I have the good fortune of being born 32 minutes after my twin brother, David, at Mt. Zion Hospital. We’re third-generation San Franciscans. The funny thing is, our Mom didn’t even know she was having two babies because she’d only gained 18 pounds. Her obstetrician kept telling her, “Small baby, lot of water.” But when […]
Thanks for this opportunity to present my copywriting credentials to Peak Seven. I’ve Been a Copywriter for Over 40 Years. The first 17 were at large ad agencies in San Francisco and Dallas; the next 25+ were as a prolific freelance writer/creative director for dozens of ad agencies, Fortune 500 companies, and start-ups. I have […]
I’m leaving next April 10th for a trip that’s been on my bucket list for decades –– to the pristine Western Pacific paradise known as Palau. We have four spots left as of today. Contact me if you’re interested.
This story appeared on pages 15 and 16 of Scuba Diving Industry Magazine’s June 2024 issue. SDIM is the ONLY monthly dive trade publication. It’s printed and mailed to every dive shop in the USA (all 888 of them) and has a global digital circulation of over 14,400 in 165 countries.
At Scuba Show 2024 in the Los Angeles Convention Center, I presented this seminar: “The 12 Most Common Diving Injuries –– And How to Prevent Them”. I’ve actucally experienced 11 of these, but that’s not unusual for any diver. After all, one of my dive buddies once explained, “Once you’ve done about 100 dives, anything […]
This is our blog about a seven-day cruise on the Sky Princess through the Western Caribbean and Mexico. We hope you enjoy our stories of shipboard life, shore excursions, scuba diving, snorkeling, and generally overindulging…
It’s extremely easy for cruise ship passengers like me to arrange a two-tank dive while visiting Caribbean Islands like Roatan in the Honduras Bay Islands. I did it on in mid-February when I was there aboard the Sky Princess with Sun Divers Roatan. So can you. Here’s how…
Desert Dolphins Presentation, Wednesday, March 20, 2024 @ 6pm PT via Zoom Title: “Blogging About Bubbles” Subtitle: “How to Get Published in 13 Steps” Summary: Whether you’re a snorkeler, diver, or photographer, blogging preserves your underwater experiences while humor lets your story stand out from others. This presentation will take you through 13 easy-to-follow tips […]
I’m an internationally known travel writer and entertaining speaker who enjoys making presentations about my craft. As a travel writer and “Scuba Storyteller”, I’ve discovered ways to turn my side hustle into a lucrative business by writing hundreds of articles, blogs, and newsletters. Recently, I’ve made these travel-writing presentations as a guest lecturer…
I was so pleased to be one of about two dozen featured speakers at ScubaShow.com in the Long Beach Convention Center during the weekend of June 4 and 5, 2023. It drew over 10,000 scuba diving, snorkeling, and travel enthusiasts. This is the largest consumer convention in America and my topic was entitled “Blogging About […]
Three tanks. One boat. One day. 11 Celsius. These were the last dives I ever took in cold Northern California waters. Mark Twain once said, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” The same might be said about a three-tank, one-day boat dive in Monterey, California, about 90 miles south […]
Do you wait all year for Black Friday? It only seems natural, if not compulsory, to drive to a mall to pick up a few items the day after Thanksgiving –– at greatly reduced prices. But you end up sharpening your elbows and fighting the crowds to have a tug-of-war with fellow shoppers over gifts […]
This is my fifth trip to Italy. The first was literally on $10 a day back in 1970 with my brother, from Florence to Rome to Brindisi, mostly by trains, as part of a nine-week Eurail Pass trip from England to Greece. The second was to Rome and London with my wife and daughter when […]
I’m not stupid (though some might argue that fact). I know that a whale’s “tale” is called a “fluke”, but this is a story about humpback whales in the Maui Channel in March – during the tail end of their annual 6,000-mile, round-trip trek from Alaska. Because I was traveling with my wife and another […]
When you dive in Cozumel, Mexico, encountering currents is pretty much a given and virtually all dives here are drift dives. Located about 12 miles east of Playa del Carmen, Cancun, currents around this popular Mexican resort island can run from mild to moderate (1-6 knots) on most reefs , so it can be a […]
I’ve been vacationing in Palm Springs since 1958. The first three years, my family drove from San Francisco to this desert resort area during our school’s winter vacations between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Initially, we stayed in small 1950s-era hotels that only had a handful of rooms in U-shaped buildings surrounding a pool. The […]
Heavy Breathing on Half Dome And Other Ways To Stay In Shape For Diving By Gil Zeimer This article originally appeared in the December 2008/January 2009 issue of Dive Pacific Magazine. Why did I trek 18.2 miles (29 kilometers) round-trip to one of California’s most celebrated mountains with five of my besties? Why did I […]
From its TV jingles, we all know that Rice-A-Roni is “The San Francisco Treat”. As a native, I’ve also enjoyed Dungeness Crab, Sourdough French Bread, It’s It Ice Cream Sandwiches, Anchor Steam Beer, Ghirardelli Chocolate, and Irish Coffee from the Buena Vista Café. However, there’s one “Only in San Francisco” thing that you may not […]
a Steep hills, cold water, warm sun, wind, lots of fog. Looks like S.F, but it’s not. Dear Portugal, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I never visited your beautiful country before now. I’m sorry I didn’t consider a trip here when I was 21 or on my previous ventures to the European Continent. I’m sorry I […]
This award-winning museum brings to life the story of the band that made music history. It houses the world’s largest permanent exhibition purely devoted to the lives and times of The Beatles. It’s a must see during a visit to Liverpool.
This is my 7th trip to Europe. The first was in 1970 when I was 21 years old. At the time, Queen Elizabeth had been sitting on the throne for only 18 years; her PM was Edward Heath. The Beatles were at the height of their popularity and recorded “Let It Be”, their final album, […]
