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, […]
Your gear may be years old. It still works. But is it safe? By Gil Zeimer Alert Diver Magazine, May, 2002 Most of us don’t even think twice about upgrading our computers, our software, our cell phones, our wardrobe, our cars, or perhaps even our homes every two to 10 years. But when did you […]
Ten senior members of the Marin Dive Club just completed 170 dives at Little Cayman Beach Resort. Despite prescription masks, a few equipment problems, and other Senior Underwater Moments, our average age was 70 and the median number of dives was 400. Our advanced ages don’t stop us from diving all around the world.
It took 3 planes and 32 hours to get to Little Cayman Island, but it’s well worth the hassle for a scuba diver and scuba writer like me with our #MarinScubaClub.
Our Roamin’ Holiday: 23 Days, 5 Countries… Days 1-2 were absorbed by 20 hours of travel, but Day 3 in Rome was “molto bene”. Instead of the Spanish Steps, Ellen and I walked 6.7 miles (13,500 steps). (Click on any photo to enlarge it.) Instead of The Colosseum, The Forum, The Parthenon and The Vatican, […]
Just about everyone has heard of Sausalito, California, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. But few outside of the San Francisco Bay Area know about Tiburon, just a 10-minute drive away. Don’t feel like driving? Then it’s just a 30-minute ride across the water from S.F.’s Ferry Building during rush hour or Pier 41 […]
My BNI Embarcadero presentation yesterday focused on what I called “Comedic Copywriting”. I have enjoyed inserting humor, where appropriate, to get the attention of readers of advertising projects that I’ve written for over 35 years.