Travel: Swimming with Sea Monsters

200 years ago men went to the oceans fearful of great Sea Monsters that might swallow them whole. Today adventure seekers actively plan vacations to encounter the last remaining Sea Monsters in the Caribbean. They call it “quality vacation time”.

Bay Islands, Honduras (PRWEB) January 27, 2005

200 years ago men went to the oceans fearful of great Sea Monsters that might swallow them whole. Today adventure seekers actively plan vacations to encounter the last remaining Sea Monsters in the Caribbean. They call it “quality vacation time”.

When Patric Douglas’s clients go diving with elusive Whale Sharks in the Bay Islands, Honduras they think they are participating in an extreme sport, but they are really discovering first hand the secret life of the oceans rarest inhabitants. “What we have here is the worlds largest animal encounter with a 50 foot leviathan" explained Douglas, CEO of Absolute Adventures-Shark Diver (http://www.sharkdiver.com). Utila, a 12 square mile island off the coast of Honduras nestled in the Caribbean, is home to a stunning array of undersea wild life including one of the world’s most accessible populations of Whale Sharks (Rhincodon typus), also known as the worlds largest fish.

Monsters of the Deep

“Whale Sharks are quite plentiful at this site, that’s remarkable being such a mobile open water creature” says Douglas. Being in the water close to an animal that is sometimes as long as three school busses is an exciting moment described by a few of his clients as heart stopping. “It’s a real fish, more to the point, a massive shark” explains Douglas, “they are harmless to humans, but it’s a once in a lifetime thrill to swim with them since these really are the stuff of sea monster legends”

Douglas’s company runs a full-time shark diving operation which leases an eco-lodge on Utila for thrill-seeking eco tourists to encounter these elusive wild ocean leviathans. From the beginning, his business plan was to offer something more than just massive shark encounters. The “more” in question came in the form of a long time shark researcher, Dr. Peter Klimley from U.C Davis and one of his graduate students. Douglas had previously been working with Dr.Klimley with Great White sharks at his companies Guadalupe site off the coast of Mexico when the opportunity presented itself to study the giant Whale Sharks as well. “We realized that Honduras had almost no way of funding, or supporting a long term shark research program,” said Douglas. “Our business had a way to channel funds into a world class research program”.

200 years later the oceans remain a mysterious place, and yes monsters still exist, but now you can plan a vacation to meet them with the help of Shark Diver.

To book a Whale Shark diving adventure with Patric Douglas and the crew of Absolute Adventures-Shark Diver, call 415.235.9410 or visit http://www.sharkdiver.com.

About Patric Douglas

Cleaning up after his third hurricane in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Absolute Adventures–Shark Diver’s Patric Douglas decided that there had to be a safer way to make a living. He moved back to the west coast where he was quickly offered a job working for a medical travel company escorting American doctors all over the globe. Douglas then spent the next two years as one of the first American tour guides back into Vietnam setting up a safe, unique travel route throughout its remarkable historically rich country. While escorting 21-day tours through China, Bali, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and Latin America, his easygoing leadership and good humor made for some exciting moments on the road that would not have happened without him. Mountain slides in Peru, saltwater crocodiles blocking the road in Australia and even a Cyclone in New Zealand did not deter this imaginative expedition guide from offering the best available to his risk-taking international clients. Finding a safer way to make a living has now led this adventure entrepreneur into the deep sea realm of the Whale Shark.

Travel: Swimming with Sea Monsters

Web: http://www.sharkdiver.com

Phone: 415.235.9410

Images available upon request

# # #