jason Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 Walden is open for swimming again. I called Walden today (978 369-3254) to find that they are open for swimming again. I went down after work Wed I found that the bacteria was to high and Walden was closed for swimming/rolling. It has been opened again today pending thunderstorms. -Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djlewis Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 Heh heh. --David. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcohn Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 Wow, we were gone for a few days (swimming with whale sharks), didn't realize it was closed. Thanks, Ralph Cohn Black rolling SOF White (Mark Starr) SOF Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glil Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 WOW! That's very cool! Where were you swimming with whale sharks? Gay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcohn Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 Holbox Island just north of the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico, roughly a 3 hour trip from Cancun. It was a rare case of a place fully living up to the claims. Amazing and constant whale shark action with mantra rays around as well. They are feeding on the abundant plankton (vis. ranged from ~10 to 30 ft). The whale sharks were in the small to medium range, I’d estimate roughly 12 to 25 feet long. Snorkeling only, with two swimmers in the water at a time (per boat). The view of the action from the boat, with sharks swimming just below the surface is great, so it’s fun whether in or out of the water. Sometimes we’d follow a single whale shark, sometimes we’d be in a concentration with sharks coming and going. Twice I was swimming with a shark and felt my fin kick something; looking back, I saw a huge head coming up behind me, very exciting! I know divers who would be thrill to see one whale shark for 30 seconds, people in our group became bored with single sharks and wanted to search for clusters. Miriam saw mantas in the water each of four days; they are shyer than the sharks and tend to dive when swimmers come near. I only saw one, but had a relatively long swim with it. Bottlenose dolphins were in the area, but we only saw them from the boats. Holbox is nearly an unknown site, but from reports, it appears to be the best location for finding whale sharks in the world. If you’re in the area during the summer, it is well worth a visit Ralph Cohn Black rolling SOF White (Mark Starr) SOF Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaila_27 Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 I have been dreaming of going back to Holbox for a few years now.... has it recovered from the Hurricane? I know it really got nailed... the highest point on the island is only a couple of feet above sea level. When I was there we stayed at this great eco-friendly place called Chimay. It sits all alone on the western part of the island. Thanks for sharing your trip... do you have any pics? Shaila Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subaruguru Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 The deep (80-100') denter section where we paddle stays pretty clean. It's the northern portion at the Aberjona source, and its stagnant eddies near the McMansions and Winchester Boat Club that get very punky, and indeed overgrown with lily pods by mid-August. But at 84F it's still a concern.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcohn Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 We stayed at hotel Villas Paraiso del Mar a very nice, newer hotel with ac. The island seems to be in good shape, several good restaurants with better food than we were expecting. I hadn’t heard about the hurricane, but when observing the island from the boat I remarked to Miriam that if a hurricane hit with a strong storm surge, the entire island would be 8 ft underwater. Miriam has a few pictures but I haven’t seen any others yet (only returned Tuesday night). There were multiple serious photographers in our group so I’ll post a link when they are up on the web. Jonathan was also shooting a video episode for Jonathan Bird’s Blue World ( http://www.blueworldtv.com/intro.htm ) so that will also be online someday. Ralph Cohn Black rolling SOF White (Mark Starr) SOF Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glil Posted August 5, 2007 Share Posted August 5, 2007 Ralph, Given it's proximity to Cancun and the mainland, it seems like it would be a popular destination and thus crowded with tourists, but that wasn't the case? Swimming/snorkeling/diving with whale sharks is on my "Things to do and places to see before I die" list, so any info/advice you'd like to share would be appreciated. I wouldn't be interested in spending much time in Cancun, but rather in smaller, more remote, less touristy areas (on the mainland in addition to the island). If you have any suggestions on this, I'd appreciate it. You could e-mail me if you want since we're not on a kayak topic-unless Shaila's interested too. (kootzleska at yahoo dot com). Did you do any kayaking though? Thanks for the info, Gay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcohn Posted August 5, 2007 Share Posted August 5, 2007 It's little known, not unknown, must be 20 boats or more heading out each day to the sharks. Search for whale sharks on the internet, most sites mention Galapagos, Australia, Philippines, etc., but not Holbox. That will change! Too primitive and remote for the average US tourist, but that may change as well. About 10 ‘hotels’, but only two have ac. It’s a popular destination for Mexican tourists. I'll be happy to supply any info I can. I didn’t kayak, as usual I’m having tendonitis problems. By the way, if this continues next season, look for a nice kayak and gear sale. There were sit-on-tops around and there are some guided day kayak trips. The island is a bird sanctuary with a reported 144 species. Ralph Cohn Black rolling SOF White (Mark Starr) SOF Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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