe that many travelers feel safe vacationing there.

Kristin Hostetter, 国产吃瓜黑料 Inc.鈥檚 head of sustainability, is one of those repeat visitors. She鈥檚 vacationed in the western town of Negril with her family for 20 years, starting when her kids were just eight months and two years old. Most recently they visited in December 2023. And her family hasn鈥檛 holed up at the hotel; they鈥檝e gotten out and about to explore the reggae scene, beaches, and culture.

鈥淚鈥檝e never felt threatened or scared,鈥� she told me. 鈥淲e take precautions if we鈥檙e walking on the beach at night, but you鈥檇 do that anywhere.鈥� She notes that newcomers might feel threatened by the vendors on the beach. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l likely be propositioned to buy weed ten times a day, but just smile and say, 鈥楴o thanks,鈥� and they walk away.鈥�

White reiterates that travelers visiting Jamaica should take the same precautions as they would on a trip anywhere, even in their own country. 鈥淏e aware of your surroundings, keep abreast of local customs and laws, and keep your belongings secure at all times,鈥� he says.

Are the Bahamas Safe for Tourists?

Similar to Jamaica, the was not elevated recently by the State Department. The Level 2 advisory has been in place since 2022 and was reissued in January due to violence in specific neighborhoods rarely frequented by tourists.

A spokesperson of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments, and Aviation says that the Bahamas is working to counter confusion caused by the advisory, by promoting the nation鈥檚 milestone growth of nine million visitors in 2023. That鈥檚 more than a 28 percent increase from numbers.

It鈥檚 important to remember that the Bahamas is an archipelago of nearly 700 islands, only 16 of which are tourism hubs, including Eleuthera and Cat Island. According to the , 鈥淭he majority of鈥痗rime occurs on New Providence (Nassau) and Grand Bahama (Freeport) islands.鈥� And even on those two islands, it notes only certain specific neighborhoods, such as the Over the Hill area south of Shirley Street in Nassau, where travelers are advised to travel with extra caution.

鈥淕ang-on-gang violence鈥� is 鈥減rimarily affecting the local population,鈥� says the advisory. Latia Duncombe, director general of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments, and Aviation, assured me in an email response for comment that the Commonwealth of the Bahamas has a plan to address public-safety concerns impacting these specific problem areas, including enhanced police presence to keep residents and visitors alike safe.

Crimes against tourists are rare but do occur. In May, were allegedly awakened in their vacation rental by three gunmen and driven to an ATM, where they were forced to withdraw cash.

Margie Hand, a Caribbean specialist with Andavo Travel, based in Salt Lake City, says clients traveling to the Bahamas have reached out recently and opted to book a resort instead of a private villa or home rental, due to the increased security offered at a resort.

, a thousand-acre beachfront resort complex on Nassau, was at peak capacity over Presidents鈥� Day weekend, and it鈥檚 expected to be similarly full throughout the spring-break season, says Baha Mar president Graeme Davis. 鈥淲hile we are aware of and monitoring recent incidents, it’s important to note that none of them happened near Baha Mar or Nassau resort areas,鈥� he says, adding that the property has full-time security and surveillance staff who have direct access to the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

No matter the country, Hand advises travelers to be aware of their surroundings and book reputable group tours versus doing sightseeing on their own. 鈥淚 also suggest that they leave expensive jewelry at home and to make use of the safes in their rooms,鈥� she says. Further, she recommends that anyone traveling abroad sign up for the State Department鈥檚 free , designed to send U.S. travelers updated information on safety conditions in their destination, which might range from natural disasters to civil unrest.

What Precautions Should You Take if You Go to These Places?

No matter where you travel, Jack Ezon听of the Embark Beyond agency tells travelers to adopt these safety tactics:

• Buddy up. Travel with a friend, family member, or companion.
• Don鈥檛 frequent establishments of ill-repute.
• Only use official taxis that are ordered through your hotel, restaurant, or other trusted source.
• Nothing good ever happens after midnight. If you鈥檙e out late, make sure to utilize the buddy system and leave no one behind.

If you鈥檙e a solo traveler, like I often am, I always tell my hotel receptionist where I鈥檓 heading when I go off property. I don鈥檛 accept drinks from strangers, and I limit myself to one alcoholic drink. And if I ever feel uncomfortable in a situation, I leave immediately.

Tragedies are unfortunately inevitable, but reading about a heli-ski accident or an avalanche fatality still hasn鈥檛 deterred me from skiing, and news of a shooting in Tulum or a burglary in Jamaica wouldn鈥檛 deter my beach holiday. It鈥檚 easy to let your guard down when you get into vacation mode, so consider the news and advisories as reminders to stay smart and sharp rather than scare tactics to keep you at home.

Jen Murphy has traveled solo to the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Tulum and has always felt safe in these destinations.

The post Is It Safe to Travel to Mexico, Jamaica, and the Bahamas? appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

After Hurricane Joaquin devastated his home in the Bahamas in 2015, flats fishing guide Elton 鈥淪hakey鈥�听McKinney and his community were left to rebuild. Though the storm devastated the mangroves, an integral piece of habitat for fishing, filmmaker , with support from , was able to hook up with more than a few fish.

The post The Bahamas Are a Resilient Paradise appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Whether you鈥檙e seeking a warm weather escape or a quick Rockies ski trip, there鈥檚 a deal for you. Here are the airlines with some of the best fares this Cyber Monday.

JetBlue Airlines听

Sale Ends: December 3 at 11:59 p.m. ET or your local time, depending on which comes earlier.听
Travel Dates: December 10 to February 13, holidays excluded

This winter, JetBlue wants to help get you out of New York and other major cities. Scoop up the $109 flight to Phoenix, Arizona, for a weekend of canyoneering and desert exploration; or spend just $79 to get to the prime surf spots, coastal rock climbing, and jungle treks just outside of San Juan, Puerto Rico, which is seeing a major comeback following Hurricane Maria.听

Delta听

Sale Ends: December 4 at 11:59 p.m. ET
Travel Dates: Now through March 5, holidays excluded

The airline's sale page has deals on flights from almost every major airport in the country and is easy to navigate, with routes arranged according to region of departure. All the listed prices are for round-trips and guarantee a seat in the Main Cabin, which means certain perks on international flights, including welcome Bellinis and better food. The best discounts include warm escapes like New York to Costa Rica for $392 and Raleigh to the Virgin Islands for $369. Plus some major far-flung steals, like Salt Lake City to Shanghai for $500 and Seattle to Osaka for $744.

听

Southwest

Sale Ends: December 5 at 11:59 p.m. PT
Travel Dates: December 16 to May 20, locations out of the continental U.S. vary, holidays excluded

Jot down promo code SAVE125 for $125 off flights within the U.S. and for fares as low as $39. The best deals in the offer will appeal to fliers looking to cover regional hops for a quick escape, with routes like Honolulu to Maui for $39, Atlanta to Nashville for $49, and Oakland to Lake Tahoe for $59. If you鈥檙e based in Florida, there are also good international flight deals from听Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, and Orlando to Caribbean destinations like Turks and Caicos, Grand Cayman, and the Bahamas听from $79.听

听

Alaska

Sale Ends: December 4 at 11:59 p.m. ET
Travel Dates: January 7 to March 11

Alaska Airlines鈥� one-way flights can be as cheap as $29 until this Wednesday. The West Coast-focused flight operator听is your best bet to hit popular destinations like San Diego, San Jose and Seattle.

Cathay Pacific

Sale Ends: December 3 at 11:59 p.m. PT听
Travel Dates:听January 1 to May 15

If you鈥檝e longed to fly to Asia听and happen to live around major airports like Seattle-Tacoma, Chicago O鈥橦are, or Dulles International in Washington, D.C., this Hong Kong-based five-star flight operator has your back. Take Los Angeles as an example: economy class tickets to eight destinations across Cathay Pacifics鈥� Asia-Pacific network, including听Bali, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong,听and Singapore, start at $539鈥�30 percent off its regular price. Expect up to 70 percent off on premium economy class tickets.

The post The Best Travel Tuesday Flight Deals appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Running Shallow, from and , features bonefish fly guide Prince Emmanuel, who鈥檚 learning the ropes from a few of the veterans on South Andros Island in the Bahamas.

The post The Life of a Bonefish Guide appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

The reasons you should take public transportation are many: It鈥檚 better for the environment. You鈥檒l spend less time navigating traffic and more time taking in the scenery. You鈥檒l waste less cash on a bus ticket than you would on a few tanks of gas. And while it may take a little longer to get where you鈥檙e going, you鈥檒l enjoy the trip along the way. Here鈥檚 how to get out of town and let someone else take the wheel.

By Train

New York City

Board the Metro North at New York City鈥檚 Grand Central Terminal and you can be in the quaint riverside Hudson Valley hamlet of Beacon, New York, in 80 minutes. The revitalized downtown sports caf茅s, charming shops, and a happening art scene, thanks to contemporary galleries like . Explore 25 miles of trails in nearby Hudson Highlands State Park, or paddle the Hudson River in a rented kayak or atop a听SUP from . To get around town, borrow a bike from .

Chicago

It鈥檚 only a one-hour听ride due west from Chicago to reach the town of Geneva, Illinois, making a trip on the Metra commuter railroad perfect for a day or weekend escape. You can walk everywhere you need to right from the station, and there are more than 30 miles of bike trails along the Fox River, with rentals, including kayaks, to be had at . Book a room at the waterfront , and don鈥檛 miss summer concerts or the treehouse playground at Island Park, accessed from town by a footbridge.

Chicago and Los Angeles

From Chicago or Los Angeles, you can take an 11-day tour of the Southwest aboard the legendary Southwest Chief via Amtrak鈥檚 program. The highlight is a two-night stay on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, and you鈥檒l visit four other national parks, including Utah鈥檚 Zion, Arches, Bryce Canyon, and Capitol Reef. You鈥檒l also float down part of the Colorado River and spend a couple days in Moab.

By Bus

Seattle

For $10, you can load your mountain bike onto a Bolt Bus in Seattle, provided there鈥檚 room, and spend the weekend shredding 50 miles of rolling singletrack at Galbraith Mountain, just south of Bellingham, Washington. Afterward, grab a bite at and explore this coastal college town, sampling craft beers from more than a dozen local breweries along the way.

San Francisco

There are never enough parking spots at California鈥檚 famous Muir Woods, a 558-acre national monument just north of San Francisco filled with old-growth redwoods. So, starting this year, you have to reserve a spot ahead of time if you want to drive yourself. Instead, catch the public shuttle for just $3 per person from three easy-to-reach bus stops around the city. The best part? There鈥檚 no cell service at the monument, so even though you鈥檙e just across the Golden Gate Bridge, you can actually disconnect.

Washington, D.C.

Hop on a in Washington, D.C., and you can be reading a book in a beach chair at Dewey Beach, Delaware, 2.5 hours later鈥攔oughly the same time it takes to make the drive. You鈥檒l find music festivals and movie nights on the sand, heated games of volleyball, and clams steamed in beer at the Dewey Beer Co. Earn your pints with an introductory or advanced kiteboarding lesson from surf shop.

By Boat

Los Angeles

Step aboard the Catalina Express ferry in Long Beach, Dana Point, or San Pedro, California, and in one hour you鈥檒l be transported to tranquil Catalina Island, 26 miles off the coast of Los Angeles. Shack up at (from $229), just steps from the beach in the town of Avalon, or book a canvas tent cabin at Two Harbors Campground (from $70 per night). More than 165 miles of hiking trails cross the island, including 27 miles of new paths completed in 2017. offers gear hauling and guided hiking services and will cater three-course meals wherever you set up camp.

Miami

In 2016,听's听new high-speed ferry began taking vacationers from Miami, Florida, to Bimini, an island just 50 miles away in the Bahamas. This is the tropical paradise where Ernest Hemingway spent his summers. Package deals (from $255) include the two-hour ferry ride and a room at the , which opened in 2015. While on the island, sign up for a yoga retreat, swim with dolphins, snorkel through shipwrecks, or go bonefishing in mangrove forests.

The post 8 Escapes You Can Get to with Public Transportation appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Feet in sand, cold beer in hand鈥攄oes life get any better? Not really, which is why the highlight of a tropical beach vacation is often the moment you stumble upon a simple beach bar where the lobster is perfectly done, the proprietor tells stories for hours, and the drinks are tasty but lethal. No matter if you鈥檙e camping on the beach, Airbnb-ing it, or bunking at the Four Seasons鈥攁 beach bar without pretense is always a crowd-pleaser. Serendipity is, of course, part of the thrill鈥攕o we can鈥檛 help you there, but here are eight so good they鈥檝e made a name for themselves (some even have websites!) and are worth seeking out.

The Soggy Dollar, British Virgin Islands

This in Jost Van Dyke (the smallest of the four main British Virgin Islands) earned its name by merit of its access route: You had to swim there. Once you鈥檙e good and salty, the drink to ask for is the painkiller, said to have been invented here in the 1970s. It is made of dark rum, cream of coconut, pineapple, orange juice, and freshly ground Grenadian nutmeg. Don鈥檛 have your own boat to moor nearby? There are ferries and water taxis from Beef Island and St. Thomas鈥攂ut you鈥檒l still get wet.

La Huella, Jos茅 Ignacio, Uruguay

More than a dozen years after opening, the beachfront is still the epicenter of the scene in Jos茅 Ignacio, the thinking man鈥檚 exclusive alternative to casino and tourist riddled Punte del Este. The kind of place you go to unwind without hordes of people. It鈥檚 an accomplished restaurant serving top-notch sushi, South American-style grilled meats, homemade bread, and vegetables from a nearby organic farms. Book well in advance.

Scilly Cay, Anguilla

Eudoxie Wallace calls every woman who sets a foot in the sand of his 鈥淕orgeous,鈥� and he somehow gets away with it. That鈥檚 the first thing you need to know about this Anguilla institution, which Eudoxie and his wife, Sandra, have run for nearly three decades. It鈥檚 become such an Anguillan institution that the Wallaces run boats from the mainland, for visitors to feast on decadent lunches of lobster, crayfish, and chicken. (Skip the chicken. The crustaceans are enormous and delicious).

Pelican Bar, Jamaica

鈥淏each bar鈥� is a bit of a misnomer for this . It鈥檚 a quarter mile from the beach鈥攚ell, from any landmass鈥攁nd 20 minutes by boat from Jakes hotel on Treasure Beach. The proprietor is a local fisherman-turned-barman named Floyd, and it鈥檚 hard to believe the charmingly dilapidated structure is still standing. Stay for a dinner of fried fresh fish鈥攑ossibly a fish that you鈥檝e caught yourself (bring gear) or by one of the fishermen who ferry guests out to the bar.

Sunshine鈥檚 Bar and Grill, Nevis

The owner鈥攃alled Sunshine himself鈥攚on鈥檛 tell you what鈥檚 in his signature drink, the Killer Bee, beyond 鈥渟ome rum, some passion fruit juice, then some more rum,鈥� but you should take his word for it. There鈥檚 a reason has become a Caribbean standout in the 12 years its been around. Sunshine still serves his potent cocktails under a thatched-roof bar that鈥檚 been through five hurricanes and two fires, and still fires up the same barbecue grills that got him started.

Bar do Ulysses, near Ubatuba, Brazil

Close to the cool colonial town of Paraty and the surfer city of Ubatuba, embodies the dream of barefoot Brazilian lifestyle. The best way to arrive is by boat from the nearby dreamy small hotel Pousada Picinguaba; the captain of the hotel鈥檚 schooner will call ahead to arrange for fresh grilled squid and icy Brahma beers to be waiting. There are hammocks on the beach for post-prandial lounging, as well as an easy access point for stand-up paddling.

La Gloriette, St. Barth

A welcome respite from all the dressed-up, champagne-spewing bars on St. Barth, is a classic feet-in-the-sand kind of establishment. The menu doesn鈥檛 extend much further than pizza: the ambitions here are refreshingly in check.

John Moore Bar, Barbados

It looks more like a gas station, but is one of the favorite bars on the island. Brightly painted but simple, the longtime rum shop is now a social community for its regulars and tourists who come to sample the Caribbean鈥檚 finest by the glass. There鈥檚 fresh local fish to soak up the booze.

The post 8 Spring Break Beach Bars for Grown-Ups appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Rule number one for outdoor lovers thinking about an escape to the Caribbean? Get off the beaten path. Otherwise you鈥檒l be herded onto overdeveloped beaches and cookie-cutter resorts teeming with the same people you鈥檙e hoping to get away from. (If that鈥檚 what you want, a flight to South Florida is much cheaper.) Instead, touch down on one of these lesser-known islands, where you鈥檒l find dreamy beaches,听world-class fishing, hiking, mountain biking, and, most important, no crowds.

Hike, Don鈥檛 Drive, on Saba

You can land on the five-square-mile island of (home to the smallest commercial runway in the world at 1,312 feet, with each end leading off a cliff) and get around using nothing more than your two feet. The airport and Saba鈥檚 two main towns, the and , are connected by a series of old walking trails. Before the appearance of in the 1950s, these canopied paths were the main thoroughfares for locals. Pack light and you can hike from hotel to hotel in under two hours through the rainforest, from to听. Or you can stop halfway and spend a night at the . In between, locals will point you to the , a staircase-like climb that leads to the island鈥檚 highest point and a sweeping view of Windwardside.

Don鈥檛 expect to find many beaches. Saba鈥檚 volcanic base gives it a coastline of jagged cliffs that top out at more than 3,000 feet. The island has only two legit strips of sand:听 and the man-made . No complaints here鈥攊t keeps the daiquiri-sipping tourists at bay.

Get there: Fly to St. Maarten, and then it鈥檚 a quick island hopper on to Saba. You can also听.

Dive the Blue Holes of Andros

The term 鈥渂lue hole鈥� has become synonymous with Belize, but the Bahamian island of Andros actually has the highest concentration of them in the world鈥�178 on land and at least 50 in the sea. The holes are at the top of an expansive underwater cave network formed by the eroding limestone bedrock. Tourists can scuba and snorkel right through them. Chances are they won鈥檛 be crowded since there are no cruise ships or high-rises on Andros.

The blue holes at South Bight are the most popular because they have the most marine life. But Vermont native turned Andros local Jessie Leopold, owner of , also recommends the Crack, an area where on-land and in-ocean blue holes abut one another.听

Need a rest day? Drive over a causeway from St. Nicholls or San Andros to , 14 miles from the airport. It鈥檚 home to a tribe of black Seminoles, ancestors of Native Americans and slaves from Florida who fled from persecution in the early 19th century. They鈥檙e known for living off the land and crafting palm thatch baskets. It is possible to visit, just be polite when taking photos.

Get there: Fly to Nassau and either or take a .

Mountain Bike in Haiti

In 2012, just two years after Haiti鈥檚 devastating earthquake, a small team of Americans visited the island in hopes of establishing the first professional mountain biking stage race in the country. On that trip, Chris Kehmeier, a trail specialist from the听, called one of the gnarliest trails he鈥檇 ever seen due to its steep, exposed, rocky terrain.听

The following year, the was born (ayiti translates to 鈥渓and of mountains鈥�). Using Haitian vendors and local staff, the race injects money into the local economy. The took bikers a total of 65 miles through rural villages from the mountains of Port au Prince to the coastal region of Marigot. On the first day, the course climbed a bruising 8,000 feet into La Visite National Park.

Prepping for its third year this January, the race (not for beginners) showcases Haitian culture along with the stunning landscape. Labeled a 鈥渃ultural immersion experience鈥� by its creators, the event combines three days of biking with three days of historical tours, trail development, and themed celebrations to connect visitors and locals. The six-day program costs听$1,950 per person.听Not in the mood to race? You can still access the trails, but contact MTV Ayiti to find a guide. Going it alone is not recommended.

Get there: Fly to Port au Prince direct from Miami.

Bonefish in Los Roques

The Bahamas may be known for excellent bonefishing, but if you want to ditch the crowds, consider , 85 miles off the coast of Venezuela. Yes, the South American country gets a bad rap, but that keeps this marine park immaculate and devoid of American crowds. The U.S. State Department lists a travel warning for Caracas and the Venezuelan interior, but Los Roques is a 45-minute flight in the other direction.听

鈥淟os Roques has a听series of super-shallow pancake flats that are surrounded by deeper water,鈥� says Michael Caranci of听, the first group of anglers legally licensed to fish in the area. 鈥淭he shallow flats听have a firm bottom that is perfect for听stalking fish on foot.鈥� Because it鈥檚 closer to the equator, Los Roques enjoys a longer fishing season (February to October) than the islands of the northern Caribbean.听

If you want to see some of the best preserved coral reefs in the Western Hemisphere, check out Ecobuzos Dive 国产吃瓜黑料s.

Get there: You鈥檒l need to to Los Rocques Airlines, Chaipi Air, Albatros, Blue Star, or LTA.

Get Your Diving Cert on Petit St. Vincent

is a private island at the southern tip of the Grenadines. It鈥檚 extremely small鈥攋ust 115 acres. The island features only 22 cottages (no Wi-Fi or telephones) and two restaurants. But don鈥檛 worry about the lack of land, because you鈥檒l be spending all your time off the grid and in the water.

Owned and operated by the son of Jacques Cousteau, 听opened in the beginning of November. The dive center offers guided and instructional dives through what Cousteau calls some of the healthiest reefs in the Caribbean. It鈥檚 only the second Jean-Michel Cousteau school in the world and the first in the Western Hemisphere (the other is in Fiji).

Divers can ride tidal currents through the , explore the , track down lobsters and six-foot-tall coral at Frigate Point, and explore the underwater cave at Sail Rock. Beginners can get PADI certified.

Get there: Fly to Barbados, and then change to Union Island. From there, it鈥檚 a 20-minute boat ride to .

Race on Nevis

Nevis has been given the nickname 鈥淚sland of Sport.鈥� Why? The islanders love competition. Take, for instance, the area鈥檚 buzzing 听and scenes or its (November) and the 2.5-mile interisland swim to (last Sunday in March).

That reputation keeps growing. Last year, Nevis hosted its first听 in September, featuring a marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K, and 3K. It drew a modest 400 people, but with a second go-round already planned for September 2015, Nevis is shaping up to be a well-rounded destination for competitive racers.

The island is only 35 square miles and encircled by a 20-mile road鈥�. The interior is connected by a series of forested hiking trails that skirt around and through the island鈥檚 highest point at 3,232 feet. You can also check out the fishing鈥攔ecently installed have attracted tuna, wahoo, dorado, kingfish, snapper, barracuda, shark, and mahimahi.

When it鈥檚 time to put your feet up, locals recommend the beaches on the west side for relaxing. Don鈥檛 miss听, , and听, where the sand is soft and the water calm. If you鈥檙e looking to stay active, head to the reefs of on the Windward side for snorkeling.

Get there: JetBlue and Spirit can get you to St. Maarten, where you can hop on a plane to Nevis or jump on a . American and JetBlue both go to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where you can switch to , ,听or to Nevis.

The post 6 Caribbean 国产吃瓜黑料s Without the Crowds appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

7 Perfect Island Getaways Around the Globe

From cheap hideaways to epic fishing and diving spots, we dug up seven crowd-free island escapes for every type of adventurer.

Maalifushi, Maldives
Great Abaco, Bahamas
Corn Islands, Nicaragua
Mumbo Island, Malawi
Niihau, Hawaii
Niue, South Pacificu
Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands

Water World: Maalifushi, Maldives

7 incredible island getaways from around the globe

The English word atoll comes from 颅Dhivehi, the official language of the Maldives. And with good reason. This nation consists of 1,192 islands spread across 35,000 square miles of Indian Ocean. Turquoise 颅lagoons, pearlescent beaches, and coral gardens teem with over 1,900 species of fish, 400 species of mollusks, and 350 species of crustaceans, making it an aquaphile’s paradise. But it can be tough to put together a DIY trip in a place where the easiest way around is by boat or seaplane. Base yourself at , which can 颅arrange your 颅adventures for you (doubles from $650).

The hotel opens in December and is one of only two resorts in the rarely visited, pristine Thaa Atoll. You’ll stay in one of 66 thatched-roof bungalows and villas on the 20-acre 颅island, half of which are raised on stilts above the water. When you’re not in one of the eight spa rooms, there’s plenty to do: fish for 颅wahoo and grouper or go sailing in 25-knot winds, or snorkel or scuba with hawksbill turtles, schools of bluestripe snapper, or a few dozen manta rays at one of the island’s 40 dive sites. And while the December swells aren’t as good as the high season’s (April to October), (from $160 per person).

Access: Fly to the capital of Mal茅, then take a barefoot-piloted to the resort.

Trophy Heaven: Great Abaco, Bahamas鈥�

7 incredible island getaways from around the globe

The Bahamas are famous for their beaches and bonefishing. has both鈥攚ith a little luxury thrown in. Blackfly, located in Schooner Bay, opened in March 2013 and is co-owned by Vaughn Cochran, a retired fishing guide, a marine artist, and an original member of Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band. Each room has a broad veranda (with even broader views) and a custom-made colonial-style bed. Dinner is snapper, tuna, and mahi-mahi caught locally, complemented by organic fruit, vegetables, and eggs from nearby Lightbourn Farm. But all that is just an afterthought to the fishing. Blackfly has use of the only Atlantic-facing harbor in South Abaco鈥�20,500-acre 颅Abaco National Park practically abuts it鈥攚hich means that anglers can stalk 30-pound permit and occasional 80-pound tarpon from six separate fishing zones, along with 12-pound bonefish from schools of up to 200 thick. From $2,300 per person for three nights, all-inclusive.

Access: Several airlines fly to Great Abaco from South Florida (Palm Beach is 175 miles east) and Nassau (106 miles south).

Two for One: Corn Islands, Nicaragua

7 incredible island getaways from around the globe

There was a time when visiting the Caribbean meant empty beaches, limpid waters, plentiful fish to catch (and eat), and ample cheap rum and beer. That idyll still exists on Nicaragua’s Big and Little Corn Islands. You can still score a $10 room on the combined five square miles of land鈥�43 miles off the Caribbean coast颅鈥攁nd $70 gets you a 颅bungalow with private veranda (and 颅electrical outlets) at . Start by beach hopping on the Big Island: try Long Bay for bodysurfing, Sally Peaches for snorkeling, or South West for vegging out with a coco loco鈥攁 coconut and rum cocktail鈥攁t Martha’s bar. You can walk to any of them, but a cab is just 70 cents per person, no matter where you go. Then watch a Sunday baseball game in the 颅island’s 2,000-seat Karen Tucker stadium for $1. 颅

After you’ve had enough of the Big 颅Island, take the daily water taxi 30 minutes to roadless , and rent a bungalow with Wi-Fi, fans, mosquito nets, and hot showers ($30). Little Corn’s position in the Caribbean makes for consistent winds that are ($50 for an intro course). You can also from a panga outfitted with two fighting chairs ($50), or take all that money you saved and splurge on a lobster dinner鈥攊t’s only $14.

Access: Fly round-trip from Managua to Big Corn on ($165). Then take a water taxi between Big and Little Corn ($12 round-trip; head to the Municipal Wharf in Brig Bay).

Simple Solace: Mumbo Island, Malawi

7 incredible island getaways from around the globe

Lake Malawi, a 2,300-foot-deep, 11,400-square-mile gem in southern Africa, is home to 1,000 species of fish鈥攐ne of the highest concentrations on the planet. It’s also the site of half-mile-wide, 250-acre Mumbo 颅Island, one of our favorite out-there getaways. The lake was declared a Unesco World Heritage site in 1984, and once you get underwater it’s easy to see why. There are more than 400 types of brilliantly colored freshwater tropical fish, like damsels, angelfish, and wrasses. Guests can snorkel or scuba with them past sunken knolls of granite boulders or kayak to the lake’s dozen islands for what Cape Town, South Africa鈥揵ased Kayak Africa calls the top sea-paddling route in southern Africa.

Best of all, the outfitter limits occupancy to 14 guests at a time, putting them up in six furnished bungalows and tents with hammocks, thatched-reed roofs, and hot bucket showers. It’s bare-bones鈥攖here’s no electricity鈥攂ut that’s by design. claims that if all tents and decks were removed, there wouldn’t be a human trace within a year. There’s also plenty to do on dry land. You can watch the hundreds of white-throated cormorants that nest on Mumbo or hike its five one-to-two-mile 颅nature trails past rock fig and baobab trees. But after you’ve had a full day in and on the water, we won’t blame you if you just want to rest in that hammock. From $195 per person per night, all-inclusive.

Access: Fly to Malawi’s Lilongwe Inter颅颅national Airport ( connects through Johannesburg), drive four hours to Cape Mac颅lear, on Lake Malawi’s southern end, and take the 45-minute ferry ride to the island.

Out of Bounds: Niihau, Hawaii

7 incredible island getaways from around the globe

Ever since this 70-square-mile spit of land was purchased in 1864 by Elizabeth Sinclair, a wealthy Scottish farmer, Hawaii’s Forbidden Isle has been most famous for being off-limits. But the wild landscape of arid, red-tinged volcanic terrain is easier to reach than you think: you can still take day trips from Kauai. Join Niihau Helicopters, which will land you on secluded beaches with nothing but shells, translucent water, and a few endangered monk seals ($400 per person; niihau.us). Or with monk seals, spinner dolphins, Galapagos sharks, and humpback whales (three-tank dives from $315).

Access: Trips start and end in Kauai. The 17-mile crossing takes 2.5 hours by boat. Stay at (from $346).

Wild Thing: Niue, South Pacific

7 incredible island getaways from around the globe

Eighteen hundred miles northeast of New Zealand, Niue can feel isolated. News on the island is only broadcast twice a week, swimming is frowned upon on Sundays, and, with just over 1,600 people on 100 square miles of the largest uplifted coral atoll in the world, it’s the least populated self-governing 颅nation on the planet after the Vatican. But the quirks are part of the allure of this rocky cave-ridden island. Visitors can angle for ($55) or from July through September ($101).

But don’t ignore the land. Chasms and caverns perforate the island by the thousands. 颅Until the early 1800s, Niueans inhabited them instead of houses, and even today there are fewer than 100 颅accommodations on Niue. Go for the large studios at the recently opened oceanfront , each of which has a private balcony perched on the rocky shore (from $106). The Huvalu Conservation Area tropical forest covers 13,000 acres, nearly one-quarter of the island, and has plenty of cycling oppor颅tunities. or ride the 42-mile road around the island past beaches and along limestone cliffs (bike rentals, $12 per day).

Access: flies from Auckland weekly鈥攖he 3.5-hour flight crosses the 颅International Date Line, arriving 20.5 hours before it departed.

Easy Living: Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands

7 incredible island getaways from around the globe

Many know Jost Van Dyke, one of the handful of inhabited islands in the BVIs, as the barefoot island. Fifteen years ago, it had no electricity and few paved roads. That’s changed, but the atmosphere hasn’t. There are still no brand-name hotels鈥攕tay at , which offers essential amenities like iPod docks and charcoal grills (from $135). Then start with the adventure: rent 12- or 13-foot SUPs from , then head into Great Harbor to paddle near surfacing dolphins ($20 per hour). But take the island’s nickname to heart and spend some time padding between the 50-odd seasonal bars.

, located on White Bay, claims invention of the Painkiller (rum, pineapple juice, OJ, cream of coconut) and serves four-course dinners to the yachting set; boasts one of the biggest Caribbean New Year’s Eve parties in Great Harbor; and does barbecue every Thursday鈥攁nd offers campsites for the inevitable postprandial collapse (equipped sites from $45).

Access: Fly to St. Thomas directly from the East Coast, and 鈥攐r take the 75-minute public ferry from Red Hook, which is 25 minutes by cab from the airport.

The post The 7 Best Island Escapes appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

LATE IN THE SUMMER, a gentle southeast breeze nudges our vessel back to Florida from a trip to the southern Bahamas. I鈥檇 been right to expect a calm, reflective journey on the Ebb Tide, my old 42-foot Hatteras sportfishing boat. During our family鈥檚 past month at sea, there had been many adventures and fervent conversations to consider, along with evenings anchored out in the lee of a few lonely rocks, sitting on the bridge with a beer in my hand, feeling humbled by an epic, darkening sky.

Josh and Katya 20 years ago with mahi mahi

Josh and Katya 20 years ago with mahi mahi

Josh wiring a 250-lb. blue marlin

Josh wiring a 250-lb. blue marlin

I鈥檝e made this passage many times since my dad first brought me to the Bahamas as a 15-year-old, fired up by the Odyssean blue-water conquests of Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway inspired me to learn how to read the ocean for color changes, weed lines, and feeding birds鈥攖he detective work of big-game fishing. I wanted to be like him in all respects. I wanted to write great books and battle 800-pounders and bring them back to the dock for enduring glory.

As a kid, I began learning the nuts and bolts of fishing by walking the docks of places like Montauk, New York, and Bimini, in the Bahamas. I drove tough-talking captains crazy with my barrage of questions: Where鈥檇 you find them? What bait did you use? How far out did you set your lines? What was the tide?

Early on I recognized that fishing captains were the real artists of the sport. Like magicians or visionaries, captains could find giant, fierce fish in the vast sea鈥攖hey had dozens of crafty tricks for getting fish into the boat. Anglers were suckers who paid big bucks and sweated it out in the fighting chair, pumping and reeling. I idolized fishing captains like most boys idolized baseball players.

Now, cruising home after a month fishing, recent trips and older ones blend together. I recall days with my dad off Bimini when schools of giant bluefin crowded the ocean鈥攜ou could almost walk across their broad, muscular backs鈥攁nd marlin were free-jumping and finning on the surface. It was a great picnic out there.

In the 1950s, when I was a teenager, most anglers didn鈥檛 understand that the greater glory was in releasing marlin and tuna to fight another day. To us it was manifestly clear that the infinite ocean could never run out of fish. No one I knew fretted about the morality of killing big fish for sport. We brought our graying dead marlin and tuna to the dock and hung them up for photos like strutting gunslingers.

But today, 50 years later, it鈥檚 hard to catch any big fish off Bimini, the closest Bahamian island to Florida. Marlin and tuna populations have been depleted by international fleets of commercial longline and purse-seine boats that hunt with deadly technology and greed. Eighty percent of the Atlantic鈥檚 populations of bluefin have been wiped out and 50 percent of the marlin, mainly by commercial fishing. Each year thousands of Atlantic marlin are killed inadvertently on bait set for tuna and swordfish. Bycatch is the benign word used to describe tons and tons of uselessly slaughtered marlin.

When we search for marlin these days, we sometimes go through hundreds of miles of dead ocean before we find one off the rocky point of some distant island or in a stretch of racing current between two unmarked reefs. Traveling that far takes a lot of preposterously expensive fuel, costing as much as $12 a gallon, and when the big drums arrive in the southern Bahamas, the fuel is often filthy-old and gums up our diesels. Out where we fish, there are no mechanics to repair broken engines, no marinas to spend a safe night. Big-game fishing in its twilight is far-fetched and sometimes inescapably sad. But it is also beautiful and oddly enduring, in the manner of all dreams and myths.

FIVE DAYS EARLIER, before starting our cruise home on the Ebb Tide, my son Josh, my wife Bonnie, and I were heading into a brisk 20-knot southeast wind off the sparsely populated island of Rum Cay. My 24-year-old daughter, Katya, and Josh鈥檚 wife, Desi, had decided to get off the boat that afternoon, to explore the island and take photographs. Josh, 32, is a powerful man, a champion martial artist, and also a successful author. When he was a boy, he was a great chess talent, and we traveled the world together so he could compete in tournaments. I wrote a book about fathering a prodigy, Searching for Bobby Fischer, which was made into a film. That was a long time ago, but there are moments when I look at him and still see the tiny chess champ.

Josh and I were on the bridge looking for birds, not talking much, while Bonnie stood below in the cockpit. My wife enjoys big water, smiles enigmatically when we hit a large wave or fall deeply into the trough. I steered the Ebb Tide toward a spot several miles off the southeast corner of the island, where the drop is steep and there鈥檚 usually a lot of current.

This was our last fishing day of the summer. The next morning, Josh would leave the boat with Desi to go back to New York City. I wanted to catch a blue marlin, the best final act I know for a fishing trip or a fishing life. I knew Josh was hoping to catch a big yellowfin tuna for a sushi dinner before departing, but we hadn鈥檛 caught a single tuna in three weeks of trolling.

The three of us were feeling a little sad and wondering if we鈥檇 ever get back here again. Every summer these trips get harder to arrange, more expensive, more outside the context of our city lives. Surely some of this was in the air as I steered.

鈥淥ver there, Dad, birds,鈥� Josh called, pointing east. I peered at the horizon but couldn鈥檛 see a thing. 鈥淐ome on, man, turn the boat,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a big school. Look at all the birds. Look, will ya?鈥�

When I was young, my eyes were good and I could see the birds better than most. Now I often imagine birds where there are none and can鈥檛 see them when they are there.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a big school, probably yellowfin!鈥� Josh turned the wheel, and I nodded as if I could see.

Soon we were very close and even I could see the boobies and frigates swooping down on the waves for scraps of baitfish. Almost surely we were on top of a group of feeding tuna. We trolled feathers around the birds and immediately hooked up. They were small blackfin, I guessed, delicious eating, but before Josh and Bonnie could reel their fish halfway to the boat, they each felt a sudden, heavy weight on their line and then nothing at all. Sharks had ripped the smaller fish off their hooks. I steered the boat into deeper water while Josh rigged two lures and pointed impatiently back to the west鈥攈e knew his father had, once more, lost sight of the birds.

We went through again, hooking up almost immediately. Josh fought his fish for 20 minutes. From the bridge I could see a golden greenish heft ten feet below, and I thought it might be a big yellowfin. But after a few more cranks of the reel by Josh, I saw that we had a furious bull shark thrashing alongside us, snapping its jaws and beating the hull with its tail. The 200-pound shark had grabbed Josh鈥檚 blackfin and hooked itself. Josh cut it loose and then rigged up again, difficult to do while the boat rolled back and forth amid the building wind and sea.

All around the Ebb Tide, fat yellowfin were jumping clear of the waves, but we needed to change strategy, shorten our lines so we could hook one closer to the boat. Josh sat in the chair, and we trolled yellow feathers through the school. We hooked a blackfin, and Josh wound like a turbine; an eight-pounder came skipping across the waves like a flying fish. A large shark burst out from the whitewater behind the boat, lunging for the tuna but missing. Sharks were everywhere, including ferocious oceanic whitetips that were beautiful to look at as they surfed down the breakers.

We caught a few more small blackfin, flipping them into the cockpit hold. Bonnie wore her straw hat and held a long brown-handled knife in her hand. (If you don鈥檛 bleed a tuna while it鈥檚 still alive, the flesh becomes engorged with blood and fouled.) Every time we caught a tuna, Bonnie slit it between the gills and put a saltwater hose into its mouth while the fish flipped around and pumped its blood onto the deck.

Then we caught a bigger tuna, a 30-pound yellowfin. After decking it, Josh carefully took the hook out with one hand while covering the tuna鈥檚 eyes with his other鈥攁 trick to calm a big fish so it won鈥檛 beat itself up on the deck. Then he lifted the tuna in his arms and carefully put it back into the sea. He turned toward me on the bridge with a vulnerable expression: remorse, confusion. It was the only time we鈥檇 caught yellowfin all summer. But this happens on the Ebb Tide. We鈥檒l catch a few fish, and then one of my kids will be swamped by guilt. That often spells the end of a day鈥檚 fishing.

BY NOW THE SEAS WERE ROUGH and getting worse. I called down from the bridge: 鈥淗old on!鈥� The deck was slick with tuna slime and tangled leaders. At the top of a crest, the Ebb Tide gave us a great sight of all the frenzied birds and breaking seas鈥攚ith yellowfin jumping out and finning sharks stalking tuna鈥攁nd then we鈥檇 pitch over into the trough and just try to stay in the boat. There are still days when the fishing is sublime, as if the Atlantic has been tipped onto its side and all the great fish have poured into a few windy, desolate acres.

It was time to go in, but instead I pointed the Ebb Tide away from shore, away from the birds, and we trolled big lures in water where we knew we wouldn鈥檛 hook any tuna. We trolled for another hour, with dark clouds rolling in from the south鈥攖he leading edge of a tropical storm.

At about six o鈥檆lock, we got a tremendous strike on the port-side flatline, which came tearing off a hefty 80-pound test reel鈥攊t took something very big to pull a line like that. I told Josh and Bonnie to bring the other lines in, which they did as the boat pitched onto its side. Most of the monofilament was gone from the reel before the other lines were in the boat and I could start backing into the waves, now running eight feet or more.

We鈥檇 hooked a big blue marlin. It was a quarter-mile away, and soon it started exploding out of the ocean, again and again and again. Josh, holding the rod with two hands, called for the fighting harness. I began backing up so we could get some line onto the reel. Seas were rolling into the cockpit. Bonnie was clearing all the rods off the deck. I backed into the sea for a half hour while Josh pumped and reeled.

Finally, we saw the swivel clip connected to the last 15 feet of 300-pound test leader. Josh jumped out of the chair, grabbed the leader, and began hauling with his arms, putting everything he had into it. The marlin wouldn鈥檛 budge. It kept pumping back down, swinging its huge tail while Josh held on and tried to haul it up鈥攁 standoff for 10 or 12 seconds. Then the big fish suddenly yielded and we had it alongside the Ebb Tide. I guessed it weighed around 500 pounds.

When the boat heeled onto its side, it leaned up against the marlin, and when it rolled back the other way, Josh was all stretched out holding the leader. I worried he would go over the side. I turned the boat into a following sea to stop the rolling and take the pressure off his arm. Meanwhile, I noticed that the school of tuna had traveled our way and birds were again swooping down on both sides of us.

Josh leaned over the water; his mother hugged his legs while the boat idled forward. He held the bill with one hand, trying to keep the fish鈥檚 big head down in the moving water so it could breathe and regain its strength while using the other to work the hook out gently鈥攏o jerking. If the marlin panicked, it might whack him in the neck with its bill, or, worse, snag him with the hook and pull him under.

When the hook came free, Josh grabbed the bill with both hands. He held on for about two minutes, and I eased the boat away from the tuna鈥攚e were afraid the weakened marlin might get hit by one of the big sharks swimming with the school. Soon the marlin was looking fierce again, all lit up with livid blue horizontal stripes and swinging its tail. When Josh let go, it swam down and away, slowly and steadily.

THERE ARE MANY SUMMER DAYS when the Atlantic is like a lake, particularly north of Cat Island. Five days after we caught the marlin, we were traveling home, presumably with no more smashing seas to survive. The memory of the big marlin nagged at me while we moved across flat water south of Little San Salvador Island, headed toward the horn of Eleuthera.

I hate leaving adventures behind: big seas, the fish, but mostly the uncanny connection with my family, who are like a band of warriors whenever the sea becomes threatening. Katya was on the bridge with me, and we started talking about the futility of describing the sea life to our city friends.

鈥淜at, you haven鈥檛 missed a summer out here since you were a baby,鈥� I said at one point, pondering the fact that she鈥檇 soon be in graduate school in California and no longer available for these trips. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e caught a lot of marlin. Sixty-eight blue marlin.鈥�

鈥淒ad, you have no idea if it鈥檚 68 or 63,鈥� she said, razzing me a bit. 鈥淵ou just made up that number.鈥�

鈥淲ell, it鈥檚 around 68,鈥� I said.

鈥淲丑补迟别惫别谤.鈥�

Bonnie was below, sleeping, cooking, maybe reading. Katya went forward to sit on the bow. She took her familiar place on the boat鈥檚 pulpit, with her feet dangling down, almost touching the water, while she firmly held the railing above with both hands. She bit her lower lip and stared out to sea, striking the same pose she did as a skinny, brash seven-year-old who first climbed out there without my noticing. I figured she was wondering what to do with her life, if going back to school was the right decision. Katya looks at things very deeply and sometimes traps herself in doubt or fine-tuning. But her thoughtfulness is a joy to me.

We were in the Exuma Sound, beyond sight of land, with a hazy afternoon sky and seaweed floating listlessly on a hot ocean. Just three of us on board, but we were still a competent little crew鈥攅ach of us could run the Ebb Tide if necessary. Still, I was missing Josh. It was as if the core strength of the boat had been seriously compromised.

The water seemed too calm, disturbingly so, and I wondered if bad weather was ahead. Soon the ocean was crowded with thick, shaggy spans of seaweed鈥攕ome half as large as a football field鈥攚ith plastic bottles, cans, and sundry chunks of garbage trapped in the growth. It was very weird, something I鈥檇 never seen before.

Katya came back onto the bridge. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 up, Dad?鈥�

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know.鈥� I recalled a day out here 25 years ago when we鈥檇 passed through a school of porpoises that went on and on for miles. From the tower, as far as you could see, they were racing, jumping, playing.

We watched the seaweed filling in around us like an ice floe. I worried that the greasy stuff would tangle the props or clog up the sea strainers, shutting us down in this lonely ocean.

But the Ebb Tide pushed through like an icebreaker. After another two hours, we鈥檇 made it across the unusual savanna, engines still running.

TWO DAYS LATER, we were 150 miles to the northwest, moving slowly across the Great Bahama Bank, a vast expanse of water as shallow as a pool. On a calm day, the Bank is mesmerizing. The clear water becomes a magnifying glass and the bottom鈥攆ull of coral heads, spiny lobster, conch, snapper, and stretches of potholed sea desert鈥攁ppears to be only inches away. We were just 75 miles from the Florida coast when we stopped for the night near undersea ledges where we could cast for snapper. There wasn鈥檛 another boat or mast to be seen in any direction.

I woke up in the middle of the night with my head smacking the ceiling three feet above my narrow bunk. The Ebb Tide was lurching in an awful way, the bow plunging down and then whipping back up against the short, shallow-water anchor line with an alarming snap. I found my boat shoes with my foot but couldn鈥檛 reach down to pull them on. I was banging against walls in the tiny cabin, trying to grab onto something. Somehow, my wife remained asleep in her bottom bunk.

I managed to get out my door and then up three steps into the salon. Katya was on the settee, holding on and staring out the window at huge black storm clouds illuminated by strings of lightning.

鈥淟et鈥檚 get a better look,鈥� I said.

We went outside and up the ladder to the bridge. The wind was blowing 50 knots, maybe more. We were surrounded on all sides by closing storms.

I wasn鈥檛 sure what to do. Should I pull the anchor? Try to idle into the wind? Or should we try to ride it out on the anchor? What was the best chance? At any moment, we could bottom out in the trough of a wave and founder or rip the bottom of the boat on a reef.

I decided we鈥檇 try to ride it out on the hook. But the boat was rearing like a crazed horse on a short lead. I feared the cleats would pull out of the deck. I needed to get out on the bow and play out another 100 feet of line to lessen the tension on the cleats. If Josh were on the boat, he鈥檇 crawl out there. But here鈥檚 the truth: With the boat plunging and jerking, and waves breaking across the bow, I wasn鈥檛 sure I could do it. If I went over the side in the dark with all of this wind and whitewater, I would never make it back to the boat. Still, I was the captain.

I was thinking this鈥攎aybe I said something to Katya鈥攁nd looking for my flashlight when I saw that she was already off the bridge and shimmying along the gunwale toward the bow. I screamed into the wind: 鈥淕et back here!鈥� But she was on the wet deck, moving low but very surely to the bow, where she wedged herself between the railing of the pulpit and one of the bow cleats to keep her balance. She waited between wave sets to get a little slack and then worked the hitches off the cleat. I was sick with worry that she might tangle in the line and get mangled or pulled over.

Then she snaked the line out a foot at a time, easing the boat back until it wasn鈥檛 pulling so hard on the upswing. She tied her hitches and double-checked them. Then she made it back across the deck, grabbed hold of the handrail, and came back along the gunwale and up the ladder to the bridge.

Bonnie was now standing beside me, and the three of us looked at the streams of lightning falling down, all around, creating deafening thunder. One of the thicker bolts seemed to explode when it hit the surface nearby.

鈥淲hat would happen?鈥� Katya yelled in my ear.

I didn鈥檛 answer. What would happen is that we鈥檇 be ashes or floating debris. Nothing much.

We watched the storm blowing up the sky. Maybe this is what it looks like at the very end, I thought. A final glimpse of a blast of light.

But we never got hit by lightning, which seems inexplicable. We never hit a reef. The storm rushed away to the north, like a vision, and the Bahama Bank got very quiet very quickly.

Almost instantly, we were mesmerized by the peaceful early morning, the vast expanse of shallow luminescent water. We watched a dozen small yellowtail snapper darting playfully beneath the transom of the Ebb Tide.

The new day was so convincingly immutable, as if marlin would always cruise the blue water just offshore of the islands. As if we鈥檇 always be here to appreciate them and the thick schools of tuna and the lurking sharks.

We didn鈥檛 feel like motoring back to the city, not yet. We went back to our cozy bunks and fell asleep.

New York City鈥揵ased Fred Waitzkin is the author of Searching for Bobby Fischer, Mortal Games, and The Last Marlin. His first novel, The Dream Merchant, will be published in 2012 by St. Martin鈥檚 Press.

The post Trolling at Twilight appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Let’s just assume that you’re an active and adventurous person, who likes to stay at small boutique resorts that are rich in local flavor and culture. You’re bargain conscious, or at least you try to get great value for the money you spend. And you’re also very smart and doggone it, people like you. Sound about right? The quick answer would be Cancun. You can fly there straight from Dallas-Fort Worth. But Cancun is lame. If you want to go somewhere less trodden and more exotic in the Caribbean or Central America (and I know you do, Joni), you’ll have to make a bit more of a travel commitment–since there aren’t many direct flights to these destinations from your hometown airport. So I’ve got three recommendations for you to places where the hopping, skipping, and jumping to get there either isn’t too painful or is part of the fun adventure. (I also encourage readers to post their own suggestions to Joni in the comments section below.) Here are my three relatively nearby exotic beach destinations.

Cheap: Casa Iguana, Little Corn Island, Nicaragua
Little Corn Island is a chicken drumstick-shaped spit of land about 45 miles off the east coast of Nicaragua, where its 750 residents speak English and there are no cars, motorized vehicles of any kind, or even roads. The big activities among visitors here, besides lazing on the beach and sipping rum drinks are diving and snorkeling among the reefs, and sport fishing (though you can also surf and windsurf). Getting there requires a bouncy 45-minute ferry ride from Big Corn Island, which in turn is accessed by plane from Managua. You can stay at the solar- and wind-powered , on 30 beachside acres. Cost for a deluxe casita: $65 a night.

Moderate: The Cove, Eleuthera, Bahamas
Eleuthera boasts some of the most spectacular pink sand beaches in the Caribbean, yet has managed to resist becoming overrun with resorts or tourists. Getting there means hopping a connecting flight from Ft. Lauderdale or Miami. When you arrive, stay at the trendy but surprisingly not expensive , a 30-acre resort with 26 rooms and suites that are empty of TVs and phones in a secluded cove that boasts top-notch snorkeling just off the shore and is only ten minutes from the best surfing beach in the Bahamas. Rooms run $199 a night.

Moderately Pricey: Nonsuch Bay, Antigua
Truth be told, the friendly, unpretentious air of even the finest of the island nation’s many high-end boutique resorts is just as attractive as Antigua’s long, white sandy beaches. is a somewhat affordable collection of 55 colonial-style luxury cottages and villas on 40 quiet acres fringing the wide and wind-kissed, reef-protected inlet of the same name on Antigua’s eastern shore. The small-boat sailing and kitesurfing within Nonsuch Bay are world class, as is the resort’s staff instructor for its sailing school. Getting to Antigua means you’ll have to connect in Miami. This paradise runs $360 a night.

The post Where is the best place to go in the Caribbean or Central America? appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.