November 30, 2018

Diving the Straits of Mackinac

November 30, 2018/ Meghan Oaks

Back in June, you may recall that we spent two days diving at the Flower Gardens National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico. After that trip, Aaron and I remembered that we loved diving, we loved diving together, and realized that we need to do more of it. The only way to ensure this is to book another trip. So we did. On our way back home from our Flower Garden trip, we booked a shipwreck trip in the Great Lakes with the dive shop we use back in Michigan. I won’t lie, I was STOKKED about doing some shipwreck diving in our beloved Great Lakes again with one of our best friends!

January 05, 2015

Boxing Day and Titanic

January 05, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

On Boxing Day (or St. Stephens's day in the Republic of Ireland), many of the shops had reopened and Belfast was a madhouse! People everywhere. And no wonder, Boxing Day sales are much like the after Christmas sales (or even Black Friday) sales in the US. Unfortunately, many of the tourist attractions were still closed, so we explored a little bit of Belfast by foot. One bonus, I was able to pick up a couple things that I can't get in Germany (they had Reese's peanut butter cups! I forgot how good those things are!) for fairly cheap. But, it rained all day, which normally wouldn't have been much of a problem. Unfortunately though, I had a down coat, which isn't the most waterproof of outerwear and I also discovered that the boots I was wearing (and the only shoes I brought with me), had a crack in the sole, meaning

August 20, 2014

Isle Royale - Recap

August 20, 2014/ Meghan Oaks

I promise, this is the LAST post about Isle Royale :) We hope you've enjoyed reading about the amazing diving that we did during the week, and learning more about this national treasure in Lake Superior. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the hard work of planning and logistics from the staff at Divers Incorporated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. And of course, without the expert captain of the Lake Superior Diver - Ryan - and his first mate (for this trip) Rick. If you are ever looking to do a charter to Isle Royale for ...

August 17, 2014

Isle Royale - Day 5

August 17, 2014/ Meghan Oaks

Our final day on the Lake Superior Diver dawned early. We left Windigo and had a five hour or so ride down the northwestern side of the island to the southern edge where we were scheduled to do two dives on the Chisholm engine.

August 13, 2014

Isle Royale - Day 4

August 13, 2014/ Meghan Oaks

Morning came on day 4 and we were ready for another day of diving! We repeated the Emperor Stern and also the America. The best part about these shipwrecks is that there is so much to see, even after you've

August 05, 2014

Isle Royale - Day 3

August 05, 2014/ Meghan Oaks

Wednesday morning dawned bright an early. Our alarm was Captain Ryan playing "It's a Beautiful Morning " by the Rascals - loudly. By the end of the week, what once starts out as a a fun way to wake up quickly becomes the worst way ever. Ok, perhaps that's a bit of an exaggeration. Then again, I'm not the world's biggest morning person. Actually, I'm not a morning person at all. Some say I am downright grumpy...

July 31, 2014

Isle Royale - Day 2

July 31, 2014/ Meghan Oaks

Early on Tuesday morning, we woke up to the sky alight with an electrical storm. The sky was awesome to watch and the lightning lit everything up almost like daylight. And then then wind came. Followed closely by the rain. Even docked, the boat was rocking. Thankfully the storm was short-lived, but it ushered in much cooler weather and left some lingering wind making for a choppy day on the water.

We left Windigo early in the morning, while everyone...