Escape Alberta’s Cold This Winter – 7 Snorkeling Destinations

Posted by on Nov 20, 2017 in Uncategorized |

Winter is coming, but that doesn’t mean that we have to stay indoors during this season. In this article, we are going to see seven of the best snorkeling destination to escape Alberta’s winter season! Let’s begin!

Mauritius

Mauritius, an independent island located east of Madagascar, is famous for its water destinations. It has some of the best beaches, resorts, and, of course, snorkeling destinations. There are many colorful fishes that can be found in its waters, including but not limited to angelfish, damselfish, parrotfish, and clownfish. The water is very clear, making it easy to see the great sights that it has to offer. It’s also a great snorkeling destination for beginners as you can easily snorkel straight from the beach. Aside from snorkeling, there are many other activities that you can partake in Mauritius.

Cancun, Mexico

Snorkeling in Cancun, Mexico is probably one of the best. This place is a haven for underwater activity enthusiasts, but everyone will enjoy visiting this place! One of the most famous destinations in Cancun is the Cancun Underwater Museum – which is where more than 470 life-sized sculpture stands underwater. You will have a good 3-hour underwater museum tour from this area alone and aside from that, there are a dozen of other locations to visit and things to see including whale sharks.

Palau

A nation consisting of 250 islands located in Western Pacific, Palau is one of the best places to snorkel. Maintaining an average daily temperature of 27°C, it is always warm in the Islands. It has dozens of marine lakes and several snorkeling spots. The jungle-covered Rock Islands (a magnificent sight as a whole) are surrounded by shallow coral reefs and can be easily reached by boat. There is also the Clam City, where you can easily spot giant Clams. Finally, the most sought-after destination in Palau is the Jellyfish Lake, where you can swim together with thousands of Jellyfish – don’t worry, they don’t sting and they’re non-poisonous.

The Turks and Caicos Islands

Turks and Caicos Islands are comprised of 40 low-lying coral islands located in the Atlantic Ocean. Providenciales, commonly known as Povo locally, is considered the gateway island where many luxurious resorts, restaurants, and shops can be found. It is also home to the famous Grace Bay Beach.

There are many destinations that can be enjoyed in the islands, but if you’re looking for the best snorkeling destination, then the Bight Reef should be on your map. It’s a beginner friendly snorkeling destination, but it can be crowded at times. If you are a veteran snorkeler though, you might want to try Malcolm’s Road Beach. This is a remote spot, but it’s still close enough to the coast that visibility doesn’t suffer too much. The good spots here can be a little bit hard to find, but when you do, you’ll see some of the best and varied coral displays and formations.

Cayman Islands

If you want to snorkel at the Cayman Islands, then look no further than Stingray City. A fantasy-esque name, Stingray City is actually a place where you can have a chance to swim along magnificent stingrays. Come face to face with these creatures and have the opportunity to touch them. Aside from that, the water is very shallow, which is around five feet deep and its crystal clear, making it perfect for beginners. Those who wish to partake in snorkeling or swimming with stingrays are given appropriate information about what to do and what not to do during the activity. Snorkeling gears are also included.

Anguilla

Anguilla is where some of the finest beaches in the world resides. There are so many snorkeling destinations here and it can be hard to find the best one that fits your tastes. If you want to see some massive coral gardens, the Great Dog Island is where you should be heading. There is an abundance of puffer fish and schools of squids along with a variety of other tropical fishes. Perhaps the best thing about it is that it has a crystal-clear water with visibility of up to 100 feet.

Maldives

This is one of the best places in the world in terms of tourist destination and vacation spots. Comprising of 26 atolls and over a thousand islands makes this an unbeatable choice for snorkeling and many other kinds of water-based travels, relaxation, and travels.

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Handy Items for Long Hikes

Posted by on Oct 7, 2017 in Outdoorsmen |

As you may already know, Alberta is packed with epic scenery, wildlife, and both serene and challenging treks alike. Whether you’re hunting, trapping, fishing, or simply just getting outside, chances are you will be hiking long distances from time to time. In this article, we would like to highlight a few items that can be easily packed for long hikes along with your other equipment. In reality, there’s so much out there now that the list could be endless, but in this article, we will focus on those that are versatile across seasons and are very easy to come by from a practical standpoint.

Survival Blankets

If you rolled your eyes at this one, you’re probably not alone. Many people overlook survival blankets, or simply don’t care about them, especially if they are experienced outdoorsmen or familiar with their travel route. You may have also heard the general blanket statement of “you never expect the worst to happen”. This is true, but a phrase that can also be easily overlooked.

So here’s out take on survival blankets – why not pack one? We’re not talking anything bulky that you need to roll up and add to your backpack. We’re simply talking about the thin aluminum sheets that are folded into a small package the size of a wallet. They are extremely cheap, can be purchased from any outdoor store and most hardware stores (e.g. home depot), they are very lightweight, and their small size makes them easy to pack. You may never need it, but even if you don’t use it, there isn’t really any drawback to keeping one in your pack. In the extremely unfortunate event that you are stuck somewhere for a while, especially overnight, a survival blanket can be a life saver…literally.

GPS Watch

GPS watches are highly popular, and if you’re an avid outdoorsman, chances are you have at least looked into these before. So while the idea of using them for outdoor recreation obviously isn’t original to us, it’s still worth promoting some of their capabilities.

First, the GPS aspect is highly useful, both for safety and efficient navigation. We would stress this point if you have recently moved or are planning on exploring unfamiliar territory. Especially if you’re keen on longer treks, it can be really easy to have a mental lapse and forgot the navigational details from a portion of your hike.

Secondly, it’s a watch! It’s really easy to get caught up in all the fancy features that separate different brands and models, but don’t forget that having a reliable watch on your wrist can go a long way when planning your hike and evaluating throughout.It will keep you on track and will be the best tool you can have to know if you need to turn around or not.

Knee and/or Ankle Sleeves

These are kind of like sports medicine braces, but much more generalized, lightweight, and slim in design. They are extremely easy to pack and even more easy to wear. So why would you want one? If you have experienced knee or ankle pain before, and especially if you experience knee or ankle pain/stiffness with long duration activity, then these can make a huge difference throughout the hike.

Knee sleeves are also highly popular for those with osteoarthritis or inflammatory conditions, and athletes wear them quite as well. They offer firm compression around the knee joint, which is one of the best methods to reduce swelling and inflammation. Furthermore, they are usually fairly insulated (although you can get ones for better breathability), so the retainment on heat provides therapeutic relief for pain. Lastly, many people begin to avoid activities like hiking as they begin to experience joint problems. This is problematic because one of the best things you can do to help your joints is to keep moving. By wearing one of these sleeves, you can help yourself work through any pain or stiffness while treating the problem at the same time, and what better way than to do that outside!

Don’t worry – these are available in a wide variety of sizes. You can find ankle and knee sleeves for the thinnest limbs, and you can even find knee sleeves up to XXXL or even higher. So don’t worry if you’re concerned about a potential lack of plus size knee or ankle braces, as there are definitely lots to choose from. For more information about braces and sleeves like this, check out the educational resource Brace Access.

Tylenol and Advil

Again, not very original, but it can make a huge difference when you have both. Advil, Ibuprofen, and Motrin are basically all the same thing: anti-inflammatories. If pain and stiffness is related to inflammation, then these over-the-counter medications will make a huge difference, especially if symptoms arise while you’re on the trail. On the other hand, Tylenol won’t help as much with inflammatory pain and swelling, but nevertheless, it’s a good pain-reliever that can be taken at the same time as Advil. They can make a great combination with a knee or ankle sleeve, and travel packs of these will be cheap and super small, so they won’t take up any room in your pack.

Just a word of caution: Please follow the recommended dosages on the packages and do not use these as a routine method of relieving symptoms. Advil is extremely tough on the stomach (I ended up with an ulcer once, which was partially due to too much Advil over time) and Tylenol is hard on your liver. Don’t combine them with alcohol, as that will compound the negative effects.

Spare Socks

Already packed a spare pair of socks? Pack one more! You never know when your feet are going to sink into wet or moist ground, or just fall into the water altogether. While it’s fine to expect to get wet and dirty and continue to hike through it, over time you will definitely want to keep your feet healthy and change into a dry pair of socks. If you don’t have time to air out your current pair or start a fire to dry them, then packing them away and slipping on your spare pair will be an extremely welcoming proposition for your feet. Again, you probably know this already, but for those who are slightly less experienced in the bush, it can help to have a friendly reminder!

Summary

In summary, these are just items that we find often slip under the radar when people are packing for their outdoor adventures. While none of these are absolutely essential, all we ask is that you keep them in mind and at least consider the benefits to packing them. Aside from that, we hope you have a chance to get out and enjoy the Fall scenery!

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Hunting Accessories

Posted by on Mar 29, 2017 in Hunting in Alberta, Outdoorsmen |

Have you experienced that moment when you went for hunting and you left one essential tool or accessory that you end up hating yourself for forgetting? Then you probably learned your lesson the hard way. For that reason why it is always important that you create a checklist of all your hunting accessories and must have.

Since you’d be out there hunting and away from home, you have to make sure that you have all the things that you need to keep you going. When you are out for a hunt you’d definitely be needing some essential stuff that will make your hunting smooth and hassle-free. In order to help you further, let us check out some of the hunting accessories that you can add to your checklist.

The Essentials

Although seasoned hunters already have the idea of the things that they need when they hunt, there might cases where you actually forget something. That’s where a checklist come in handy. For beginners however, there would be quite a struggle especially when you are trying to decide what to buy and what to bring. The Tac X Tactical for instance have so much information about how to survive outdoors and what items to bring.

In order to make everything clear, you should start from the basic. What’s the most essential that you need? Since you are going for a hunt, then you need those that you’d use for the actual hunting course. Are you using a bow? An air rifle? Then you need to make sure that you have your extra ammunition, your rifle cleaning and repairing kit, a scope or a binocular and maybe an extra gun. You need to have a backup in case the one that you’re using act up.

After making sure that you have all your hunting essential, then start focusing on your basic needs.  Like food, water, clothing, toiletries and even shelter if you decide to hunt for days. You also need some personal and survival items such as first aid kit, tactical devices such as knife and flashlights, or maybe a Streamlight TLR 3. To aid you with navigation, you also need a compass or a GPS, a smart watch that will give you all the information that you need such as the weather, the temperature and most of all the time. Don’t forget to bring some extra protective clothing such as a waterproof jacket, gloves and boots.

Creating a Checklist

Not all people actually do this. Maybe they thought they already have everything stored in their heads. But if it’s your first time to go hunting, better make one for yourself. Proper preparation is required in an outdoor activity like hunting. If possible, prepare all your items and accessories a week before the hunt. Lay them on the floor, don’t pack them yet. As soon as you think you got everything ready, that’s when you start packing. Remember, the success of your hunting adventure depends on you. On how you planned and prepared for it. Have the best hunting adventure ever!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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