#LIKE AT LEAST GIVE THEM A SCUBA DIVING KIT OR SOMETHING

[omnomnb]

not that levi kissing them to keep them alive wasn't super romantic and one of my fav moments of the season so far, but did mc seriously not even think to cast a precautionary water breathing spell or smth before going to the house submerged in a flood 😭

[whoslaurapalmer]

so i never do this but i put a lot of thought into really specific details about the structure and scene layout of (the three-part folding mirror) and i really really really want to talk about it so here are some of my notes and some general commentary 

-the crux of the fic, at least the way i had envisioned it, is what vfd does to family, how it becomes biological family vs the family created by vfd

-what vfd did to specific families: -physically separated the calibans -morally separated the denouements and the snickets -somehow brought the anwhistles closer together

-in terms of ramona and olaf, ramona was there to stress the distinction of biological family vs. vfd family but also how they’re so inextricably intertwined with each other, and olaf, this is harder to tell bc he doesn’t have a point of view here, but olaf is scoping out potential candidates for his personal group of firestarters – his own sort of “family” (ramona bc she’s a duchess, ernest because he has a similar line of thought, josephine because her husband is working with the mushrooms, the white-faced women because, well they wind up in his troupe and I have very vague headcanons about how that happens)

-related; the reason frank asks olivia about miranda at the end is because, at that point in the fic, frank feels so terrible about what he said to ernest that he’s trying to reassure himself that his family is still okay because (dewey’s right) at least they’re together, compared to the calibans, who haven’t seen each other in years. it was one of the first ideas I had when I was jotting ideas down in april and it stuck with me the whole way through. I really wanted it in there. I went back and forth before I got to this plot, though, on whether or not frank or ernest would be the one asking it. but I think it fits frank. -(ahahahahahaha the kicker being that miranda really was at the party the whole time and olivia didn’t recognize her) -anyway 

-the parallels in the fic were: -the denouements start the fic together, and end the fic alone (by being honest about how they feel about each other) -the snickets start the fic relatively separated, and end the fic together (by being dishonest about what happened during the party) -the denouements start the fic by playing their game, and the snickets end the fic with theirs -frank is mistaken for ernest, ernest is mistaken for frank -frank pretends to be ernest on accident, ernest pretends to be frank on purpose -dewey has never slammed a door in his life; towards the end of the fic he slams the tray -i….think that’s all of them. I think

-character-wise, jacques and frank both see themselves as the people holding their families together; when in fact for the denouements, it’s dewey, which I think is clear in this, and for the snickets it’s lemony, which is less clear here? but definitely something I agree with -dewey and kit see themselves as the most ‘normal’, and they both have relatively solitary positions of acquiring information -ernest and lemony clearly both vibe on a ‘question vfd’ wavelength -i was also interested in kit and ernest, as siblings who feel stifled by an older/perceived older sibling, and dewey and lemony, who are sometimes unnecessarily protected by their siblings because they are the youngest/perceived youngest -this doesn’t show up in the fic bc olaf’s parents are still alive, but I thought ramona and olaf were also interesting foils re: reacting to their parent’s deaths

-some narration notes: -frank never refers to ernest and dewey as his brothers, except in the scene where he argues with ernest. because frank doesn’t necessarily see the split of biological family vs vfd family but has definitely swayed more to vfd family -ernest and dewey always refer to each other as brothers. -similarly, frank refers to the members of vfd as associates, most everyone else refers to them as friends. -ernest refers to vfd as strictly VFD because he’s distanced himself from it, while everyone else calls it ‘the organization’ -frank doesn’t swear even in his narration when he’s thinking them and not saying them because it’s, still his narration. he still wouldn’t quite completely say the words. (oh, he’s like gansey, like that. the raven cycle is still on my brain. i had so many scene sketches where ernest and frank were way too callous to each other bc they kept coming out like ronan and declan.)  -kit’s line at the beginning is “someone in this very room has betrayed us” which is jacques’s line from the building committee meeting in unauto. the clock saying wrong afterwards is because the someone who really betrayed them (lemony) isn’t in the room. 

-the costumes, which i did decide very arbitrarily: monty: clearly a snake. olaf: sigh. wolf ramona and olivia: oh, there was actually a slight distinction that just no one notices because none of them have looked at an insect (and also because describing clothes properly but succinctly is the hardest thing. i've written fic for a long time!!!!! i did my time in block paragraph clothing description hell!!! it haunts me!!!!!!!!!!), but ramona was the butterfly and olivia was actually a dragonfly. their masks are roses because, well 1) I thought that would be cool 2) butterflies and dragonflies land on flowers…. jacques: the boxwood, but a lion otherwise. josephine: ocean widdershins: the octopus with the pirate hat jacquelyn: the gold star suit (because gustav said she should do it for a play on. star. like. actress star.) miranda: uranus’s moon named miranda. it was very vague and I put that in the fic before I decided to have her in the little scene with esme. and then i thought i would put her in that scene too. gustav: phantom of the opera.  haruki: tree frog hector: tree (not because of haruki’s costume but because i literally could not think of a damn thing for hector to be) lemony: uhhhhhh I had vague ideas he was. a cloud or something. like a stormcloud???? couldn’t pan out though. I like him in grey anyway. kit: I really just wanted her in red. with a big cape. and i spent so much time mentally deciding if i wanted her to have glasses or not in the archives that i forgot to mention her mask. everyone has one i swear to god  white faced women: did anyone recognize that was them? :) it’s not mentioned in any way at all but in my head they were all dressed identically as flappers

esme actually doesn’t have one, because I, forgot, to give her one. I’m taking suggestions. 

-references to lyeekha’s fics: -“that which is essential is invisible to the eye” is what frank says to jacques at the end of edge, and also the title of their snicket/denouement series  -it initially wasn’t in there, because I was worried it wasn’t, like, in the right tone, re: what happens in edge vs how I was interpreting jacques and frank? but i liked it a lot. so i put it back in.  -“frank quit smoking, but you didn’t” is a reference to frank smoking at the end of rigged  -guess the guest and the clock alcove are from the end of fragments, with dewey and ernest watching hotel guests. this is my favorite thing in the whole world and something i actually keep forgetting is not canon because it is SUCH the perfect beethoven parallel  -kit’s tattoo, which I was specifically imagining as the giant bombinating beast tattoo from ink on her back, which is definitely not around her neck but that was the only spot of skin she was showing so it was available and my thought was, it was kind of a low-cut in the back dress, and she was wearing the cape to cover up the giant tattoo on her back because beatrice was not there to cover it up with makeup (also bea picked out the dress.) (bea: if I can’t be there you have to make a statement) (kit: I have to what) -lemony being a “powerful, mythical figure” to the sugar bowl gen was actually something I wrote a long time ago, back in 2013, and I put it in the fic because I thought it fit, and then happened to reread double edged VERY late into the rewriting, literally THE DAY after I wrote that line in, and i saw a similar line of thought, and I was like “*cooper voice* sometimes you just get lucky ~ ” -jacques being in a lion costume, from the masquerade outfit sketches

additionally – -yes I am still cackling about ‘angel of my apple’ -angel of my apple -ANGEL OF MY APPLE  -writing olaf is constantly like, he can say the funniest fucking things. and then turn around and say the absolute cruelest shit and the balance can be difficult.  -but, angel of my a p p l e 

-i can’t believe that out of all the people here, frank and jacques are the ones having the most semi-successful romantic relationship. well, ramona and olivia, too, but frank and jacques actually kiss so good for them -i know it was very vague and it’s because writing romance is physically embarrassing, but yes that last line was supposed to be them kissing, i’m so sorry 

-undercover underwater was a last-minute addition because I didn’t want to take the time to try and google something real and good because I didn’t have the time. my guilty pleasure is super shitty hallmark murder mystery movies (I like good murder mysteries as well, thank you.) and my mom’s been reading terrible murder mysteries during lunch (where I was sitting across from her, also eating lunch, but also hiding behind my laptop and writing the fic) so I just came up with undercover underwater on the spot, but my mom came up with the tagline. it was originally ‘sleeps with the fishes’ (especially because i love the godfather movies which also, clearly has a very big stress on family vs The Family) but I thought ‘diving for the truth’ was funnier. -my mom and my brother (who has no interest in shitty murder mysteries, but loves to verbally smack them down with me re: their predictable tropes) and I decided that the plotline was something like, single woman scuba dives and keeps running into stuff (you know, hidden treasure, dead bodies, the like); her love interest drives the boat; her overbearing family member is an aunt; this is definitely like, book four in the series. there’s probably twelve books or something. (she goes on vacation on like book six and still finds a dead body, come on it practically writes itself.) (she probably owns a little fish tank......it’s a small sunny beach town.........etc etc.........) (it’s so easy to do this.)  -oh, fixer upper is the worst hallmark murder mystery series, murder she baked is the best. in my opinion. 

-dewey and lemony were supposed to have an actual conversation at the hors d’oeuvres table but every time I tried to put lemony in earlier he just wouldn’t work. it didn’t feel right. so he got saved for the reveal. -but i’m still delighted by the idea of lemony literally doing the shot of gazpacho.  -dewey uses a spoon because he doesn’t have the composure or the guts to do a shot of cold soup  -lemony was also supposed to have a scene with kit and one with jacques, i’m pretty sure, to lead up to the gazpacho conversation and the commiserating re: siblings. but again, didn’t work out. so then dewey had to fare alone in the scene. -oh!! the line about how lemony hides, in the least likely places, was actually something that was in my initial write of lemony’s scrapped pov of my ellington fic. jacques being responsible for sending olivia to the hinterlands was from a scrapped jacques fic.  -steal from your unused fic. 

-because I had to take scenes with lemony out, I had some, gaps in the night that I had to fill in (especially because this is a party more people are there than the snickets and the denouements), so that was how esme, the herpetology squad, and olaf and josephine came to be. (also olaf needed to show up again somewhere else otherwise he kind of, disappeared awkwardly, I thought?) -also because initially there was going to be a scene of bea and bertrand, elsewhere, but I wanted to keep the fic contained to the hotel, because one of the ideas I wasn’t able to put into the fic all that much was the sense of the hotel being its own world -oh, bea and bertrand don’t know that lemony used them as cover. the assignment they were working on instead of being at the party? planning the opera. the scene would’ve come right after ramona and olaf’s conversation. -the herpetology squad not only serves to highlight that people can’t tell the denouements apart (part of the foreshadowing that ernest would pretend to be frank), but was also me roasting myself because writing like a million different characters I had never written like this before had me very concerned about if their characterization was consistent, specifically for kit. (specifically, her with dewey.) also defining a character down to one base trait can be helpful when writing and creating characters, but for people no it’s not ideal. -haruki’s estimation of the denouement’s traits were not how i was mentally keeping track of them, because i definitely do do the ‘one base trait’ sometimes, but i had a lot more going on when i was thinking of them -but yes dewey is kind. in the way that bertrand is kind, but bertrand’s like, way more smooth about it. 

-lemony does not have his own pov because, for me personally, I can’t fathom writing him in any other way besides first person, and it just would not do to have one scene out of the whole fic not in third person. unless he was secretly narrating each scene, which, he clearly was not. i would’ve had to do it in a whole different style. 

-i love that dewey and kit are like ‘ahaha we’re the normal ones though’ and their normal conversation is them literally going ‘hey these creepy fish are AWESOME THOUGH’ -i looked at so many fish. for hours.  -ALL BECAUSE I came up with the phrase ‘oceanic intrigue’ as a fun phrase and decided I had to commit my soul to it and never look back. -oh, the fairy shrimp are really very cute though. and i think the cookiecutter shark is, fucked up but a neat little guy. 

-i’m eternally going to be laughing about this too  kit: where the fuck is frank frank: /three floors down, making out with jacques

-oh!! 40-49 is unassigned in the dewey decimal system (which I googled. many, many times.), and was previously biographies. there’s another section for biographies now, but because biography was the closest I could come to like, some sort of, identity category, I thought it was more fitting if it was the section that used to be biography but was now as blank as frank felt.

-dewey is the one responsible for the clock sounding like it does. he just thinks ‘wrong’ is a fun word. that, and frank recognizing jacques by sound, were from my earlier scene sketches for this when i thought this fic was going to be much, much shorter. 

[lesbian-vmin]

thoughts on Malta vmin? especially how whipped jimin was? i dunno how people can call vmin one sided after watching bv3 honestly...

First of all, I want to say that I don’t know why anyone would think Vmin is one sided in the first place? I’ve seen people saying it one way or the other, but I guess mostly that Taehyung cares about Jimin but not the other way around (even though it was mentioned in Taehyung’s letter in BV2 that fans see it the opposite, so maybe Korean fans look at it differently?) Even so, I don’t know why people think it’s one sided. I’m not really biased toward either Jimin or Taehyung (Hoseok is my bias in BTS in case you didn’t know and Jungkook/Jin would be my second, so...but ofc I love them all). So maybe that’s why? I feel like the people who have a bias between one of them would be the ones feeling that way? I could be wrong, but I’ve never gotten the feeling that Vmin was one sided. And all those times that people called Vmin “dead” throughout the years...I never saw that either. But we’re here to talk about Malta, right? 

So I think the easiest way to do this would be to do it episode by episode? So that’s what we are going to do. And yep. You can bet this is going to be a long~ post. (below the cut)

Episode 1

So at the start of the episode, you don’t see Jimin or Taehyung interact at all, and Taehyung doesn’t join them right away. The thing is, Vmin don’t have to be together or even interact with each other to have moments that are worth pointing out, so let’s talk about the first thing, shall we?

When Jungkook points out that Taehyung isn’t with them, the only chance you get to see Jimin’s reaction is when the camera is panned out so that you can see all six of the members, and I think he looks pretty upset. Of course, he’s always upset when Taehyung (or any of the members) can’t be with them. But I think it especially bothered him this time because Taehyung was dealing with some stuff, and they had to leave him behind. After you see all six of the members, you get a close up of all the members except for Jimin.

After mentioning that Taehyung is not with them, the members begin talking about the festival period and such. Most of them have something to say. Namjoon’s the one to initiate the conversation, and Jungkook at least puts a little “oh” in there, but Jimin says nothing. Maybe he’s too busy thinking about Taehyung. Or he doesn’t want to think about doing a lot of things and having too much fun without Taehyung. Anyway, he doesn’t crack a smile until the members start talking about their BT21 merchandise.

In the Behind Cam for episode 1, Taehyung was mentioned when they brought up horseback riding. Jimin was the one to bring it up. Yoongi mentions that Taehyung was looking forward to it, and Jimin wonders when they’ll do it. Jimin is afraid of horses (as seen in BV4), but he at least seems to be looking forward to something Taehyung will want to do.

Episode 2

In episode 2, we have the moment where all the members are on the boat. Jimin suggests that they send a video to Taehyung. During the video, he asks all the members to say “I love you” to Taehyung. He probably asked them to do it to help cheer Taehyung up, but it also felt like he just wanted an excuse to say “I love you” in the video without being weird, so he asked all the members to say it. (And Yoongi’s relucntancy and Taehyung’s reaction to it was sooo cute, but this isn’t a Taegi analysis gdi 😭)

Taehyung then shows a picture (I can’t tell if it’s a selfie of Jimin or a freeze frame from a video) of Jimin that’s obviously not from the video they just made for him. So Jimin clearly sent a selfie or a separate video of just himself to Taehyung. (Yeah, clearly they’re not actually best friends at the very least 🙄) The selfie/video was sent to Taehyung separately and off camera, so it’s clearly a little more personal than the video he did “for show”. Taehyung was the one who decided to share it with the world. I do sort of get the feeling that it was actually a separate video that Taehyung watched while sitting there, and the editors decided not to share with us. I get that feeling because it doesn’t really look like a selfie but a little more like Jimin was in motion and the video was paused. But. I could be wrong.

In the behind the cam, I don’t think there’s anything Vmin specific. One scene that did seem a little odd to me was Jimin sitting off by himself while the rest of the members sat together eating. I could think of a few ways to connect it to Vmin, but Jimin seemed a little lonely in that moment and it made me feel sad. (But then he’s later up with Jungkook and enjoying the night view that he wants to later share with Taehyung.)

Episode 3

We’ll skip this one because I don’t think there was any significance here. Maybe in the Behind Cam, but I don’t feel like watching it to find out because all of the important things are about to come up in episode 4 and beyond.

Episode 4

The first thing, when Jin and Jimin are together buying food for the group, they forget to exclude Taehyung. Jin says something about 7 people, and Jimin doesn’t catch it until Seokjin reminds him that there’s only six of them there. Jimin wishes that Taehyung would come sooner. It’s clear that all of the members want Taehyung to be there, but I really feel for Jimin in this scene because he actually almost seems like he wants to cry. The way his voice trails off and gets quieter as he mentions keeping in contact, the way his eyes look sad, and the subtle furrow if his brows before he turns away from the camera again.

Then we finally get to the reunion. Taehyung finally joins the rest of BTS when they are all about to eat a meal together. The reaction when he comes into their appearance happens so quick that I can’t tell what happens first. Jimin either turns his head slightly, and notices Taehyung and quickly takes a double take. Or he hears Jungkook announce Taehyung’s entrance, and Jimin takes a look. (He seems to react before even the ㅌ of Taehyung’s name makes it out of Jungkook’s mouth, but again it’s all so fast I can’t be sure). Either way, that detail is not that important. What is important is that Jimin is happy to finally have Taehyung with them. Why didn’t him and Jimin sit together? Or why didn’t they let them sit together? It would have saved Namjoon from the two of them holding hands across from him and on his shoulder, but whatever.

“Why are you all dressed up?” They ask Taehyung. Um. For Jimin of course! 😂 Okay they really asked him that, but he didn’t say that. This is a joke and not even part of the actual analysis but I wanted to slide it in here.

After Taehyung shows up, Jimin spends a lot of time with his body physically turned in Taehyung’s direction.

And of course, Jimin slips up and tells Taehyung which the biggest room is when they’re not supposed to be giving him any information. Luckily Hoseok recovers him from that (while other members are so done with him) and tells Taehyung that the rooms are all about the same size. Taehyung tried guessing which room Jimin is staying in, and Jimin asks if he wants to share a room with him. Taehyung then mentions that he’ll probably end up having to sleep in the floor, and Jimin says he hopes that doesn’t happen.

They get up to leave their meal, and Jimin finally gets to hug Taehyung, which he’s probably been waiting to do since Taehyung walked in.

After they scuba dive and jet ski, the members return to their cars. Taehyung asks Jimin which car he’s in. I think it’s pretty safe to assume that he asked because he wanted to be in the same car as Jimin, but they had him take Yoongi’s spot in the opposite car since Yoongi would no longer be there.

And cue handholding when they finally get out of the car. Because why not? And Jimin talking up Taehyung’s horse riding.

“I never knew we’d be riding horses together.” - Jimin to Taehyung

Then we are finally to where Taehyung gets to choose his room. It’s kind of cute watching the members trying not to give away any information, but failing miserably (I’m looking at you, Jungkook). He starts to go upstairs (to the room Jimin chose) and Jimin sits there and makes some kind of face that I can’t even begin to guess what it’s supposed to mean. Taehyung guesses it’s not Jimin’s room. Jimin tells him that it is his room after Taehyung says again that he wants to share a room with Jimin. The members look so done with him at this point, but Taehyung chooses a different room. He may have done it on purpose, but it’s also possible that he thought Jimin was lying about the room and chose the room he thought Jimin would have been staying in. Not really sure what happened there, but I don’t think he was lying about wanting to share a room with Jimin, it just ended up not happening. And I somehow get the feeling that them not sharing a room together is why they were allowed to spend so much time together on this trip.

In the behind the cam, the only moment we get is Taehyung walking in on a sleeping Jimin. He notices Jimin wearing a sheet mask, and he takes it off of him. It’s a sweet moment, but not really much to talk about there because it is what it is.

Episode 5

A really cute moment in here is Taehyung buying Jimin a sewing kit because he wanted to fix his pants that were too big. Jimin wasn’t even talking to Taehyung when he said it, but Taehyung was listening. He kept that in mind while they were shopping for supplies, and probably went out of his way to get the thing for Jimin. When Taehyung confirms that he bought it, Jimin says he’s amazing. Cute best friends if you ask me, but I wouldn’t even be mad if they were boyfriends. I want a girlfriend to take care of me like that and I can take care of her like that. 😂

Taehyung goes to sit by himself while they are getting the meal ready. Jimin sees him by himself and goes to keep him company and talk about the boat trip that he wished Taehyung could have been on. This is a very soft moment.

You then have the members calling to Taehyung to join them to eat. He doesn’t move right away and Jimin appears ready to physically lift Taehyung in the chair and carry him to the rest of them.

Every interaction with Vmin is cute, so I loved the scene with them in the fishing shop in the behind cam for this episode. Looking at the giant hook and the bait together.

I know it’s not a Taegi analysis ffs, but Yoongi gave Taehyung his hat. I’m so soft.

Episode 6

This is finally where we get the soft Vmin moment with Taehyung crying and the crew member going to grab Jimin to tell him. Prior to that, Jimin had been trying to keep Taehyung engaged and talk to him. He pointed out the red moon that he wanted Taehyung to see, and he just kept trying to make sure Taehyung was included and didn’t feel left out. Honestly, I get the feeling that Taehyung just kind of wanted to be left alone, and Jimin respected that. He decided to leave Taehyung by himself, only to later be told that Taehyung was crying.

As soon as he’s told that Taehyung is crying, Jimin rushes over to comfort him. (Along with Hoseok who just gives him company and support, sitting with him while he cries and Jimin hugs him. Honestly this boy is the sweetest thing fight me this is why he’s my bias okay?). In that scene where Jimin is comforting Taehyung, he’s kind of draped over him. Now, I could be wrong about this, but it looks very much to me like when Jimin pulled away from Taehyung, he gives him a kiss on the side of his head. His face is hidden on the other side of Taehyung, so it’s hard to tell. But I’m strongly leaning toward that’s what he did because I have no evidence telling me otherwise. And I’m more convinced because I’ve watched the moment several times, and the sound appears to be muted at that moment. You can hear crickets the background, but then they’re silent when Jimin kisses Taehyung. Maybe it’s a crazy theory, but I think it’s possible they muted the sound if you could hear Jimin kiss him, and they thought I wouldn’t notice. Jimin even looks at the camera and smiles, but his mouth moves in such a way that suggests (to me) that he made a sound, but you hear nothing. (Don’t believe me? Oh don’t worry. That’s why I linked the video. See for yourself.) (EDIT: I did have the actual video in the post, but it didn’t stay when I posted. (x))

I also have mixed feelings about this scene. It’s nice to get a little peak into their friendship like that, but it also feels like they put it in when it should have been a private thing. Jimin should have been able to comfort Taehyung without BV making a “thing” of it. It also feels like this is one of those “private” Vmin moments that we don’t get to see very often (and didn’t even get to see much of here because it was clearly heavily edited), so it was nice to get a peek at what they’re probably really like off camera. But it also felt invasive, you know?

After that scene, the two join Hoseok at the fence, and they look out at the night sky together. Sweet and perfect little Hoseok gives them their space to just be together, but he sticks around still. Maybe because he just wants to enjoy the view a little longer, or maybe he wants to give Taehyung support. Either way, he’s kind enough to allow them to have their moment, and Jimin even pulls Taehyung closer and wraps an arm over his shoulder. There’s not much talking here, but it doesn’t feel necessary. Taehyung was crying, and it was important that he wasn’t crying alone.

Jimin likes the turtle.

The two are having fun looking around the glassblower’s shop, and the other four members leave them behind.

Then you see Jimin catch up to Taehyung. He asks him to take some pictures of him in an alley, and Taehyung asks Jimin to take his as well. After they shoot each other’s photos, Jimin asks one of the crew members to take pictures of them. He grabs Taehyung, and I’m not sure what kind of a pose he’s trying to do with him, but Taehyung doesn’t cooperate. Jimin then acts a little awkward, and they get their picture taken.

After the members all eat together, Jimin and Taehyung are left alone once again. They are allowed to spend time together tonight, and they start off by Taehyung taking pictures of Jimin. 

Jimin take Taehyung to places that he wants him to see. I guess since he wants Taehyung to be happy, he decides to take the lead and show Taehyung around. He even repeats the same things he’s done before because he wants to do them again with Taehyung.

They then make wishes in the fountain together.

They then go and have dinner together. Jimin lets Taehyung have a taste of his drink, and Taehyung says that he likes wine. Jimin says that he wants to take Taehyung to a wine place, then, which is kind of cute. Always thinking about what to do next with Taehyung. During their dinner, Taehyung starts taking pictures of Jimin because why not? He looks cute, and there should be pictures of him. And then Jimin takes his picture, too. And then they start being dorks together because why not? They’re Vmin. That’s what they do.

In the behind cam for this episode, Taehyung asks Jimin to pose for a picture because he really likes the scenery. He could just take a picture of the scenery he likes so much, but maybe it’s even better with the person he likes so much? He then takes a video, and it looks to be a video panning the area, but then Jimin starts being a dork and dancing. Taehyung obviously loves it because he goes in for a close up before continuing to get the buildings.

Episode 7

Taehyung wants to try busking, and Jimin tells him to do it right there. Taehyung doesn’t want to just do it in the middle of the restaurant, afraid the owner will get upset because he’s trying to ruin his business. So, instead, we get a pleasant moment of Taehyung serenading Jimin at the table. 

Then they go and Taehyung busks. It takes a while for Jimin to encourage him and build up his confidence, and Taehyung doesn’t even do the full song, but the moment between them here is so soft and wholesome. This is probably one of my favorite moments because it shows just how much they are like anyone else. Taehyung, a star with millions of fans who loves to hear him sing, is nervous to go up by himself in front of a small audience. Jimin encourages him, brushing his hair back and saying, “I’m here because I want to hear the song you will sing.” It’s just a very real and genuine moment, so this is my favorite moment in the whole series. And of course Jimin records it. The moment is already being filmed for the series, but he also records it for himself. He’s a cute and flustered and shy and happy because Jimin recorded him. They’re just adorable and so damn wholesome all right here.

Jimin wanted to show Taehyung night views because he likes them.

Cue more hand holding.

The next morning, Jimin admits to having a dream about Taehyung busking and getting bullied by someone in the audience. 

They get to spend the day together again. In which they go out to eat. They both say that they’re not hungry, and they don’t want to eat. But then go to McDonald’s to eat.They are all cute and trade accessories and such, and Jimin enjoys his McDonald’s meal in Taehyung’s hat and glasses. 

I’m going to skip episode 8, which I know is lazy, but that’s me. And I have to get some sleep before going back to work.

Anyway, there were a lot of Vmin moments. Some of them I didn’t even cover here. It’s pretty obvious that the two are best friends, and all of the moments here felt very genuine to me. We got to see that Jimin and Taehyung are there for each other and support each other. Jimin encourages Taehyung a lot and gives him strength. He also gives Taehyung his space when he thinks he might need it, but is quick to be by his side when he’s clearly upset. And this shows that Vmin isn’t one sides because Taehyung also mentioned wanting to spend time with Jimin a lot. He wanted to share the same room and same car, and he even asked Jimin to pose for photos. They don’t treat each other exactly the same, and I think what we got to see from their Malta trip shows us only a tiny part of how dynamic they are with each other. It definitely showed us a very soft side of them.

[hedwigstalons]

Pool Toys

Another offering for #irrelief.  This is for @gumnut-logic who wanted something about pool toys.  

xoxoxox

“Grandma is not going to be pleased if you leave that junk all over the deck.  I hope you’re going to clean up that mess when you are done.”

“It’s not junk” Gordon surveyed the bricks, dive sticks, hoops and floats scattered round him, “I’m looking over the bits for my training session.”

John groaned.  “I thought I’d escaped this time.”  

The grin he received in return did nothing to lift his mood. It made sense that they each underwent training in the others’ specialisms but he was about as fond of water training as Gordon was of keeping up his space rating.  Each viewed the habitual environment of the other as a necessary evil.  He quite enjoyed swimming for relaxation, a chance to free himself from some of the effects of gravity, but on duty give him space any day. 

If John had paid better attention to the calendar he would have realised that his current Earthside rotation was likely to include a session with the Squid.  Sometimes that meant a dive in the caldera with the scuba kit, sometimes it meant being taken out into open water in Thunderbird Four and sometimes it was a gruelling session working on the core swimming and diving techniques.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fun.  We’re sticking to the pool so no wetsuits required.  Now go dig out your shorts and slap on the sunscreen, it’s time to get wet.”

John wasn’t quite sure he believed the assertion that it would be fun but it did at least look like they would be having a less than serious session.  He didn’t doubt that Gordon would work him hard though.  You never knew when you might be required to take a dip on a rescue and their resident aquanaut was a firm believer in keeping their swimming skills up to scratch.

Half an hour later all five brothers were gathered pool-side, wondering what fate awaited them.  John wasn’t sure whether it was a good thing or not that this had turned into a group session.  You never could tell with Gordon.  

The pool itself resembled an underwater obstacle course.  Hoops were suspended in the water at different heights tethered between weights and floats to keep them in place while objects littered the pool floor.  The aquanaut had evidently been busy.

If you could count on Gordon for one thing it was that he would only push you as hard as he pushed himself.  Unfortunately for his siblings, when it came to anything water based Gordon would push himself very hard indeed.

With a running jump that turned into a perfectly executed dive the aquanaut proceeded to show them just what was required for the first test.  He slipped through the course of hoops without touching them in one single lung-bursting breath, only resurfacing when he reached the far end of the pool.

He grinned at the assembled ranks in the same way a shark might grin at its prey and any last shred of hope that the session would be easy melted away.  

The brothers lined up to take their turn.  Might as well get it over with.  One by one they made their attempts to navigate the course under the watchful eye of Gordon.  None of them reached the end and more than one ring was knocked along the way but there were some valiant attempts and more than a little rivalry. 

Challenge after challenge was thrown at them, each designed to test a different water skill.  Some required teamwork such as lifting a large object from the bottom of the pool; others like casualty towing allowed Gordon to assess their individual skills.

By the end of the session the brothers were panting and gasping.  Lungs had been tested and lactic acid was building up.  It was with some relief that Gordon announced that all that was left was to clear all the remaining kit out of the pool and put it back in the box.  The poolside was soon littered with the collected equipment and Alan dragged out the crate from its locker to save carting all the pieces back individually.

As the crate was removed some brightly coloured bits of rubber were revealed that had evidently fallen down the back.

“Hey, I forgot we had these” Alan crawled into the back of the locker to pull out the shapes. 

“What have you found, Al?”

“The inflatables we got for Gordon’s pool party the first year we moved here.”

“I thought those were long gone.  Are they still ok?”

“Seem to be.”  He found a valve, brushed the dust off, and gave it an experimental blow.  The shape began to expand and take on the form of a dolphin, albeit a bright purple one.  “Whose was this? Virgil?”

“Nope, that was mine.  Virgil had a penguin” said Gordon, claiming the dolphin and giving it an affectionate pat.  “That was a birthday to remember.  I was so excited that we had our own pool and that I could use it year round.”

Scott grabbed one of the shapes.  “Palm tree was yours wasn’t it John?”  The inflatable was tossed across to the answering nod and John started blowing it up.

“This one was mine” said Alan, claiming the octopus “and I’m sure this last one is a seahorse.”

“Seahorse was mine.  You sure that’s it?”

“Positive”

“So where did the penguin go?  All the others made it back into the cupboard, why not Virg’s?  We could have had a rerun of the races”

The engineer shifted uncomfortably under the gaze of his eldest brother.  He had got rather attached to his inflatable and hadn’t wanted to consign it to the cupboard after the party.

“Virgil?”

“Fernando lives in my room.”

“Fernando” snorted Scott.  “What sort of name is that for a penguin?”

“Surely a better question is why did he name it at all?  I mean, it’s a pool toy?”

“Don’t you listen to the nasty man, Gloria”  Gordon stroked his dolphin.  “Just because he has a silly old tree rather than a nice, sensible animal.  Come on Virg, go dig out Fernando”

Virgil shrugged and headed into the villa to retrieve his inflatable.  How the others had missed that he had a 4 foot penguin living in the corner of his room was beyond him.  It wasn’t exactly an item you could easily hide.  Maybe they had just got blind to the fact it was there, like a piece of furniture you no longer really see because it is so familiar.

As he headed back through the villa, penguin under one arm, he could hear the shrieks long before the pool came back into sight.  It sounded as though the finding of the inflatables had given his brothers their second wind.

Sure enough the races had already begun.  Each brother was valiantly trying to stay atop their float while using a pool noodle as a paddle.  Progress was slow and erratic with a competitor frequently being pitched off their steed or toppling sideways into the water, often in response to a jab from an opposing noodle.  Even John, normally the most reserved of the group, was in the thick of it.

Virgil dragged a couple of loungers into a shady spot, put the penguin on one and stretched himself out on the other.  A spare set of sunglasses was retrieved from the waistband of his shorts.

“There you go Fernando, can’t have you damaging your eyes.” 

After giving the penguin one final affectionate pat he settled down to watch the unfolding drama in the pool, plus of course film if for future blackmail purposes.

[drakhus]

rules: bold the statements that relate to you and tag whoever you want

tagged by @tomakeitbeautifultolive

I’m over 5'5 / I wear glasses/contacts / I have blonde hair / I wear sweatshirts hoodies a lot / I prefer loose clothing to tight clothing / I have one or more piercings / I have at least one tattoo / I have blue eyes / I have dyed or highlighted my hair/ I have gotten plastic surgery / I have or had braces / I sunburn easily / I have freckles / I paint my nails / I typically wear makeup / I don’t often smile / I am pleased with how I look / I prefer Nike to Adidas / I wear baseball hats backwards

I play a sport / I can play an instrument / I am artistic / I know more than one language / I have won a trophy in some sort of competition / I can cook or bake without a recipe / I know how to swim / I enjoy writing / I can do origami / I prefer movies to TV shows / I can execute a perfect somersault / I enjoy singing (I can’t though) / I could survive in the wild on my own / I have read a new book series this year / I enjoy spending time with friends (who wouldn’t bold this, really?) / I travel during school or work breaks / I can do a handstand

I have had my first kiss / I have gotten drunk / I have told a crush I like them  / I have traveled outside of the country ) / I have flown on an airplane / I have stayed awake for more than 48 hours / I have had a near-death experience / I have caught something on fire / I have performed in a talent show / I have shot a gun / I have been on TV / I have gone scuba diving / I have broken a bone / I have slow-danced (poorly) / I have gone on a shopping spree

I am in a relationship / I have been single for over a yeary) / I have a crush / I have a best friend I have known for over ten years / my parents are together / I have dated my best friend / I am adopted / my crush has confessed to me / I am an only child / I give advice to my friends / I have made an online friend / I met up with someone I have met online

I have heard the ocean in a conch shell / I have watched the sunrise / I enjoy rainy days / I have slept under the stars / I meditate outside / The sound of chirping calms me / I enjoy the smell of the beach / I know what snow tastes like / I listen to music to fall asleep / I enjoy thunderstorms / I enjoy cloud watching / I have attended a bonfire / I pay close attention to colors / I find mystery in the ocean / I enjoy hiking on nature paths / autumn is my favorite season

I can fall asleep in a moving vehicle / I am the mum friend / I live by a certain quote / I like the smell of Sharpies / I am involved in extracurricular activities / I enjoy Mexican food / I can drive stick-shift / I have memorized an entire song in a day/hour / I dream up scenarios to fall asleep / I sing in the shower / I wish I lived in a video game  / I have a canopy above my bed / I am multi-racial / I am a redhead / I own at least three dogs / I am LGBTQ+

I tag: @tidussssfan @minmeemaw @thebeautyofjoneryzz @filhadoboto @thescarletgarden1990 @filhadoboto @ebonystarr55 @muttpeeta @akurotori @thousandeyesand-one @valkodys @kit-tastik @ki11erqueen

[gmtpluseight]

Blowing bubbles

SEPTEMBER

Well here we are. 

Knee-deep in Standard Operating Procedures, post-summer hols back at school, but at least back at school, rather than confined to a wardrobe (admittedly, a large wardrobe) trying to teach virtually, locked-down, doubled down, terrorised by my own children. The horror, the horror. 

Briefly, the Virtual School Experience flickered back to life this week as a local water contamination that affected the entire Klang Valley dragged its heels. The taps in the classrooms sputtered. Talk was we wouldn’t be able to flush the loos. Giant water tankers delivered so much, but not possibly enough. 

The last thing you need during a pandemic: a lack of means of washing hands. 

Thankfully, it lasted a day before it was resolved.

What a summer it was, though. Not the one we expected, although we can’t be alone in that. Instead of returning home, we made a new home, moving from one enormous condo unit to another. Less than 100m as the crow flies. 

Still a job to pack up. 

JULY

We trolley boxes across the basement carparks, dodging speed bumps and squealing slow-moving cars. 

We buy enormous plants at ridiculously cheap prices to pad out the space a bit. 

I spend close to two hours with the owner of our previous condo unit and the housing agents, arguing over imagined damage to the property. 

In the end I win. But everyone also loses. It’s a compromise.

I meet one of the agents later that afternoon out front, jumping into a cab. I need a drink she says. I know the feeling.

In between before and after packing up and down, we master short hops to impossibly beautiful destinations. 

JULY-AUGUST--ISH

We spend several hundred ringgos in Decathlon in preparation. We visit a dive shop in a mall beside a purpose built Scuba diving-training-swimming pool. Two men, one bare-chested, sit at a table beside, swigging from a bottle of whisky. I guess lockdown affected some businesses more than others.

First up, Perhentian Besar, where friends John and Christine make friends with everyone. 

Where the kids take telly breaks inside, sheltered from the lapis blue skies. We use dive mask boxes as crisp buckets. 

I take trips to the peer to eyeball the local triggerfish as it nibbles at barnacles. 

We take a boat trip to neighbouring Perhentian Kecil and walk past one of our neighbours from KL. A storm creeps over the hill as we sip cocktails and attempt to distract the children from their boredom. We nearly get stranded but our boatman basically decides to roll the dice with our lives and before long we’re bouncing off the waves with hair-shredding winds whipping across and sea spray more like shower spray dousing us. No more boats travel that evening as the waves grow even bigger.

THE THIRD TRIP - PENANG

We check in to a lovely hotel with hands-down the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in. Several other friends and their children from KL are all in the same hotel. 

By day we take in local sites along and about the Batu Ferringhi stretch. Penang Butterfly Farm is vast, and predictably, it is filled with butterflies.

It’s also filled with other things.

Spiders, scorpions and a toad, I kid yeeeee not, as big as a melon. Not quite a watermelon, but a very decently sized cantaloupe.

Most of the spiders are behind glass. Amazingly, one enclosure has no glass. Just a big empty space. Couple wispy bits of spiderweb reach right out into the corridor. I practically walk through them as I approach to see what’s inside. Nothing, apparently.

That spider could be anywhere in the entire Butterfly Farm. 

I spend the rest of the visit with that thought on my mind.

By late afternoon/evening, we hit the beach bars. 

The beach keeps the kids happy. 

The bar keeps the adults happy. Everyone’s a winn-

KIT GET OUT OF THE SEA! KIT! KI- 

He’s deliberately ignoring me. He’s started doing this loads.

KIT! KIT! KI-IIIIIT!

Now his shorts and t-shirt are soaking. Great. Soon his nappy will be hanging round his knees, soaked with seawater.

One night, we witness a proposal at the beach bar.

The eagle-eyed can tell something is afoot from the moment we arrive- there’s pink balloons, fake flower petals and candles set out in front of the VIP booth bit. No future groom no bride to speak of yet though. 

Clearly, balloons are interesting to small children.

It’s a job keeping them away from the flower petals too. Let alone the candles. Eventually they start splashing about in the water instead. 

Inside, there’s at least three photographers circling. 

There’s a change in music. 

Someone Has Arrived. 

There’s a general movement towards the balloons and flower petals and candles at which point the children regain an interest in it all. They gambol over in the end-of-the-day, anything could happen, I’m-on-holiday-too and if-you’re-not-going-to-provide-entertainment-I’ll-make-my-own sort of way.

One photographer shoots me a look of sheer, unbridled terror. 

I do my best cat-herding, distract and befuddle the children with a mixture of unfulfilled offers, bribes and bird noise imitation. It works.

Moments later the bride-to-be saunters through with a friend. 

Then, all the bits you’d expect. Hands on mouth. Gasps. Grins. Searching the faces in the crowd for her suitor.

He’s not there.

A band emerges from around the corner. Actually, no, a group of her friends. One has a boom box and they’re all singing terribly, kicking sand playfully and moving slowly. I don’t recognise the tune. But that could be down to their singing.

A few more moments later, and from behind us a horse jerkily walks towards this scene. On top, a man dressed in an oversize Mickey Mouse costume, who clearly has never ridden a horse in his life. 

I’m no Frankie Dettori, but I can tell this guy doesn’t know the front end from the back of a horse.

He struggles to dismount. 

He’s got these giant clown-shoes on and he gets them caught in the stirrups, then his head lolls forward as he tries to look down at the snag. Eventually, he makes it onto one knee. Later the kids squabble over balloons and Kit is beyond inconsolable when they are released to the sky. It’s a clear night, which makes it worse. He watches them sail away for ages.

We while away the rest of the night to the sound of the house band. Two guys. A guitar and a drum set made of old tins, teapots and gas cans. It’s a marvel to behold.

THE FOURTH TRIP - PANGKOR LAUT

Now this place. This place really take the biscuit. 

The last hurrah of the summer holidays before back to work. A private friggin island. When else can I say I have visited a private island.

There’s hornbills everywhere.There’s infinity pools. There’s a massive tree filled with flying foxes that sweep across the sky at night. There’s a little minibus that takes you to the other side of the island, to a secluded bay and another gorgeous beach. It’s simply idyllic.

There’s also a pack of marauding macaques that sniff out the packet of dried apricots that the ants had already sniffed out. Left outside our room door, they come hungry for it. By that point we’d already gone to the beach. The Mutters, next door, hadn’t though. They ended up barricaded in for a while as the macaques descended.

The clientele at the island is not what we’ve experienced so far. Comes with a place like that I guess. Everyone is visibly less patient, less enamoured with and less pleased by our children. I mean. I don’t really blame them.

THE SPUR OF THE MOMENT TRIP / THE THIRD TRIP

Langkawi. Ah, Langkawi. 

West coast beaches are definitely not east coast beaches. But it’s still a giant playground for an under 5. Bliss.

Our hotel has the world’s most incredible swimming pools (yes, pools) with slides and bridges and water spouts and people who give you ginormous towels and a 5 foot monitor lizard, one day, who decided to take a dip.

We watch a parent eagle teaching its young to fly. We watch coconut tree shimmiers machete off coconuts and leaves. We zip off to the other side of the island and Stanley Mutter, aka Crab God, charms the local fauna. Then we go home, unpack, wash everything and start thinking about what to pack for the next trip.

[kca3131]

New Post has been published on Spearfishing HQ

New Post has been published on http://spearfishinghq.com/dive-masks-basics/

Dive Masks Basics: Everything you already learned (or should have) in your open water course

 This is a basic primer on all of the features of modern dive masks. I will explain these features and how they can benefit you. Check out upcoming posts for recommendations of specific models. This article covers:

The purpose of dive masks

An explanation of the soft skirt that holds the mask to the face

Mask volumes

The different lens and glass types

What to look for in the strap adjustment mechanism

A quick reminder of how to prepare new masks before diving

Let’s Introduce Modern Dive Masks

Masks are an essential part of dive equipment mostly because we can’t see clearly underwater. Some animals such as seals and sea lions can see well above and below water. However, humans need something to trap a small amount of air against the eyes. Also, the dive mask prevents water from entering the nose or eyes, which can be pretty uncomfortable, especially in salt water.

Let’s Just Use Goggles!

If you are swimming on or near the surface a pair of swim goggles that only cover the eyes will work perfectly for allowing you to see and protect your eyes. However, once you start to descend the water pressure will quickly squeeze the goggles to your face and you will be unable to equalize them, which can cause damage. This is why all dive masks enclose the nose, allowing you to blow air into the mask and equalize it.  You can not use swim googles for diving!

Injury resulting from a squeeze.  This can happen if a pair of goggles or a dive mask is not equalized underwater.

Keep the Nose Covered. Got It!

In order to attach the lens to the face you will need a soft material to make a comfortable and waterproof seal that encloses the nose and eyes. The early dive masks of the 1950’s used rubber but today most masks use a silicone based material which is a bit softer and more comfortable. Some of the less expensive masks, usually sold as snorkel kits in big box retailers use a plastic or PVC based material for the mask skirt and is of lower quality than the silicone option in terms of comfort and pliability. Some brands are advertising ultra-soft silicone skirts. There will continue to be advancements just keep in mind the purpose of the skirt is to make a comfortable and watertight seal and be sure your mask does just that.

Skirts also come in clear or colored. Clear skirts allow more light into the mask and it’s even possible to see strong shadows through them, allowing you to turn your attention to something in your peripheral. Black or colored skirts are better at blocking refracted light which might help prevent a glare if diving in shallow clear water on a sunny day. With my clear mask sometimes I cup my hands around my mask like I’m peering into a window if I’m trying to see out in the blue or into a shadowy place to block the light. One isn’t really better for most applications so you will just have to try both and decide which one works for you.

Also on the skirt, is the option for a nose purge.  A nose purge is a one-way valve in the nose pocket that allows you to clear the mask without lifting it from your face.  I have a few reservations about this type of mask.  If the one-way valve becomes damaged at all it will leak and the mask will become worthless.  Also, you have to pinch around the valve to reach your nose when equalizing, which may or may not be a concern.  That being said, many people enjoy this style because it can be easier to clear for some people, especially if the mask has a high internal volume.

High Volume VS Low Volume

When we talk about the ‘volume’ of a mask we mean the internal volume, in other words, how much air fits inside of it.  When SCUBA diving, the volume of a mask isn’t super important but it does effect the diver is a few ways.  A mask with a large volume will need to be equalized more often, and can take longer to clear if it is flooded, compared to a low volume mask.  You should use a low volume mask when freediving if possible.  You only have small amount of air and you don’t want to waste it equalizing an unnecessarily large mask.

T For Tempered

Dive masks should have tempered glass for the lens or lenses. Tempered glass is stronger and is safer when it breaks.

Most dive masks come in one or two pane options, or more simply, one big lens or two smaller lenses. One difference between the two is that replacement prescription lenses are usually only offered for the two-lens style, and the frameless style masks usually are offered in the single pane style. Another style you may see in the side window mask. This mask has glass lenses on the side of the mask to allow a wider field of vision, this is usually found on large masks. There isn’t an inherent advantage to any mask based on number of lenses alone.

Dive masks can come with colored or clear skirts and with a different number of lenses.

Masks can have a plastic frame that pin the glass lenses in place to the skirt or they can be ‘frameless’ where the glass is bonded directly to the skirt. The best mask is the mask that fits you the best, but frameless options tend to have two advantages. One is a lower internal airspace volume, making clearing the mask of water easier, and the lens tends to sit closer to the eyes which can give a slightly wider field of vision.

The Clearer the Better

Most dive masks use a standard glass which puts a very slight green tint to it. Some manufactures are offering ultra-clear glass which has a lower iron content to remove some of the green tint and filter less light. Some brands of low-iron glass allow as much as 92% of light to pass through. As much of the light is filtered underwater it’s an advantage to have a clearer mask, however, in my opinion, it is a very slight difference and the standard glass will work fine.

Along the lines of offering clearing vision, some brands are now offering anti-reflective coatings on the mask lenses. They claim that they reduce the amount of light reflected by the glass and allows that light to pass through to your eyes. This technology is already widely used on prescription eyewear. Optometrist Gary Heiting, explains at All About Vision that prescription lenses with modern anti-reflective materials can allow 99.5% of available light to reach the eye.

Mirrored or colored lenses are other options that are sometime preferred by spearfisherman. The mirrored lenses prevent the fish from being able to see your eyes which some spearos find to be an advantage. Mirrored lenses limit some light from entering the mask which may be useful in shallow clear water to stop some of the glare from refracted light, however, it will make things seem darker in situations where there already isn’t much light available.

The Cressi Big Eyes Evolution comes in a mirrored option

Amber or colored lenses are designed to provide more contrast by filtering certain colors of light. The strongest effect can be seen in greenish water with low visibility.

In my opinion, I think that there is already very limited light underwater and I want a mask that allows as much light as possible and I avoid any mask that blocks or filters light.

  Let’s Keep It All on the Head

The dive mask is secured to the head by a strap. It is usually made out of silicone but you can buy an aftermarket neoprene covers or neoprene and Velcro straps if you would like. They don’t get tangled in long hair as easily as the silicone does.

The more important part is how the strap attaches to the mask. Masks have an adjustment mechanism on the side of the mask to allow you to adjust the strap to fit your head. The adjustment can attach to the side of the plastic frame or it can be formed directly onto the silicone.

Generally, it is better if the strap buckle is attached to the silicone. The silicone stretches and moves making it less likely to break. Also, if the strap moves for any reason, for example you move your snorkel that is attached to the strap, it is less likely to transfer the motion and move your mask out of position on your face.

One final consideration on adjusting the mask strap is how easily it is to adjust. Most buckles have a lever or button to loosen the strap and to tighten you simply pull on the loose tabs. The important thing is that it is easy for you to tighten or loosen the strap while the mask is in place on your head. You shouldn’t have to pull it off to adjust it.

Preparing Your Dive Masks

All new masks need to be prepared before use. The inside of the mask will fog and then you won’t be able to see anything. You can prepare the mask by scrubbing it with a slightly abrasive cleaner such as toothpaste. There are commercial products available for just that purpose as well. Just put in some cleaner on the inside of the lens and rub it around with your finger for at least 5 minutes.

Another way, and my personal preference, is to burn the inside of the lens with a lighter. Just put the flame a few inches from the inside of the glass and move it around to cover it all. Just make sure you don’t heat the silicone as it can be damaged. Also, be careful of the glass because it can heat up quickly.

Some colored or specially coated lens may be damaged using these methods. Clean according to any special instructions that come with the mask at purchase.  Always follow the manufacture’s recommendations.

You may need to do one of these initial preparations a few times before you have success. Also, never forget to defog the mask just before entering the water. You can use a commercial product for this as well. Also, a 50-50 mix of baby soap and water will work well, and of course the classic is to just spit in the mask then quickly rinse it just before entering the water.

Commercial scrubs and defog like this one are available as well as using house hold cleaners

Learn More: Now that you know about the features available on dive masks, check out Follow These 7 Steps to Find a Perfect Fit When Shopping for a Dive Mask to learn how to get the perfect fit.

References

http://www.manfish.ca/the-evolution-of-the-modern-diving-mask.html

http://www.allaboutvision.com/lenses/anti-reflective.htm

https://www.verywell.com/are-anti-reflective-coatings-worth-the-extra-cost-3421899

https://www.pilkington.com/en-gb/uk/products/product-categories/special-applications/pilkington-optiwhite#performancedata

[harryjacob123]

what is the best fishing kayak?

We’re going to try to help you make a decision! But we need to be clear on this.... there is not one kayak that can be recommended for everyone. Best fishing kayaks come in all different shapes and sizes and each type is designed to work better in certain conditions. For example, you might not have much transport space inside (or on top of) your car, so is it may be worth looking at an inflatable kayak that deflates and packs away into a convenient small space. Or do you intend mostly heading out fishing alone or with a friend or partner? Then you might want to think about opting for a tandem kayak (or maybe stick with two solo ‘yaks!).

Choosing A Fishing Kayak: Features To Consider

Stability

How stable is your kayak?

The last thing you want to be worried about is tipping over when your mind is on grabbing the line or net as you’re reeling in bass. This is particularly the case if you prefer standing up. There are fishing kayaks that are made for prolonged periods of standing as well as sitting.

Storage

Try to choose a best fishing kayak that at least has the storage options that you require. A lot of kayaks have front and rear storage, as well as hatches that can be used to store equipment that needs to be protected from water. You’ll also want to store bait, tackle and possibly your rods as you paddle (unless you just leave them in rod holders). Just have a good think about what you might need before you purchase. All the kayaks listed here feature at least one rod holder, which are a must-have (the more expensive ones have more). Some holders are ‘flush’ mounted, meaning they are molded into the kayak, while others have adjustable rod holders, that often are detachable from the ‘yak.

Pimp My ‘Yak

Ok, this follows on from storage just nicely. Some kayaks can easily be upgraded or you can add on cool accessories.

Check out this video to see how imaginative you can get: For example, some kayaks have options for rail storage. With these you can attach fish finders or extra rods, GPS, or anything else that you need to have fastened and that you can get your hands on fast. You might even want to film your day out, so why not add your GoPro?

Want a break from paddling? If your kayak supports a trolling motor, you could add one to the stern and get from A to B without breaking a sweat. Or you could add a sail instead.You can even get inventive and add your own kit regardless of included fittings.A sail can be a handy addition to your kayak as it can let you harness the power of the wind to move your yak across the water, meaning you could save your energy for more fishing when you reach your destination.There are several types of sails, including smaller kayak sails that look like parachutes that are attached close to the front and help to pull you along. As long as you have enough of a breeze you could find you move much faster than paddlers without a sail. One way you can update the look of your yak is by adding some LED lights to it - like these from Boaton. This can help keep you visible while you’re fishing at night or in low light conditions and it can look pretty cool too. You may even find that you can get lights that are designed to repel bugs, so you can keep on fishing without getting bitten.

Video: Adding LEDs to A Kayak

If you’re yak’s not tricked out enough, you could add some outriggers to it to add some extra stability for when you’re fishing. This could let you stand up more easily to fish and could help you feel a little more at ease on rougher water. 

Weight Is Important Too

This is important. You need to consider how much weight capacity the manufacturer recommends. Then deduct your own weight (and partner’s if going tandem) as well as any fishing tackle you intend taking. Also remember to add weight for any gizmos, food or extra clothing you want to take. Heck, some people kayak for days, so you might even want to bring tents and camping equipment. In any case, just make sure you have done your sums when it comes to weight.

Speed vs Turning

We’re not going to go into great detail here, but as a rule of thumb, you should consider the following:

1) Longer kayaks are more efficient through the water which makes them faster.

2) Shorter kayaks can maneuver and turn better.

Also consider the keel of the kayak. If looking from the side, the keel is more rounded, it should turn better. We don’t want to go too much into this now, as well pronounced rounded keels are moving into the territory of whitewater kayaks – which are certainly more in tune with pure kayak fun, rather than fishing!

Types Of Fishing Kayaks

we are going to run through various different fishing kayak types and brands, and outline how each one can benefit you for your particular needs. We'll also recommend some of the top-rated kayaks available within each type.

Our job is to make your decision a whole lot easier, so hopefully we will give you all the information you are looking for! Before you choose a fishing kayak, you need to decide which type is right for you.

There are two basic types:

Two Basic Types: SOT & SIK

SOT (Sit-On-Top)

The paddler(s) sits on top of the kayak. They are not enclosed and as such, access in and out of the kayak is made easier. IK (Sit-In Kayak)

The paddler(s) are enclosed within the kayak. Spray skirts can be used to keep the water away from the lower body.

Sit-On Top Fishing Kayaks

Pros

·         Don’t feel confined when paddling

·         Easy to get in and out of

·         Great for very warm or hot conditions

·         Generally, more stable

·         Can grab tools and move around much more easily

Downsides

·         You can get wet paddling

·         May travel a little slower

Sit-on top kayaks are also known as SOT (Sit-On Top). They can also be referred to by some as SOKs.

SOT kayaks are designed for multi-purpose recreational pastimes, including general touring and diving (inc scuba) or swimming off-shore. But they can be great for fishing. They have a molded depression on top and a sealed hull.

Sit-on-tops are suitable for everyone. They are very easy to get into and out of…perfect if you want to get out and do some wade fishing in shallow waters. Having an open top also makes it easy to store and access your fishing tackle and any other equipment you might have.

SOTs are generally quite wide. This is good for stability, so they can be really good if you want a stand up fishing (stand up within the kayak), want to fly cast, are reeling in, or if you have a tendency to get nervous paddling around or when you need to grab anything from anywhere other than your seat.

> What About Sit-On Top Kayak Seats?​

The disadvantage to having width is that you will travel slightly slower, but this isn’t something that would bother most fishermen, as they aren't in a race!

What About Pedal Yaks?

Pedal kayaks can be useful for fishing as they can free up your hands and allow you to focus more on fishing rather than worry about trying to juggle a paddle and rod at the same time.A pedal kayak can also be easier to use, as you don’t necessarily need to learn paddling skills or know particular techniques. This means almost anyone can operate a pedal kayak. With a pedal yak you use your feet and legs to power you across the water, which can mean you can go faster than you might be able to with a paddle and with perhaps less effort, as your legs are usually naturally stronger than your arms.Ok,

Top Rated Sit-On-Top Fishing Kayaks

Ocean Kayak Prowler 13 An​​​​​gler

 ·         Length: 13 foot 4 inches

·         Width: 28 inches

·         Weight: 56 pounds

·         Weight Capacity: 325 pounds

The Prowler 13 Angler is a sit-on-top best fishing kayak under 500 that’s designed for speed and efficiency, with its long and relatively narrow hull.But despite its narrow hull, it’s also a stable vessel that can be ideal for fishing in lakes or the ocean, with ample secondary stability for handling choppy conditions.It features a large oval hatch at the bow, as well as a 6 inch hatch with insert, and benefits from a spacious rear tank well that’s ideal for storing your crate or cooler. There’s also a cup holder in the center and molded foot wells for different leg lengths. The yak benefits from having two flush mounted rod holders conveniently located behind the seat. It also comes with a padded Comfort Plus seat with seat back and features bungee deck rigging for attaching other gear.

Hobie Mirage Pro Angler 12 (Pedal Kayak)

 ·         Length: 12 ft

·         Width: 36 inches

·         Weight: 105 pounds (128.5 pounds fully rigged)

·         Weight Capacity: 500 pounds

The Hobie Mirage Pro Angler 12 is a pedal kayak that’s built for anglers. With a huge weight capacity and plenty of storage, it could be the ideal craft for spending a full day on the water, or even taking on a multi-day fishing trip. Featuring the Mirage Drive pedal system, the foot pedals on deck propel the dual fins under the hull, so you can reach your destination quickly and without needing to paddle, giving you more time to fish. You can attach plenty of accessories to this craft with the H-rail and there’s storage for up to 6 fishing rods, as well as a large bow storage hatch, a sealed rear hatch and a tackle tray management system. The seat lets you sit slightly elevated off the deck for better sight fishing and you can even stand up to fish if you prefer.

Perception Pescador Pro 12.0 Kayak

 ·         Length: 12 ft

·         Width: 32.5 inches

·         Depth: 14.5 inches

·         Weight: 64 pounds

·         Weight Capacity: 375 pounds

Ok, so we’re starting off with the most expensive sit-on top fishing kayak on your list. We thought it was best to get the shock factor out of the way, early on, hehe.

The Pescador is a 12 footer which features a multi-chine hull which has been designed to help keep you stable and assist with tracking.To help you sit down for long periods of time, the seat is removable and adjustable into two positions (upright and recline). The seat also slides along rails if needs be, as and when you need to. So what about storage? Well, there’s a tank well at the bow end, which is covered by fine mesh. At the rear is a large storage area, covered over with bungee rope to keep your essentials tied down. Towards the front of this well is a hatched compartment which screws on/off. You could store rods in here or whatever else you intend carrying along that needs to stay dry. Just note that the hatch is only five inches wide, so you may be restricted with some items. There’s also a console right in front of the cockpit for easy access. It might be ideal for a battery for any electronics you might want to bring (fish finder or a GPS etc). You can store a drink in the slot directly in front of the console. You’re going to want to add rods. The Pescadores comes with two molded holders just behind the seat. If you want more, you can add rod holders to the GearTrac rails on the sides of the cockpit. You could also add other gadgets to these rails – totally up to you. Rest your feet on the fully adjustable braces for maximum comfort.

Pelican Catch 120 Kayak

 ·         Length: 11 foot 8 inches

·         Width: 34 inches

·         Weight: 69 pounds

·         Weight Capacity: 400 pounds

The Pelican Catch 120 is a sit-on-top fishing kayaks that is designed for stability with a tunnel shaped hull. It features a spacious deck area that you can stand on while you reel in your catch and when it’s time to sit down there’s a comfortable mesh-backed seat that can be adjusted higher or lower. The Catch has built-in rod holders, a bow storage hatch, a large rear tank well and a high weight capacity to let you bring along everything you’ll need for your trip. It features front, rear and side carry handles, which can make it easier to lift. Being just 11 foot 8 inches it may also be easier to transport as it should fit in the back of a full size pickup. 

Lifetime Sport Fisher Single or Tandem Kayak

 ·         Length: 10 ft

·         Width: 36 inches

·         Weight: 60 pounds

·         Weight Capacity: 500 pounds

This 10 foot PVC fishing kayak can be used for solo or tandem use (in fact 3 can fit on board).

It’s designed to be extremely stable, which makes it a good stand up fishing kayak. There’s also scupper holes to drain any water from the cockpit area.The seats are ergonomic with soft backrests, which makes it very comfortable to sit in.It has ditty trays and shock cord straps to hold your loose items, a six inch storage hatch and 4 conveniently placed fishing pole holders.

Native Watercraft Slayer Propel 10 (Pedal Kayak - Great For The Sea and Ocean)

 ·         Length: 10 ft

·         Width: 34 inches

·         Weight: 62 pounds (81 pounds fully rigged)

·         Weight Capacity: 400 pounds

The Native Watercraft Slayer Propel 10 is a pedal yak that’s geared up for fishing and with a high load capacity, it should be able to handle all the gear you’ll need for a day on the water. It features a rotational pedal drive system that powers a propeller under the hull, meaning you could free up your hands for fishing or photography. It also has a hand controlled rudder for convenient maneuvering. It has a large oval hatch at the bow, and a storage area at the stern with bungee cords and a small dry hatch. It also benefits from built-in rod holders and gear tracks to let you add additional gear easily.

The Propel 10 is great on the ocean. It’s a stable craft that can be ideal for a range of conditions and features a padded deck for standing up, as well as a breathable, adjustable seat. 

FeelFree Lure 10 Kayak

 ·         Length: 10 ft

·         Width: 34 inches

·         Weight: 62 pounds (81 pounds fully rigged)

·         Weight Capacity: 400 pounds

The FeelFree Lure 10 is a best budget fishing kayak that comes with plenty of features to let you enjoy a successful day on the water. It’s compact and stable, with a spacious deck area that can allow you to stand and cast. It benefits from a Wheel in the Keel, so you can pull it safely along the ground and into the water. The Gravity Seat is designed for comfort and can be adjusted higher or lower to give you the best vantage point or paddling position. There should be plenty of room for your gear with a rear storage area for your crate and a large oval hatch at the front. It also comes with flush mount rod holders and front and rear gear tracks so you can add extra rod holders or accessories.

Sit-In Fishing Kayaks

Sit-in, also known as SIK kayaks (or sometimes SINK) have a cockpit (with seat), which sits enclosed within the kayak. Think of your legs being covered over by the shell/deck. Often a spray skirt is also used to cover the cockpit and keep the water out.Sit-in kayaks are less popular with fishermen in general. Those that do use them tend to use them for fishing at sea. The reason for this is because they are better for keeping dry. So, if you are at sea and the waves are big or it’s very cold, a SIK could be for you as you will be protected from the elements by the cockpit and spray skirt.

Be warned though, you need to be an experienced kayaker if you’re heading out on anything moderate or rougher. Even if the surf is calm, you’ll be surprised how fast things can change. The last thing you want is to be rolled over with wave after wave crashing on top of you and your gear! Because you are sitting inside the cockpit, stability tends to improve. The lower center of gravity does make a difference. Turning and maneuvering is also enhanced, as more of your body can pivot against the ‘yak in order to direct more pressure into your strokes. These benefits may not be so important for the fishermen out there, rather for kayak purists. Anglers find SIKs are more difficult to get into and out of, especially if you're big into wade fishing. It’s not much fun continuously getting in and out of a sit-in kayak at the best of times. Think about what it must be like with having waders on at the same time! It’s also more difficult to access fishing equipment when on the move.

Pros

·         Ok for surf, but you need to be very experienced

·         Stable in rougher conditions

·         Legs stay warmer on cold days

Downsides

·         Not as easy to get in & out of

·         Access to gear is more difficult

·         Not designed for fishing standing up

·         Hot days can be very uncomfortable within the cockpit

Overall, we recommend sit-on-top kayaks for fishing. It’s just a whole lot more practical overall. Keep the SIKs for those who are into more hardcore recreation, like the whitewater. SIKs do have some advantages though, so only you can decide for yourself the best way to go.

Top Sit-In Fishing Kayak

Sun Dolphin Excursion Sit-In Fishing Kayak

 ·         Length: 10 ft

·         Width: 30 inches

·         Depth: 13 inches

·         Weight: 41 pounds

·         Weight Capacity: 250 pounds

The Sun Dolphin Excursion is best fishing kayak under 700 a UV-stabilized PVC (Polyethylene) body so it is durable and protected against peeling and paintwork fading.10 feet long (there's also a 12 ft version) and 30 inches wide, and coming in at 41 pounds, customers have commented on how easy it is to paddle around. And the good news is that it’s another ‘yak that’s difficult to flip over. It has two flush mount holders as well as a single swivel rod holder. There’s also a storage compartment and it has adjustable footrests, so anyone can fit inside comfortably. Comes in 3 colors: 2 are different shades of green and a brown sand shade.

Old Town Loon 120

 ·         Length: 12 foot

·         Width: 30 inches

·         Weight: 54 pounds

·         Weight Capacity: 375 pounds

The Loon 120 is a sit-inside recreational kayak that’s been designed with versatility in mind. It has a spacious cockpit to allow for easier movement and more comfort when fishing. The cockpit also features a removable work deck that can be ideal for storing accessories or tending to your catch. It has features a USB port to let you keep electronics charged up while you’re on the water, although you will need to purchase a battery separately. There’s a storage hatch at the stern and plenty of bungee rigging on the deck for storing all your gear. The yak also benefits from a comfortable seat, thigh pads and adjustable foot braces.

What About Inflatable Fishing Kayaks?

Inflatable Fishing Kayaks are a popular option, suited more towards the recreational user. Yes, you may be thinking “Won’t I puncture the kayak with the fish hook or on a rock?”. Well they wouldn’t sell very well if they weren’t!

Inflatable kayaks are actually very durable, and are mostly made from a combination of layers including PVC, nitrylon and haypalon. PVC is the most popular material. It’s quite durable, relatively light and cheaper than haypalon kayaks. Haypalon and nitrylon are tougher, but they are heavier and cost more.Now we’re not going to lie to you. Top end inflatable kayaks are generally not going to track as well as top end hard-shelled kayaks, but for most people out there they are perfectly good enough for tracking and changing course. As such, they are an option worth considering if you occasionally fish or if you’re just getting into the hobby, but want to start buying your own stuff straight away (we always recommend renting kayaks before buying them).One of the big advantages of an inflatable kayak is that they can be deflated, which makes them easier to transport around. The flip side of this is that you have to spend time and effort inflating and deflating the ‘yak every time you use it. The more you go out on it, the more that pump is going to get used – hence why for just occasional fishing folk, the inflatable fishing kayak is a good option.Some users find inflatables a pain because ideally, they should be dried before packing away, to help stop corrosion. So depending on your situation, you may need to get where you’re fishing, inflate, use, deflate, then repeat the inflate/deflate process when you get home in order to dry the kayak out. This isn’t always the case, but it might be depending on your location and situation.Here are some highly rated inflatable yaks...

Coleman Colorado 2-Person Fishing Kayak

 ·         Length: 10 ft 9 inches

·         Width: 39 inches

·         Weight: 41 pound (in total)

·         Weight Capacity: 470 pounds

Made with 18-gauge PVC, it’s designed to take a battering. The Colorado has a few features that other kayaks lack.It contains multiple air chambers, which means if you do get a puncture only a section of the yak will deflate.There are motor fittings, should you wish to add an engine. Yes, sometimes all that paddling can get tiresome!Customers overall are very happy with this yak. This is mainly because it has plenty of room for equipment and also because of how easy it is to inflate and deflate.

Advanced Elements Straitedge Angler Kayak

 ·         Length: 9 ft 8 inches

·         Width: 35 inches

·         Weight: 41 pounds

·         Weight Capacity: 300 pounds

The Straitedge from Advanced Elements is designed for the solo fisherman.Although it is technically an inflatable kayak, it does have an aluminum ribbed frame that helps give good shape to the kayak when inflated.This is quite a short ‘yak (measuring in at 9’ 8”) but can carry up to 300 pounds, so it’s perfectly capable of taking the average built person and all the cargo you need for your fishing trip.Two storage areas are located at the front and rear. The available space isn’t going to be as good as a hard-shelled kayak, that’s the just the nature of the beast. But for an inflatable, it’s pretty good. The removable bar at the front can be used to place any gadgets you may have.Two fishing rod holders are located right behind the seat.A nice touch is the adjustable lumbar, which can be inflated to a level of your choosing.

Tandem Fishing Kayaks: Paddling Together

If you want to share the load, you could go for a tandem kayak (also known as a two person fishing kayak). Tandems are a great way to enjoy some company and you don’t have two kayaks at your disposal!

What is a tandem kayak? With two seats, tandem kayaks can make it more fun to paddle along. They are a great way to introduce your kids, or spouse to outdoors fishing.

Beware though, quite often your partner may not be as experienced or willing to paddle along as you are, so bear this in mind. In fact, tandem kayaking can end up being more difficult than using solo kayaks. It really depends on your partner though!

Useful UH-TK181 12.5 foot Sit On Top Tandem Fishing Kayak

 ·         Length: 12.5 ft

·         Width: 30 inches

·         Weight: 68 pounds

·         Weight Capacity: 450 pounds

The Useful UH-TK181 is the perfect kayak for all the avid anglers out there wanting to go out fishing with some company. It is of course a 2 person kayak, capable of carrying up to 450 pounds in weight.Word of warning – it’s not the lightest kayak in the world (68 lbs), so it will probably need 2 persons to lift up any great height or carry any great distance. It does have carry handles at the bow, stern and sides (the side handles double-up as paddle holders).This twelve and a half foot kayak has open storage space at the rear with bungee cords as cover. Then there are two covered hatches, each in front of a seat. There are dedicated inserts that slot into each hatch to keep your water hating valuables free from getting wet.Fishing-wise, the UH-TK181 comes with adjustable 3 rod holders which can be placed in front of the paddlers. Any of these holders can be removed, giving you the option to fit other gadgets instead. There are a further 4 flush rod holders on the deck – so plenty of options here.This one does come with 2 aluminum paddles, and two seats.There is the option to fit a trolling motor to the rear, if you wish.Note that this isn’t the most stable kayak for standing within. So, if you enjoy fishing while standing up in your ‘yak, you’re probably better off looking elsewhere.Comes in 4 different colors: Blue, green, sand and gray.

Vibe Kayaks Skipjack 120T

 ·         Length: 12 foot 2 inches

·         Width: 33 inches

·         Weight: 72 pounds 

·         Weight Capacity: 500 pounds

The Vibe Kayaks Skipjack 120T is a tandem sit-on-top vessel that can be ideal for fishing with a friend in tow. The Skipjack 120T benefits from having two adjustable seats, each with storage pockets, as well as two sealed hatches to keep smaller items safe and dry. There’s also a rear storage area with bungee cords and two flush mount rod holders behind the rear seat.It’s a stable yak that can be ideal for a range of conditions, including rivers and bays. There are three seating positions, which means you can paddle it on your own from the middle or you can bring along a smaller third person or your dog. This craft also comes two paddles included. 

Sea Eagle SE370K_P Inflatable Kayak with Pro Package (Budget Option)

 ·         Length: 10 ft 8 inches

·         Width: 34 inches

·         Weight: 32 pounds (for kayak)

·         Weight Capacity: 650 pounds

This inflatable is an extremely lightweight and portable small fishing kayak, weighing only 32 pounds. It can hold up to three people (650 pounds total) and has plenty of room for your fishing equipment and/or camping gear.

Customers report that it is a very solid and well-made yak that can be set up in around 30 minutes, and taking it down takes considerably less.

Can be used as a single or tandem boat.

Rounding Up

What fishing kayak you go for is going to depend where you fish, your budget and how much experience you have as an angler.

It’s hard to recommend what the best fishing kayak is, for you the reader, as you all have different requirements. But we hope that we’ve covered off the basics to help you make a more informed decision.

Before you make a final decision however:​

·         Can you rent one from your local kayak club?

·         Is there an outdoor pursuits store that has demo kayaks for you to try out?

If you aren't sure where the local kayak rental spots are, simply use your favorite internet search engine. For example, if you're looking for rentals at Rainbow river in Florida, just search for 'kayak rentals rainbow river'. When we tried it, the top site was 'Rainbow River Canoe & Kayak'

Overall, we recommend trying out as many kayaks you can based on your needs. Take advantage of these if they are an option in your area. They will help to reduce the likelihood of buyer’s remorse!

5 Very Basic Kayak Fishing Tips That Beginners Should Know

Here are five tips for kayak fishing…

1) Go Prepared!

Aside from having some good fishing gear, make sure you have plenty of water, some food and sunscreen for those exposed parts of your body (it’s very easy to underestimate how strong the sun can be, particularly when it’s breezy). If for any reason you get stuck out away from dry land, it’s good to have these essentials should your excursion last longer than anticipated.

2) Stay Balanced

Sounds so obvious, but always keep your head up and be wary of where you are situated within the kayak and look out for any waves or obstacles that you might inadvertently run into. This is especially the case when you are standing!

3) Everything Should Float

Another obvious one, but so easy to forget. Basically anything that doesn’t float and falls out of the yak….sinks! For valuables, like phones, GPS etc, get yourself a waterproof bag that floats and secure within the kayak.

4) Keep An Eye On The Weather

Make sure you know what the weather forecast predicts for the day. The last thing you want to happen is suddenly get caught in atrocious conditions when you are the one trying to do the catching!

5) Be Confident

This is especially true if you are a beginner. Make sure you are 100% confident in your kayak before you venture out catching fish. As you get comfortable with your new kayak, stay close to land initially and gradually build up the distances you paddle, away from land.

Top 10 Best Fishing Kayak Under 1000

 Fishing has been the most common and important source of food from the very beginning of human race. The surprising thing is the methods are still almost the same. Fishing, a few decades ago, was a hard task but now with advanced equipment and a little experience you can become an intermediate fishermen. If you are into kayak fishing and you want to buy a kayak then you need to know what type of kayak you want. There are many factors to consider when it comes to buying the perfect kayak at an affordable price such as will you be needing extra space for tandem, is sit-on-top the best design, is the paddle drive good or should you stick with the paddle etc. If you are reading this article, you need kayak but don’t know what factors to consider and which brand to buy. We are here to aid you in your search for the perfect kayak under 1000. Below are reviews of some of the best fishing kayak under 1000.

List Of BEST FISHING KAYAK UNDER 1000

Table of Contents

·         List Of BEST FISHING KAYAK UNDER 1000

·         HOW WE MADE OUR LIST OF TOP TEN BEST FISHING KAYAK UNDER 1000

·         1. Vibes Kayaks Skipjack 90

·         2. Vibe Kayaks Sea Ghost 130

·         3. Lifetime Tamarack Angler 100 Fishing Kayak Review

·         4. Vibe Kayaks Skipjack 120T Review

·         5. Perception Pescador Sit On Top Kayak for Recreation & Fishing Review

·         6. SUNDOLPHIN Sun Dolphin Excursion Fishing Kayak Review

·         7. SUNDOLPHIN Sun Dolphin Aruba SS 12-Foot Sit-in Kayak Review

·         8. Perception Sound 10.5 Sit Best Kayak For Adults Review

·         9. Advanced Elements Advanced Frame Kayak Review

·         10. BKC RA220 11.6' Single Fishing Kayak

·         Factors to be considered while buying a fishing kayak

Name

Size

Storage

Check   Price

Skipjack 90

9ft

Yes

Check  Price

Sea Ghost  130

13ft

Yes

Check  Price

Angler 100

10ft

Yes

Check  Price

Skipjack  120T

12.2ft

Yes

Check  Price

Tribe Sit On  Top

9.5 ft

Yes

Check  Price

SUNDOLPHIN

9.5 ft

Yes

Check  Price

SUNDOLPHIN  SS

12 ft

Yes

Check  Price

Perception  Sound

10.5ft

Yes

Check  Price

Advanced  Elements

10.5ft

Yes

Check  Price

BKC RA220

11.6ft

Yes

Check  Price

HOW WE MADE OUR LIST OF TOP TEN BEST FISHING KAYAK UNDER 1000

Making a list of top ten products is not an easy task, it’s like the time and effort it takes for you to choose one item, it takes 10 times more for us to make a list of the same item. We first searched all the famous website for the best fishing kayak under 1000. From them, we selected the ones that were common in the lists of all the websites. Then we looked for their buyer’s reviews. The ones with the most positive buyer’s reviews, we added those products to our list to top ten. Here is the list of top ten best fishing kayak under 1000. 

1. Vibes Kayaks Skipjack 90

1st on my list of top ten best fishing kayak under 1000 is the Vibes kayaks skipjack 90. This kayak is one of the most light weight kayak at a very reasonable price. Below are some of the features it has.

Design and Material Used

This is sit-on-top 9 foot long and 32”wide fishing kayak with a total weight of 46 pounds. It has a paddle, a seat and 2 rod holders. The sleek hull design makes the kayak travel faster. This kayak has a durable construction with built-in buoyancy. The ergonomic design will allow you to fish for hours and you won’t feel any pain in the back or anywhere.

Video by HydraYak Outdoors

Convenience

This is a descent size kayak with maximum comfort-ability. It has 4 flush-mount rod holders and extra space. It has a very light weight which means you can easily carry it around. The best part about this kayak is that is has a relatively very low price which makes it one of the best.

Buyers Reviews

Buyers are not only very happy with this fishing kayak but also they are happy with its customer’s service, they say that this kayak has one of the best fishing platform. They say that it’s stable and comfortable to use.

Pros

Affordable

Durable     construction

Lightweight

A     noise level of 68 dBA

3.8     Gallon Gas Tank

.

Cons

No     cons at all

Quick Features:

If you want an affordable small sized fishing kayak with 100% comfortability and stability then you should buy this fishing kayak because it has all the features you would want to have in your fishing kayak.

2. Vibe Kayaks Sea Ghost 130

2nd on my list is yet another product of Vibe Kayaks which is a well-known company for its super comfortable kayaks and great customer service. This kayak is a bit expensive but it’s totally worth the price.  Below are some of the features it has.

Design and Material Used

This is a 13 ft long and 33” wide fishing kayak with total weight of 75 pounds. The sleek hull design makes sure that it travels faster. It has a breathable 2 position seat and adjustable foot braces. There are 2 flush mounted fishing rod holders and built in cup holders. It has a universal mount for fish finding transducer and any other rectangular base object. The slip resistance deck adds up to the comfortability of this kayak.

Convenience

This fishing kayak has ergonomic design which means comfort and long on-boat fishing sessions without any pain in body. There is a lot of space for other accessories and stuff. It has 6 integrated loading accessories tracks. It has a weight of 75 pounds which means you can easily carry it around.

Video by Aliex Folgueira

Buyers Reviews

Buyers loved this kayak for its comfortability and stability. They say that it is perfect in all ways i.e. you don’t have to compromise one thing for the other which is common in other kayaks. Buyers say that this kayak is durable and sturdy too and totally worth the price.

Pros

Comfortable     and stable

Ergonomic     design

6     integrated loading accessories tracks

Lightweight

Fast     and quite

.

Cons

Expensive     (but totally worth it)

Quick Features:

If you want a fishing kayak for life time and that is comfortable, stable, durable and spacious then you should buy the Vide Kayak sea ghost 130 because it has all the features you want to have in your fishing kayak.

you may also like best vacuum for laminate floors.

3. Lifetime Tamarack Angler 100 Fishing Kayak Review

3rd on my list of top ten best fishing kayaks under 1000 is the Lifetime Tamarack Angler 100 fishing kayak. The kayak is one of the most durable and comfortable kayaks. Below are some of the features it has.

Design and Material Used

This kayak is a 10 feet long and 31 inches wide and have a total weight of 52 pounds. Constructed with a high density polyethylene, this kayak has a flat bottom. There are more than one foot rest positions for people with different foot size. There are two flush mounted fishing rod holders and one top mounted fishing rod holder. There are 6 storage spaces for other accessories. This kayak also has a paddle keeper.

Convenience

The best thing about this fishing kayak is that it has lots and lots of storage space without compromising the size or weight of the kayak. It is ergonomically designed to ensure maximum comfort. The paddle keeper also has shock cords too. This kayak is made with high quality durable material which means it is super durable and it also has a 5 year warranty.

Video By T.J. Outdoors

Buyers Reviews

The buyers of this kayak says that the best thing about this kayak is that it has adjustable foot rest which makes it comfortable to use. The buyers say that this fishing kayak provides all the great features at relatively low price.

Pros

Durable     and sturdy

Comfortable

Multiple     foot rest position for people with different foot sizest

Mid     ranged price

.

Cons

No     cons at all

Quick Features:

If you want a fishing kayak that is stable, durable, comfortable, and affordable then you should buy this kayak because it has all the features you would want to have in your kayak.

4. Vibe Kayaks Skipjack 120T Review

4th on my list of top ten best fishing kayak is the Vide Kayaks Skipjack 120T. This kayak is for 2 to 3 people which means it’s large. Below are some of the features it has.

Design and Material Used

This is a 12 feet and 2 inches long and 35 inches wide fishing kayak with a total weight of 72 pounds and a capacity of over 500 pounds of weight. This multi-person kayak has 2 flush mount rod holders and 4 more mounting rod holders. It has two V wave hatches with cup holders and also has a rear cargo area with bungee tie down strap for larger objects.

Convenience

The best thing about this fishing kayak is that it has 3 seats which means you can carry two more person with you. There is not only space for people but also has a lot of space for other accessories. It is the latest fishing kayak which means it is made with advance technology which makes this fishing kayak more durable than other fishing kayaks.

Video By Michael Davis Outdoor Adventures

Buyers Reviews

The buyers of this fishing kayak says that this kayak is spacious and durable. Buyers prefer it to ride it on rivers and streams. There are a few confusing system malfunctioning complaints but I’m sure the manufacturers would be working on that too.

Pros

Durable     and comfortable

Spacious

Latest

Vibe     product

.

Cons

A     bit expensive

Quick Features:

If you want a fishing kayak that is more spacious i.e. it can carry 2 to 3 person and have space for other accessories too and work perfectly on stream and rivers then you should buy this kayak because it has all the features you want to have in your fishing kayak.

you may also like best multi purpose steam cleaner.

5. Perception Pescador Sit On Top Kayak for Recreation & Fishing Review

5th on my list of top ten best fishing kayak under 1000 is the Perception Pescador Sit On Top Kayak for Recreation and fishing. Below are some of the features it has.

Design and Material Used

This is a 10 feet and 6 inches long and 32 inches wide fishing kayak with a total weight of 57 lbs. This SeaSpray colored kayak has thick ventilated padding for maximum comfortability. This kayak is leak proof and durably constructed. It also has drink holders in order to avoid you drinks from spilling.

Convenience

The best thing about this fishing kayak is that it has an ergonomic design which means easy transport and comfort as well. It’s a small kayak that can fit anywhere easily. The other best thing about this kayak it its price i.e. it has a very low price.

Video By ThatBikerGuy

Buyers Reviews

The buyers loved this kayak for its compactness and comfortability. They say that this kayak is best for beginners and have a lot of good features.

Pros

Durable

Ergonomically     designed

Cheap

.

Cons

Not     for experts

Quick Features:

If you want a beginner friendly and lightweight fishing kayak that has a very low price then you should buy this kayak because it has all the features you would want to have in your kayak.

6. SUNDOLPHIN Sun Dolphin Excursion Fishing Kayak Review

6th on my list of top ten best fishing kayak under 1000 is the SUNDOLPHIN Excursion Sit-in fishing kayak. This sit in fishing kayak is one of the best lightest and small sized fishing kayak. below are some of the features it has.

Design and Material Used

This is a 10 feet long and 30 inches wide fishing kayak with a total weight of 41 pounds. When it comes to comfortability, this fishing kayak has adjustable foot brace, thigh pads, and adjustable padded seat. And as for the space, it has two mount rod holders, one swivel rod holder, a paddle holder and water bottle holder for avoiding you liquor from spilling.

Convenience

The best thing about this fishing kayak is that it has a small size and lightweight and yet there is not compromise in the space i.e. it has a lot of space. And when it comes to price this fishing kayak is one of the cheapest fishing kayak you will ever find out there in the market.

Buyers Reviews

Buyers say that this is the best fishing kayak with best features at a very low price. They say that its best for beginner who don’t want to invest much in kayak fishing without any experience. This kayak is lightweight and spacious and is easily portable.

Pros

Cheap

Durable

Comfortable     and stable

Comfortable     and stable

.

Cons

Not     for experts

Quick Features:

If you want a cheap yet full of good feature, spacious yet small in size, and good investment then you should buy this fishing kayak because it has all the features that you would want to have in your fishing kayak.

you may also like best pole saw.

7. SUNDOLPHIN Sun Dolphin Aruba SS 12-Foot Sit-in Kayak Review

This is yet another wonderful fishing kayak from the same company i.e. SUNDOLPHIN. This is also a sit in fishing kayak and also have some great features like the one reviewed above. Below are some of the features it has.

Design and Material Used

This is a 12 feet long and 30 inches wide fishing kayak with total weight of 50 pounds. This apple green colored fishing kayak is made of high quality dense polyethylene. It has multiple flush mount fishing rod holders. It also has space for other accessories.

Convenience

The best thing about this kayak is that it has a large structure yet it is reasonably lightweight and can easily be carried around. The second best thing about this kayak is its comfortability, it has ergonomic design, that ensure that the rider do not\ feel any discomfort while riding it.

Buyers Reviews

The buyers are satisfied with this fishing kayak. They say that this kayak is a good deal and that this kayak is worth the price. Buyers say that this kayak has good features and that it is strong and long lasting. There are a few system malfunctioning complaints though.

Pros

Mid     ranged price

Lightweight

Spacious

Durable     and long lasting

.

Cons

Mid     ranged price

Quick Features:

If you want a fishing kayak that has good features and can easily portable then you should buy this kayak because it has all the features you would want to have in your fishing kayak.

8. Perception Sound 10.5 Sit Best Kayak For Adults Review

8th on my list of top ten best fishing kayak under 1000 is the Perception Sound 10.5 Sit Inside fishing kayak. Below are some of the features it has.

Design and Material Used

This is a 10 feet and 6 inches long and 30 inches wide fishing kayak with a total weight of 46 lbs. It has a cock pit with a total width of 23.75 inches and length of 56 inches. There is extra space for other accessories. It has multiple flush mounted rod holders. The keepers foot brace system allows you to comfortable place your foot.

Convenience

The best thing about this kayak is that it has space, it is lightweight and has an affordable price. This fishing kayak is designed ergonomically which means maximum comfortability, stability portability.

Buyers Reviews

The buyers say that this fishing kayak has an affordable price and descent features. They say that this fishing kayak can be used by people without experience and also those that are experts in kayak fishing.

Pros

Affordable

Durable     and sturdy

Comfortable     and stable

.

Cons

No     cons at all

Quick Features:

If you want a descent fishing kayak with descent price then you should buy this fishing kayak because it has all the features you would want to have in your fishing kayak.

9. Advanced Elements Advanced Frame Kayak Review

9th on list of top ten best fishing kayak under 1000 is the Advance Elements AdvanceFrame Kayak. Everything about this kayak is amazingly advance. Below are some of the features it has.

Design and Material Used

This is a 10 feet long and 32 inches wide fishing kayak with a total weight of 36 pounds. It is made of high quality aluminum and has a weight capacity of around 136 Kg. The kayak is layered with three different material to ensure that it’s highly puncture resistant. The padded seats that are also adjustable will allow you to ride on this kayak for hours and not feel any kind of pain.

Convenience

The best thing about this kayak is that it’s made of aluminum which is a strong yet light metal. It has a lot of space for all kinds of accessories. The second best thing about this fishing kayak is that it can be folded and unfolded in no time which means you can carry it around without having any trouble.

Buyers Reviews

The buyers say that this kayak is very lightweight and easily portable. They recommend it for short and lightweight people.  The price of this kayak is the next most liked factor by the buyer i.e. it has a reasonably affordable price.

Pros

Made     of aluminum

Affordable

Durable

Comfortable     and sturdy

.

Cons

Only     recommended for short and lightweight people

Quick Features:

If you are a short person and want the best comfortable, stable and affordable kayak for yourself then you should buy this kayak because it has all the features you would want to have in your fishing kayak.

10. BKC RA220 11.6' Single Fishing Kayak

last but not the least on my list of top ten best fishing kayak is te BKC RA220 Single fishing kayak. This is a sit on top fishing kayak that has a lot of great features, some of which are as follows.

Design and Material Used

This is an 11 feet 6 inches long and 34 inches wide fishing kayak with a total weight of 68 lbs and maximum capacity of 450 lbs. it has a rudder that is foot paddle operated. It has two flush mount rod holders. It has an ample watertight storage space and a large cargo area for all kinds of accessories for days.

Convenience

The best thing about this fishing kayak is that it has a lot of space and it is very comfortable. the next best thing about this fishing kayak is its price i.e. it has a mid-ranged price and this kayak is absolutely worth it.

Buyers Reviews

The buyers say that this kayak has a lot of storage space and its comfortable to sit in but some buyers find it hard to stand on this kayak, they say that you have to use some kind of support to do so. They are some other complaints but overall the buyers are happy with this kayak.

Pros

Affordable

Comfortable

Durable

Spacious

.

Cons

Not     so stable

Quick Features:

If you want a spacious and well-built kayak under 800$ then you should buy this fishing kayak. There are some complaints about its stability so you will have to compromise with it.

Factors to be considered while buying a fishing kayak

In case you didn’t like our list, here are some factors you can consider while buying a fishing kayak for yourself.

SIZE

Make sure you buy the right sized kayak. If your kayak is long and narrow it will travel fast but it will be less stable and if your kayak is wider then it will be stable but it will travel slower.

Sit-On-Top  OR Sit-In

Sit-in kayak are those kayak I which you have to fit yourself in a cockpit and you will be seated at the waterline and once the water get into the cockpit there is a high chance that your ship might drown. Sit-on-top are much stable and more user-friendly as you will sit on top of your kayak.

Click Here to read More

[mrbobgove]

Scuba Diving in Papua New Guinea: Tawali Dive Resort

Arriving at Tawali Dive Resort on Milne Bay is akin to floating up to Jurassic Park — the only way in and out is via boat. As you round the bend into the small bay upon which it sits, you see nothing but a verdant green hillside and a small dock bearing the sign, “Welcome to Tawali.”

Arrival at Tawali

The resort sits atop the hill and seems almost to have organically sprouted from the surrounding jungle. Sixteen thatched-roof bungalows tuck in among the greenery. A raised and covered wooden gangplank connects them all, making the resort feel like an elaborate treehouse.

But I’m getting ahead of myself — getting here isn’t as simple as single boat ride. Before we board the boat that will ferry us to Milne Bay, our group flies onboard a small plane from Port Moresby to Alotau, the capital of Milne Bay Province, which occupies the very eastern tip of Papua New Guinea’s ‘Bird’s Tail Peninsula.’

From there, a shuttle bus takes us 90 minutes through lush, leafy countryside to the dock where the boat awaits. Once onboard, we’re almost there — it’s 20 minutes more along the coast to reach the resort. And, just as with other dive locations in Papua New Guinea, it’s this very remoteness that ensures we’re in for something special.

Resort manager Armando Agusto greets us after we make our way up the stairs from the dock to the open-air lobby. We take a look around and do a turn on the broad wooden deck overlooking the Milne Bay oceanfront, a perfect spot for a sundowner. He gives us a brief tour and shows us to our bungalows, which sit on either side of the hillside. Some overlook the bay and main dock; some overlook the sea on the other side of the narrow peninsula. Mine overlooks the bay, and each morning at dawn a dozen or so small dugout canoes piloted by villagers hunt the water for sardines. Armando tells us that dolphins are frequent visitors as well, though I don’t see any during my stay.

We’ve arrived in the early afternoon, assuming our chance to dive for the day has passed. But Armando says differently — after getting settled into our rooms, we can do a checkout dive and a dusk dive on the House Reef. On hearing this, we excitedly finish our (nonalcoholic) welcome drinks and hurry to gear up.

Diving at Tawali

“It’s all about the critters that we have here,” says dive shop manager Alfred George by way of introduction to Tawali diving. He’s right — Milne Bay is especially famous for muck diving and is home to no fewer than six different types of pygmy seahorses.

He’s been the manager for almost 10 years, and the operation’s attention to detail shows. Unlike at most dive resorts, you needn’t set foot in the dive shop at all at Tawali. When we arrive, dive staff gives us bins for our gear and instructs us to leave them outside our bungalows. While we change into our swimsuits, they carry the gear back down the stairs to the dock and set it up on the day boat. There it awaits, ready before we board each morning. We’ll hit a variety of sites during our stay, including the famous Lawadi Bay, filled to the brim with weird and wonderful macro critters. But first it’s time for a checkout dive at Wahoo Point.

At Wahoo, we spend a leisurely 45 minutes cruising along a wall, focused mostly on colorful macro critters like nudibranchs and shrimp. But a surprise awaits — as we near the boat and begin our safety stop, a mobula ray swings by to say hello, swooping and swimming underneath the boat for at least 10 minutes only a few feet away. That will do quite nicely for a checkout dive, I think.

There are typically three dives per day at Tawali — two in the morning and one in the afternoon — and we’re on the schedule for all three the next day. After a buffet-style dinner in the dining room, it’s off to bed early to rest up for our first full day underwater.

Our day begins at Deacon’s Reef, about a 10-minute boat ride from the resort. It’s a sloping reef shelf that drops off into a wall, which we keep to our left as we cruise along in about 80 feet (25 m) of water. After about 30 minutes it’s time to turn around and shallow up, and that’s when the dive becomes truly spectacular. Fields of healthy hard coral occupy the shallow shelf, which starts at around 50 feet (15 m) and goes all the way up to 15 feet (5 m).

The multi-colored corals are positively swarming with fish — anthias, rainbow runners, jacks, and anemonefish. There are also Moorish idols, butterflyfish and more – clouds so thick it’s like a rainstorm of fish. Bushes of pink whip coral and giant gnome-hat shaped corals hug the rocky limestone coastline, creating all sorts of little swim-throughs, cracks and crevices. It’s like swimming in an aquarium, and I dawdle as much as possible on the way back to the boat.

After a second, equally colorful dive there it’s time for the marquee event: a muck dive at Lawadi Beach. The two sites couldn’t be more different. Where Deacon’s Reef was bright and bustling, Lawadi at first glance seems a bit barren as we begin our descent. It’s a brown, sandy slope, interrupted here and there by small coral patches, but nothing as colorful as Deacon’s Reef. But those who love muck diving know it’s akin to a treasure hunt — Lawadi isn’t going to gaudily display its jewels — we’ve got to hunt for them.

We start in about 60 feet of water and work a grid pattern, letting our guide Albert take the lead. It’s only minutes before the discoveries begin rolling in. Albert finds two seahorses (regular-size, but still), ornate ghost pipefish, Halimeda ghost pipefish, mantis shrimp, an emperor shrimp, harlequin shrimp, an octopus, frogfish — the list goes on. Macro animals allow divers much nearer than large ones, and we spend over an hour underwater, marveling at the intricacies of their tiny bodies.

Our second full day underwater begins at Witches Cauldron, another hard-coral wall dive. We begin in about 60 feet of water with the wall to our left and follow a similar profile as with Deacon’s Reef. Because I’ve made it clear to the guides and Alfred that if I don’t see a pygmy seahorse my life will be ruined, on this dive they deliver.

A tiny pink bargibanti pygmy clings to a sea fan along the wall at about 80 feet — if the group would leave me here to stare at it for the entire dive, I would. But continue we must, and we soon shallow up to about 30 feet and into another spectacular hard-coral garden where I see my first epaulette shark — two of them, in fact, sharing real estate under a small coral outcropping. We see a gigantic crocodilefish and a leafy scorpionfish as well before it’s time to reluctantly end the dive.

That evening, I chat with Armando a little more about our dives as we watch the sunset on the deck. Tawali has a little of everything, he says, which is what makes it special. But even after diving some sensational hard-coral sites, my favorite dive of the trip remains Lawadi Beach. That’s unsurprising, he says.

“Muck diving is Milne Bay. Muck diving is Tawali.”

Details

Getting there

Tawali, like much of Papua New Guinea, is quite remote. There are daily flights to Gurney (Alotau) on PNG Air as well as Air Niugini. You must book ahead so that Tawali’s shuttle bus is waiting for you at the airport to take you the 90 minutes to the dock where the resort’s boat awaits.

When to go

Many sites at Tawali are accessible all year thanks to its protected position on the peninsula’s north coast. Still, the very best time to visit is from October through March, when visibility is the best and the skies are relatively calm. Strong winds in February make getting to most dive sites a challenge. If the wind isn’t blowing, you can dive the sites on the south side of the peninsula as well.

What to bring

Tawali offers nitrox diving, so be sure to bring your certification card. Because it’s remote, if something breaks the dive shop may struggle to fix it for you. Thus, it’s smart to bring a save-a-dive kit. Pack any medicine you might need as well since quick run to the pharmacy is impossible.

The post Scuba Diving in Papua New Guinea: Tawali Dive Resort appeared first on Scuba Diver Life.

from Scuba Diver Life https://ift.tt/2RwsFMT

[cllrnat]

Chapter 7 part 1

Chapter 7

At the dive centre later that morning, Serena hummed to herself feeling happy, content and excited. She’d always fancied learning to dive and now she was going into that water with Bernie, she smiled brightly at that thought.

Her bag held her towel, mask, fins and snorkel; she’d learnt not to call them flippers and goggles when purchasing them. The young man who sold them to her explained that no real diver would ever call the equipment flippers and goggles. Oh no thought Serena, I certainly won’t if the contempt in your voice for those who ask for them is anything to go by.

I certainly don’t want Bernie sniggering and sneering at me. She flushed deeply at that thought, but the vivid image of Bernie sneering sent butterflies throughout her body and her nerve endings felt on fire. Now Campbell, let’s try and keep this professional. She’s a professional diving instructor who needs to keep you safe, so no distractions ok? at that thought she rolled her eyes and let out a small tut at herself.

She heard that honking goose laugh before she saw her, then suddenly she came strutting bare foot around the corner, in very similar clothes to yesterday but this ensemble was in pale blue, scrub blue to be exact, the same colour Serena wears when operating back in Holby General. She looks stunning, her blonde hair held back by a blue bandana and her glasses firmly in place.

When Bernie’s eyes fell on Serena her eyebrows lifted as a ‘hello you’, matched to a bright cheeky smile. Serena gave the broadest smile back and the sparkle in her eyes halted Bernie’s movement for an instant, only a moment’s hesitation but Serena saw her falter. She saw Bernie just staring with her jaw quite slack and her tongue darting out and languidly running the tip of her tongue from one corner of her mouth to the other. Eyes glazing over as she visualised Serena sprawled beneath her last night, then with a small jerk she was back in herself. Serena chuckled as she made eye contact and their eyes and souls made conversation on their own.

‘Morning’ Bernie says sweetly and tenderly.

‘Good morning to you too, darling’, the last word whispered gently, meant for Bernie’s ears only.

‘Coffee?’

‘Yes please, hot and …………..’

‘Strong, yes I remember how you like it, hot and strong if i’m not mistaken?’, Bernie smirks at her.

Serena was not ignorant of the innuendo of their conversation, but at least she felt relief flood through them both. Thank goodness there’s no awkwardness. I believe I’m going to enjoy this adventure, very much, oh yes indeed.

They sat with their coffees and the lessons began in earnest. Bernie reviewed what Serena leant at home, then became very professional as she commenced teaching.

Serena loved the timbre of Bernie’s voice, especially when she talked with passion on a specific subject she enjoyed. She was shown how to assemble and disassemble the SCUBA equipment, remembering names and repeating back to Bernie, until the blonde was satisfied with Serena’s progress.

‘You are a quick learner, I must say’, Bernie gives another compliment that causes Serena to blush from her chest up to her cheeks. Serena purposely avoiding eye contact in case the other woman can see how she feels about that comment.

‘I do try my best’

‘Oh I’m quite sure of that’

‘..................’

After a small moment of awkwardness Bernie breaks the tension by bringing out some wetsuits for her to try on. Serena hated how unflattering they were on people with fuller figures, unless you were stick thin like Bernie, whose shorty fits and flatters in all the right places.

Bernie saw the mischievous gleam in Serena’s eyes as she focused on the top of the zip that was partly open to expose cleavage and distracted her by offering to help her into the one she was flaunting around.

‘I do believe I have your size right here. Have you worn a wetsuit before Serena? her eyebrows wiggling up and down while grinning broadly.

Serena just stares in horror that she is expected to cram her figure into that thing that looks at least two sizes too small.

‘Oh, must I?’

Bernie hears the nervousness in Serena’s voice and murmurs into her ear, ‘I think you’ll look good enough to ravish, wearing this or not, but it’s entirely up to you. You can just wear a t-shirt if you like, but you need something to cover your shoulders to stop them burning and to prevent the BCD from rubbing your skin raw.’

They then proceed to take things more seriously; fitting the weight belt over those luscious hips, learning the ‘buddy’ system and making all the safety checks. Both women’s fingers eliciting shocks as they touch and check each others equipment. Bernie needed distracting so composed herself and again, the professional facade emerges.

‘Why do we do a buddy check please Serena?’

For safety purposes, so i know where everything is situated on you and vice versa’ she says a little too smugly.

‘Satisfied? ……………..’

‘Never, oh yes, all your kit present and correct’

‘So, let’s grab the mask, fins and snorkel and head to the water then, shall we?’

Half an hour later they’re walking slowly across the hot desert sand to reach the tiny coral lagoon outside the hotel. Bernie preferred to use this area rather than a chlorinated swimming pool. She preferred to get the students straight into the salt water to perfect their buoyancy before the open water dives took place.

Serena began to breathe deeply, as self assured as she had come across to Bernie, she is definitely not the most confident in water. Bernie seems to notice this and remains quite close, helping her over the lagoon wall and into the shallow area. They lean on each other to put on their fins and clean their masks to prevent them from fogging up underwater.

Bernie gets her slates out and proceeds to explain to Serena the skills they will learn once she is settled comfortably on the bottom. They’re only going to be in 5-8 ft of water for this session so Bernie explains if she feels the need to she only has to stand up.

Not on your life, thought Serena, I will not let you see me flustered, at least not yet.

Bernie talked her through the descent procedure and slowly they went underwater until they were kneeling on the sand. Serena’s eyes, huge and staring around, that odd sensation of hearing yourself breathe. She then looks at Bernie who is smiling and it makes her eyes sparkle with mirth and she feels herself relax and get comfortable, knowing Bernie is so close makes it more pleasurable.

Clearing her mask, taking out the regulator and replacing it, buoyancy control and finning techniques - all flew by and Bernie was very impressed by Serena’s determination. She seems to crack every skill put to her with grace if not perfect technique, that would come later.

Amani watches them from the dive centres reception desk with a beaming smile on her face, delighted that her friend finally looks happy and contented, but for how long? Will she screw it up with her inability to relax and open up to others or will she run.

Akram sidles up to his sister’s side and states ‘about bloody time if you ask me.’

‘Really’ she asks him. ‘You’re really ok with this?’

‘Amani, Bernie knows I love her and I know she loves me, just not in the way I had hoped. But as long as we remain friends, I can deal with that.’

[teamgoatsgoatsgoats]

Inside the World’s Greatest Scavenger Hunt, David Pogue - Yahoo Finance. A great piece on GISHWHES from 2016 - with some past Goats! clips!  

Video and text compiled and reposted here for preservation as some of the links have broken on a few of the pages.  The links to each part are here:

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

David Pogue, Tech Critic, published April-May 2017

“It’s a tampoodle,” she told me.

She made this, uh, artwork as an audition piece—to showcase her creative skills, as a tryout for an elite team in some kind of national scavenger hunt. (She made the team.)

I thought the tampoodle was cute. I thought it was great fun that Tia was joining some kind of scavenger hunt.

I had no idea what kind of ride was ahead.

Meet GISHWHES

When most people think of a scavenger hunt, they probably imagine the list of items includes, you know, “Get the dean’s signature” or “Find a dog with a curly tail.”

GISHWHES is not that.

It stands for the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen. (Its creator acknowledges GISHWHES may be the Ugliest Acronym the World Has Ever Seen.)

Teams of 15 have one week to complete about 200 extremely difficult or hilarious tasks. They prove they’ve completed each item by submitting a photo or video of it; their $20 entry fees go to a charity, and the winning team gets a trip to some exotic location with Misha Collins, the hunt’s founder.

Sample items from past GISHWHES lists:

• Do a dramatic reading of your grade-school report card.

• Find someone you love and butter them up—literally. Cover them in butter and then give them a big hug.

• Glaciers are melting—so act accordingly. Pose at a major glacier wearing a swimsuit with floaties.

• Have a tea party with a pediatric cancer patient, where you’re dressed as a character from “Alice in Wonderland.”

• Tour a sewage treatment plant dressed in formal attire with an accompanying violinist or flutist.

• Get a child to write a letter to the universe. Launch the letter into orbit.

• Film an erotically charged conversation between a housewife and pizza delivery man. The actors can ONLY talk about grammar and fonts.

What astonished me is what a big deal GISHWHES is. Last year, 55,000 people registered to participate—not including all the friends and family members who lent favors, assistance, and props. (Registration for this year’s hunt opens this week.)

GISHWHES holds seven Guinness World Records, including Biggest Media Scavenger Hunt, Largest Online Photo Album of Hugs, Longest Chain of Safety Pins, Most Pledges for a Charitable Campaign, and Largest Gathering of People in French Maid Outfits. (Why is there a Guinness record for Largest Gathering of People in French Maid Outfits!?)

But in the end, GISHWHES is an event that does good in the world. Over the years, GISHWHES list items have persuaded players to a) raise over $1 million for charity, b) donate hundreds of thousands of pints of blood, c) volunteer at soup kitchens, d) register thousands of citizens to vote, and e) register to become bone-marrow donors. (That last item has already saved two lives, according to GISHWHES producers.)

And the 2016 hunt raised $250,000 to buy homes for five Syrian refugee families.

So yes, GISHWHES is a do-gooder enterprise. But it’s also brilliantly clever, gut-bustingly funny, and positively unforgettable.

So my question is: Why haven’t people heard of GISHWHES? Why isn’t it a cultural thing?

Why isn’t it, at the very least, a reality show? It’d be the most entertaining show on TV.

Well, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. With the tolerance of my superiors at Yahoo, I decided to make my own darned reality show. Above on this page is Episode 1 of a five-part series.

GISHWHES was created, and is run to this day, by TV actor Misha Collins, a costar of the CW series “Supernatural.” (His heartthrob status helps explain why GISHWHES participants are predominantly female.)

“I went to the University of Chicago,” he told me. “The University of Chicago has a scavenger hunt that we call Scav, that has been running about 30 years now. It took place over the course of a long weekend. We would completely abandon our academics and our sense of decency for those three days, and go all-out for this scavenger hunt. And I loved it. I actually think that it was one of the most educational aspects of my college experience, and infused with the most joy.”

Years later, after a decade of struggling as an actor in Los Angeles, Collins finally landed a show. “I got on this TV show ‘Supernatural,’ and I developed a little bit of a fandom following, and I started to notice that there was a high level of creative engagement from our fans. That got my wheels turning. What can I do with this? How can I have fun with it?”

Collins’s first side project with his fans was a charity called Random Acts. “We’ve done some pretty big projects. We built an orphanage in Haiti; we’re finishing building a high school in Nicaragua right now. But we also do myriad smaller projects all over the world—as small as bringing roses into a senior citizen home.”

Then, in 2009, as a lark, Collins ran a little scavenger hunt from his Twitter account. About 300 people participated; they were instructed to photograph their submissions and send them to an email address that Collins set up.

“People engaged in it with an enthusiasm and a committedness that I could not’ve anticipated,” he says now. “I remember sitting in my apartment, looking at the submissions that had come in, and thinking, ‘This is amazing!’ The art people were creating, the tasks that I thought were impossible that people were pulling off—! I remember, ‘This is what I wanna do for my life’s work. This is awesome.’”

And so, in 2010, GISHWHES was born.

For the 2016 hunt, I embedded myself with my daughter’s GISHWHES team for the week. I filmed their efforts and followed their frustrations and joys. In the coming episodes, you’ll get to meet them—and you’ll get go to inside world’s biggest scavenger hunt.

Part 2: The hunt begins

At 7:30 am on a bright Saturday morning, five members of Team Raised from Perdition gather near San Francisco. (The team name quotes the first line of dialogue ever spoken by Misha Collins on the cult hit show “Supernatural,” now in its twelfth season. He’s GISHWHES’s creator and organizer.)

The other 12 members of the team join by video conference, via Google Hangouts, from their homes in Florida, Connecticut, Illinois, Hawaii, Tennessee, and Brazil.

Although this is the team’s third year in the hunt, most have never met in person. They’ve never been all in one place. That’s typical for teams in this hunt, which is very much a creation of the Internet.

Jason Sarten, an opera singer, reads off this year’s list, which includes items like:

Get dental work done while a string quartet plays live music in the room.

Enjoy some green eggs and ham (sunny-side up) on a boat with a goat.

Provide evidence of having helped at least 10 eligible United States citizens to register to vote.

Paint a portrait of a live model while both you and the model are scuba diving.

Get an Amazon senior executive to order a small item from you, in a timestamped email. Using a drone, deliver the item to the executive (who must be waiting outside the office building) in less than one hour.

Over 3,000 teams sign up to play GISHWHES each year, and there are nearly as many styles of running the hunt. On some teams, there’s nobody in charge. On others, there’s a captain who organizes but doesn’t actually perform any of the items. Flake-outs—people who say they’ll participate, but are no-shows when the hunt begins—are a common problem.

Team Raised from Perdition is run by a pair of co-captains, Nina Mostepan and Geoff McAnally, who also perform tasks. (In real life, Mostepan teaches at an Early Start program for the deaf and hard of hearing, and McAnally is an American sign language interpreter.)

The corn-husk gown

One reason Raised From Perdition starts off the week with a group pow-wow: To let the team members claim the items they’re good at.

For example, in Vancouver, Rob Fitz-James and Shiane Gailey live together and compete together. (He owns a tree stump-removal company; she’s a children’s entertainer.)

They have radically different skills. “We work well as a team because I’m outgoing and I’ll go and do stuff in person; she’s able to manage social media, uploading, and photo and video editing,” Rob says.

Shiane, fortunately for the team, is also wildly creative. After the hunt-launch meeting, she jumps on item 23: “Make this year’s must-have fashion statement: the Corn Husk Evening Wear!”

Rob persuades a local thrift shop to donate a Justin Bieber bedsheet. (“Thankfully, someone grew out of a horrible phase in their life,” he says.) Shiane duct-tapes corn husks to a hoop skirt—well, the front half, the part that would be visible in the photo. “Then we spray-painted it red and yellow to make flames, and then we went downtown,” she says. “I assembled that thing onto myself in a fancy part of time, and took the picture at the Convention Center. (We got permission, of course.)”

There were funny looks, she says, but she checked off item 23 as completed on the team’s master Google Sheets spreadsheet.

The space balloon

Meanwhile, in Connecticut, Tia is struggling with item 153: “Secure a legitimate contract with Space X, NASA, etc., to send a message into space, addressed to the universe and written by a child. You must submit evidence that your payload was successfully launched into orbit.”

It sounds impossible. Like NASA is going to carry a scavenger-hunt player’s note into space on short notice?

No wonder item 153 is worth more points (314) than anything else on the list.

Frantic, Tia Googles until she comes across a British company called SentIntoSpace.com. They sell near-space helium balloon kits to schools, hobbyists, marketers, and filmmakers, including everything they need to send small payloads into near space. Incredibly, the company responds to her email and agrees to donate a balloon to the cause.

The launch goes well; the landing, not so much. Upon its return from space, the balloon blows off course and becomes ensnared high in the treetops of a dense, mountainous forest.

Tia and her team of friends search until nightfall, following the signals of the satellite tracker in the payload box—but can’t find the thing. And without recovering the two GoPro cameras in its payload box, she won’t have the footage of space she needed.

And without that—no credit for item 153, and little chance of winning GISHWHES. Deeply discouraged, she returns home.

When things go wrong

Item 153 isn’t the only GISHWHES item that’s ever gone wrong. Almost every year, an item or two disappears from the list after the hunt is under way. That’s when GISHWHES mastermind Misha Collins realizes too late that he’s created a dangerous or foolhardy challenge.

“There have been people who have been arrested and court martialed and injured during the course of various GISHWHES over the years,” he says. “The second year, we had an item on the list that was, ‘Wrap yourself up in Christmas-tree lights. Plug them in and stand on the roof of a house.’

“And the very first day of the hunt, some of the submissions came in. And one of them was a photo of somebody standing on the peak of a three-story house, right at the edge, on the eave, completely entangled and ensnared in Christmas tree lights. And I immediately thought, ‘WHAT HAVE WE DONE?! There is no way that we can run this scavenger hunt and have somebody not perish from this item!’

“So I immediately sent out an e-mail saying, ‘Do not do the Christmas-tree lights on the roof item! Terrible idea.’

“And so that was sort of an ‘Aha!’ moment for me when I realized, ‘Oh, there are a lot of people who are doing whatever I say. I can’t just come up with whatever pops into my head and have them carry it out.”

The hunt is on

In 100 countries around the world, teams are sacrificing sleep, health, and me time as they scramble to knock off items on the list.

More or less simultaneously, they’re all discovering what Team Raised from Perdition has learned: that it’s very hard to get an item into orbit on short notice, that goats don’t much enjoy floating in boats, and that Amazon.com has no intention of permitting its executives to participate in item 161.

Join us for Part 3 of this series, which dives into the charitable side of GISHWHES—and documents the biggest water-balloon battle ever staged.

Well, in San Francisco.

In Dolores Park.

That we know of.

Part 3: GISHWHES for Good

Each August, as the world’s largest scavenger hunt is under way, the general public is usually unaware—except when teams perform their tasks in public places. Recent tasks have included:

Hug someone you love, motionless, in a very crowded location, for 20 minutes without moving—and time-lapse it.

Stand in a crowded public place. Ask people to sign a petition to Save The Endangered Unicorns.

Get everyone on a subway, bus, or train car to sing “Over the River and Through the Woods.” There must be at least 8 passengers (random commuters, not your friends).

But each year, the list also includes challenges to perform acts of kindness. For example:

Write and mail a thank-you letter to a teacher or mentor from your past that you never sufficiently thanked.

Have a tea party with a special-needs child or pediatric cancer patient, dressed as a character from “Alice in Wonderland.”

More than 10% of veterans returning from war suffer post-traumatic stress syndrome. Post an image of you next to an armed serviceman, with you holding up a sign with a message of gratitude to them and soldiers worldwide.

But for hunt creator Misha Collins (a star of the WB series “Supernatural”), neither GISHWHES nor acting were part of his life’s original master plan.

“[After college,] my objective was to go to law school and somehow try to make a positive impact on the world,” he says. “I thought probably the best way to do that was to go into politics. This was, you know, my 20-year-old brain.

“I was interning at the White House, but I just didn’t love the machine that I saw. I was very naive. I was exposed to this weird environment of, like, nepotism and yea-saying that I wasn’t inspired by.”

So he switched paths.

“I had this great get-rich-quick/make-an-impact scheme: ‘I’ll just go to Hollywood and I’ll become an actor and I’ll get famous enough that I can then leverage that celebrity into doing things.’”

Off he went to Los Angeles. “I thought, like, I’d be the next Leonardo DiCaprio in a couple of months. It took me 10 years to get on a TV show.

“And once I’d achieved a certain modicum of, you know, C-list celebrity, that desire to try to use my celebrity for some other purpose resurfaced.”

GISHWHES was born: a list littered with acts of kindness that tens of thousands of players attempt to fulfill every August.

Crowdsourcing for refugees

In the most recent hunt, item 175 is a perfect example:

“#175. According to the United Nations, 4.8 million people have fled Syria since the civil war began in 2011. Many of these families are living in tent cities with few resources and difficult lives. Let’s change the lives of one family that’s in particularly dire circumstances. The GISHWHES Item is to create a fundraising page for your team, where family, friends and others can donate.”

“We identified one particular family with a heartbreaking story. The mom had been shot in the spine tending to her garden. She was paralyzed, she’s been in a bed in this tent for two years. And we said, let’s just change this one family’s circumstances,” Collins says. “Let’s get them a house, and let’s get her medical care, and let’s pay for the kids’ school. And I woke up the next morning to see, oh my god!”

By week’s end, GISHWHES teams had raised close to $250,000.

“So we added another family, and another and another—by the end of the hunt, we materially changed the lives of four different families. We’ve been getting photos from these families, like them moving into their apartments that we just paid for. It’s just such a lovely thing to be a part of.”

The space balloon, continued

For Team Raised From Perdition, though, there are 174 other items to complete if they hope to win.

My daughter, Tia, also participated in GISHWHES. Several days have passed since she launched a weather balloon into space, bearing a child’s note to the universe. It came down into a nearly inaccessible Connecticut forest; she’s unable to retrieve it even after hours of searching. Item 175 is worth more points than anything else in the hunt; for her team, it will have to be marked “incomplete.”

But teammate Christine has no intention of giving up on the balloon’s precious footage. She tells Tia that she’ll just drive over to the forest to help look for it.

From Chicago.

Fifteen hours later, she, her husband Vince, and their children arrive, laden with gear. After hours of shaking, throwing things at, and yanking at trees, Christine’s 13-year-old son Josh climbs the tree. After an hour and a half, he dislodges the balloon. Item 175 is in the can!

The Haves and the Have-Nots

Not everything on the GISHWHES list is as exasperating as lost space balloons. Item 15, for example, sounds like fun:

#15. This is the final showdown between the Haves and the Have-nots. Show up at Dolores Park in San Francisco, dressed either as executives or in blue-collar apparel. At exactly 12:10 PM, the ultimate water balloon battle will ensue.

Nearly a thousand Gishers show up. They stand in two long lines, facing off across the park. They’ve taken the day off from work, driven for hours, even flown to San Francisco for this battle.

At the stroke of noon, GISHWHES volunteer Tone Rawlings raises her megaphone, ready to announce the open-fire.

But at that moment, a San Francisco park ranger runs onto the field.

Ranger: “Hold on! Hold on! You can’t do this! Not without a permit! Anytime you have X amount of people in a park, you have to have a permit.”

“This is like a 10-minute situation for charity,” Tone pleads. “It’s a flash-mob type situation.”

“Yeah, you guys can’t do it without a permit.” (A CBS News camera picked up the audio.)

The two armies can’t hear this, but they see that there’s a problem. It’s not the first time that GISHWHES stunts have tested the patience of society’s overseers.

Will they be deprived of their balloon battle because of paperwork?

Suddenly, a second park manager arrives.

Incredibly, he’s persuaded. “Here’s the thing,” he says. “You have enough people to get this cleaned up?”

“I will personally guarantee it,” Tone says.

“You should have a permit. But if you can make an announcement like that, and get everyone to agree, then OK.”

Tone lifts her megaphone.

“I know and you know that you guys are going to be responsible for these pieces of balloon when this fight is over! Is that right?”

The crowd roars in agreement.

“This can’t happen…unless you guys repeat after me: I solemnly pledge to pick up every last piece of balloony plastic thing on the ground! And I will throw it all away in the proper receptacles!”

The crowd roars.

“Haves and Have-Nots… Commence the water-balloon melee!”

The battle is on.

This time, at least, the forces of merry mayhem win the day.

Part 4: How to Win GISHWHES

In the early years of the world’s largest scavenger hunt, when you signed up to enter, you’d have to answer only one question: Have you put together your own team of 15 people? Or would you like us to add you to a team?

But sometimes, the team-building system failed—because people came in with different expectations.

Florida State University students Nat Jones and Kira Sullivan, for example, had a rough ride during their first years competing. “In our first years of the hunt, we were on teams that weren’t as competitive as the one we’re on now [Team Raised from Perdition],” Kira says.

“We were in it to win it, but no one else on our team was,” Nat adds. “They saw us as too competitive: ‘Why are you guys so obsessed with GISHWHES?’”

(Lots of people join just for the hilarity of it, without any intention of completing all 175 items. Some, for example, choose to execute only a few, but in spectacular fashion. GISHWHES offers two showcases for such masterpieces: an online Hall of Fame, and a hardbound coffee-table book that’s published after each year’s hunt.)

That’s why, nowadays, when you sign up to enter, the site asks which kind of team you’re interested in. Do you intend to play competitively, or are you joining just for fun?

Tips from the Pros

If you do intend to enter GISHWHES competitively, Team Raised from Perdition—a runner-up last year, and the team we’ve been following in this miniseries—offers some tips.

“Fill the team with a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Spend some time bonding before the hunt.” —Suzanne Simpson

“You can’t win if everyone’s not 100% committed. I’m talking, no work for the whole week, no school for the whole week, no anything but GISHWHES for the whole week.” —Nina Mostepan, Co-Captain

“Another really essential skill to have in GISHWHES is the ability to not sleep for long periods of time. This year, I went for three and a half days on less than four hours of sleep.” —Christine Gervais

“A lot of teams struggle with keeping communications going. We talk to our team all the time [using a system like Slack or Google Hangouts]. Even all year long, we talk to them. We do a lot of practices, too.” —Shiane Gaylie

“Strategize in advance. You can look at past years’ item lists, and items created by top teams, for inspiration.” —Suzanne Simpson

“A good strategy is to have more than one person in a town. You have to have someone modeling, and someone taking the pictures. And someone to bounce ideas off of, or talk in the car on the way to the place you’re going to.” —Nat Jones

“Recruit a friend or family. Gishing is very social, so it’s always more fun if you have someone to do it with.” —Kira Sullivan

“We have a spreadsheet [a Google Docs sheet] full of all our items, and we claim them on the spreadsheet, so that everyone on the team knows who’s doing what.” —Shiane Gaylie

“We make up a laminated list of the items. So when we’re talking to someone about helping us with one of the challenges, we start by handing them the list, show them which item we need help with. It has explanations of everything that’s going on. A lot of the time, they’re like, ‘Hold on, I need five minutes to read this.’ (Laminated versus not laminated makes a miraculous difference. You don’t want to hand someone a piece of paper that’s floppy and has stains on it.)”—Rob Fitz-James

“We’re fortunate that we have a good camera, but some of our team members just use their phones. If you pay attention to composition and lighting, the results can be just as good.” —Kira Sullivan

The week winds down

So far, for Team Raised from Perdition, it looks like those tips are paying off; as GISHWHES week draws to a close, only three of the 175 tasks seem unattainable. Unfortunately, one of them is worth a lot of points:

#127.  Do the “airplane” with an astronaut—you know, like your parents used to? Lie on your back with your feet in the air while an astronaut lies face-down, hips on your feet, hands in yours, pretending to be flying. This must be a real, official astronaut or cosmonaut, wearing appropriate flight garb.

NASA’s official response to team requests for an astronaut for this purpose is, of course, “Um, no thanks.”

(Overall, though, NASA has a good relationship with GISHWHES. “One year, we put an item in the hunt that was to get one of the eight astronauts on the space station Mir to hold up a piece of paper that said ‘GISHWHES’ and your team name written on it,” says hunt creator Misha Collins. “Which resulted in all of the people on the space station having their social-media feeds bombarded. And so NASA posted, ‘Please leave our astronauts alone. They’re doing serious work.’ So the next year, I put an item into the hunt that read, ‘Last year, NASA asked us to leave them alone. We know that they’ve been kicking themselves all year for this. So here’s your second chance. Get ‘GISHWHES’ written in space.” NASA ended up naming a mountain on Mars ‘GISHWHES,’ maybe just to shut everybody up.”)

Things are going more smoothly for item 41:

#41. Treat a Vermont dairy cow to the most pampered milking session in human/bovine history. At least three attendants must milk the cow. One person must be feeding her clover by hand, as another milks her wearing satin gloves, as another massages her gently. The attendants must be dressed in semi-formal attire. The milking must take place in a well-appointed living room.

By a stroke of good luck, Tia’s step-grandmother Janet Watton lives in Vermont—next door to a dairy farm. By a stroke of bad luck, the farmer informs the team that you can’t bring a cow indoors. Cows don’t respond well to new environments, and even Paula Deen, the sweet-natured cow he has in mind, might balk—or, worse, rampage.

Janet devises a plan B: In her small barn, there’s a space that she can dress up to look like a living room. She sheetrocks the walls with posterboard, hangs curtains and a chandelier, brings in furniture, books, flowers, paintings. It’s not an actual living room, but it’s close enough for GISHWHES work.

On the last day of the hunt, the attendants, including a violinist, arrive in formal wear; the farmer sets up to do the milking; and Paula Deen takes her place. Distracted by the bucket of delicious fresh-picked clover, she performs like a champ as the camera rolls. “She didn’t even relieve herself,” the farmer marvels.

The cow is in the can; now all the team needs is an astronaut.

They have six hours left.

Part 5: The Hunt is Over

It’s been an exhausting week for the 15 members of Team Raised from Perdition. In their fourth annual attempt to win the world’s largest scavenger hunt, they’ve taken the week off from work, palmed off children to relatives, and tested the limits of society’s tolerance for disruption.

They’ve also made personal sacrifices. “Sleep deprivation. Junk food all the time,” says co-captain Nina Mostepan. “Working out? I don’t know what that is right now.”

“We eat a lot of pickled eggs and chili in a jar while we’re driving,” adds Shiane Gaylie.

During the heat of the hunt week, “we get short with each other,” admits co-captain Geoff MacAnally. “Nina and I bicker about, like, how things should be running. And then we’re like, ‘I need to breathe.’”

As the deadline approaches—Saturday midnight—it’s clear the team won’t complete all 176 items on the GISHWHES list. (In the six-year history of the hunt, no team ever has.)

In the end, though, the team managed all but three tasks. They’ve pampered a cow in Vermont, played badminton in a food court, persuaded two old men to play chess in a movie theater, sold bottled air on the street, registered 10 people to vote, built a spa for a mouse, panned for gold in a public fountain, sculpted a life-size dictator out of maxipads, built a working rowing scull out of trash, wrote a phone app for dialing a rotary phone, and played a human piano.

The judging process

“Months pass between the end of the hunt and the actual winner’s announcement,” Christine says. “We spend that time obsessively combing over all the other teams’ entries and beating ourselves up for what we could have done better.”

In general, though, Raised from Perdition was feeing confident. “We figured there was pretty much no way we wouldn’t at least be a runner-up,” says Rob Fitz-James.

“Because we were runners-up the year before, and we did even better this year,” Shiane adds.

Rob agrees. “Better video quality, better photo quality. And submitting items before the deadline problem helped.”

According to hunt creator Misha Collins, the judging takes so long because, well, there’s a lot to go through.

“We take it very seriously. We have stages. We have lots of people that help judge in the first round, and then we narrow it down to the top 50 teams, and then down to the top 10 teams, and then down to the top three.”

Every year, some teams try to get by with “interpretive” items. “Sometimes, people will come up with a creative interpretation; they’ll do a cardboard cutout version of the real thing, or something like that. 19 times out of 20, they don’t get points for that, even if they put a fair amount of creative work into it. Our directive is very specific: you have to do the item as it is stipulated, and not some creative re-imagining to make it easier.”

Nowadays, his team actually employs Photoshop experts. “Because people cheat! One year, there was a team that would have won, but they’d Photoshopped a really big-ticket item. It was very convincing, and we were like, ‘Wow, they did it!’ But they didn’t. They had cheated, and we caught them.”

The GISHWHES judging process isn’t just long; it’s also opaque. Each item on the list carries a certain point value, but “there’s a high degree of subjectivity in the judging,” Collins says. “Like, we give bonus points.”

But the teams themselves will never know.

“GISHWHES never tells the competitors what their point total is,” Christine points out. “We don’t even get a cumulative point total, and we’re never told what the individual items are awarded. And it drives us crazy. Because it’s difficult to know how to improve from year to year if you don’t have a metric for what the judges are looking for.”

“That’s by design,” Collins says. “We don’t want people to get involved in petty arguments. So we don’t give them enough information to fight.”

The big moment

The contest wrapped up on August 6, but weeks—months—went by without any word as to when the winners would be announced.

“Sometimes GISHWHES can be a little disorganized, I find,” says Shiane. “They just kind of surprise you a lot. You don’t know when the winner will be announced, for example. You don’t know when anything will be announced, until it’s there.”

But then, one day in October, there it was: a tweet that Misha Collins would be making an announcement on Facebook Live.

Christine: “I’m sitting in my dark hole of a basement. We gathered over Google Hangouts and held our breath.”

Shiane: “He did the runners up first, and he did it alphabetically. As soon as he skipped R, which our team name starts with, we knew that we’d won. We were all freaking out before he even announced it.”

Geoff: “And then the moment: ‘And the winning teammmm is…’ That’s exactly how he does it.”

In fact, that is how Misha Collins said it. “And the GISHWHES 2016 winning teammmm… is… Raised from Perdition!”

Christine: “Everyone erupted.”

Kira Sullivan: “We were all freaking out. It was pure joy. I screamed. My roommates thought something really bad happened to me!”

Shiane: “I hit my head on the ceiling. I pushed Rob over a table. We yelled and screamed for, like, 20 minutes.”

Geoff: “I cried.”

Nina “Ugly crying! You can see it in the video. I’m like, ‘Waauuuugh!’”

Kira: “In that moment, we really felt like a team. We didn’t know each other beforehand, but we came together and we won.”

Suzanne Simpson: “It was the most surreal experience of my life.”

Geoff: “After three years of working hard, it was a euphoric feeling.”

The prize for winning GISHWHES is a trip to some exotic spot. This year, it’s Iceland. (For the 2017 hunt, which begins in August, the trip will be to Hawaii.)

Raised from Perdition arrived in Iceland today, in fact, to begin their five-day adventure, orchestrated by the GISHWHES staff and attended (at least for one day) by Misha Collins.

“Well, Misha’s pretty cool,” says Nat. “But the best part of the trip is meeting our teammates! We don’t know the people in San Fran, or South America, or Chicago, or Tennessee, or Connecticut, so we’ll get to meet them all! It’s all going to be great.”

Why GISHWHES

For many GISHWHES players, the greatest reward isn’t the trip.

“I’ve heard a lot of people say things like, ‘I was suffering from agoraphobia. I hadn’t left my house to do more than go to the grocery store in two years. My friend coerced me into participating in GISHWHES, and it somehow broke things through for me,” recounts Collins. “Or, ‘I did GISHWHES and I changed my major in school to art,’ or, ‘I did GISHWHES and I decided to go back to school because of it.

“I mean, I don’t want to be too grandiose about it,” he adds. “I don’t want to make it sound like it’s all about that touchy-feely stuff. It is just a scavenger hunt. But people do have some remarkable experiences.”

Of course, there’s something in it for Collins, too. He’s proud of his seven Guinness World Records. The million-plus dollars raised for charity. The five Syrian refugee families housed and fed. The lives saved from bone-marrow donations. The mountain on Mars that NASA named after GISHWHES.

And he’s especially proud of the 2011 hunt item that required launching a fully decorated Christmas tree into the air with helium balloons.

“There was something just magical about that image, of watching Christmas trees float away. It was one of those ephemeral, magical moments,” Collins says.

“But we didn’t really think it through all the way. Because what happens if untethered is, the Christmas tree just floats away! And there were some regional airports that were closed due to, ‘Christmas trees in the airspace!’ I love that item, even though people’s flights were delayed because of it.”

Over the years, GISHWHES has grown from an impromptu game that Collins ran on Twitter for 300 fans to a truly international competition with 55,000 participants. And in that time, he’s had to add lawyers, and insurance, and a staff, and a website. Is there a danger that GISHWHES might become so Real and Official and Regulated that it loses its sense of chaotic, spontaneous, hilarious fun?

“We want the tone of GISHWHES to remain irreverent and free spirited and kindhearted and challenging and humiliating,” he says. “But at the same time, we want it to grow to something that more people participate in. In my grandiose scheme, people all over the world dread the first week in August, because that’s when GISHWHES happens. That’s my ambition for our enterprise. And you know, we’ll see. If it keeps growing at this rate, by the year 2300, we might be a well-known outfit.”

Thank you for doing this piece, Mr Pogue!

[wanderbitesbybobbie]

Explore Coron: Realizations from Traveling Solo

It was exactly a week after my trek to Sagada when I packed my bags again and flew to this majestic island. Perks of being a Filipina travel writer is that you get to hop from one island to another without the hassle of passports and VISAS. Coron is an hour flight from Manila via Busuanga, and to make the most out of your stay, it is best to take the earliest flight. Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, and Skyjet flies to the island of Busuanga by schedule, and if you are lucky, on some seasons, these budget airlines offer seat sales if you book in advance.

Located in the Northern shores of Palawan, Coron is another island in the Philippine archipelago that is perfect for solo backpacking. A 4-Day stay can cost you less than P10,000 ($270 AUD), including airfare, accommodation, tours, and food. Budget backpacking is also possible, and if you are going solo, being a joiner is the most suitable.

Traveling Solo is a Good Thing

The moment you step outside the comfort of being with other people when you travel, the more you will realize that solo traveling is a liberating experience. It may be scary for a first-timer, but then again, there are times when you need to get out of the box and try something new for yourself.

I started traveling solo ever since I was in high school, as I was raised by my Mom to be independent. I don’t have any siblings to travel with, and my Mom was busy at work. So I go around Manila, alone most of the time. The moment I learned how to catch buses and trains and cabs, I knew that eventually, I would go places further than Manila on my own. Traveling solo wasn’t a new thing to me, until I had to ride a plane and go to some island for work.

It’s a different feeling, no matter how independent you think you are. But there things that you only learn along the way when you are on your own.

  Things I’ve Learned in Coron

You never really travel alone. The world is full of friends waiting to get to know you. I have met a lot of people in Coron, and most of them I still get in contact with. Best part of traveling is getting to know the people beside you regardless of the gender, the age, and the race. Some may be solo backpackers like you, and some maybe be spending holidays with their family and friends. You never know until you take the initiative to smile and chat. A simple gesture can take you a long mile. (But, not a creepy kind of way, please. LOL.)

Met new friends on a boat-ride to the islands.

Mt. Tapyas will teach you a great deal of patience every step of the way. Whether it’s a morning climb or a sunset climb, the 724 concrete steps to get to the peak of Mt. Tapyas would definitely get you whining the whole time. The steps are easy to climb, as the local government has already developed it into a stress-free trail or “patag” as mountaineers call. Do some cardio before you start your trek or else you’ll be huffing all the way through. It’s an easy climb as long as you have enough water with you. The peak will give you a 360 panoramic view of Coron with the lakes and surrounding islands as backdrop.

The climb is a struggle, but the best view is always on the top when you reach Kayangan Lake. Just like Mt. Tapyas, you have to climb a good 300 steps before you reach Kayangan Lake. It’s about 20 to 30 minute climb, where rocks could be a little slippery at times. Reaching the viewing deck is a fruit of your achievement, as the mesmerizing view of the islets would leave you in so much awe.

  150 steps and I’m finally at the viewing deck.

No matter how your day went, at the end of it you’re still given the chance to relax at Maquinit Hot Springs. This is how your day-to-day life works. It’s rough, it’s winding, it’s tiring. But, you will always be given a choice on how to cap it off. Maquinit Hot Springs is the perfect way to conclude a long day of island hopping, diving, and snorkeling. For some, it is the best way to relax after a long trek at Mt. Tapyas. Coron is not just about the dive spots and the lakes. This gem will give you just about the same excitement as the islands could give you. It’s a 30-minute ride from the main town proper, but the saltwater pools of Maquinit Hotsprings is definitely worth the bumpy ride.

Maquinit Hot Springs at night. (Don’t try this at noon, because it will definitely roast you alive.)

Never trust people when they say there’s no Barracuda in Barracuda Lake. I was snorkeling peacefully at the clear waters of Barracuda Lake with some divers on the lower ground. Suddenly, one of the boatmen yelled, “Barracuda! Barracuda!” LOL. Knowing the guy was a joker, no one moved, until I saw the silver barracuda with my very own eyes swimming lightheartedly. I panicked of course! I didn’t want my story to end with being bitten by a barracuda while I was snorkeling. This got me thinking. I’ve got no right to complain. I am just a human, stepping into some other creature’s own habitat. So dear readers, never complain when you see snakes in the forest, or stone fish in the sea, or sharks in the ocean… it’s THEIR home in the first place.

How clear is clear? This is Barracuda Lake and I am underwater.

No water is too deep for an everyday diver. I love diving, especially when it’s in Coron. But, I am not a licensed scuba diver, so the only thing I can do is free dive. I did a lot of free diving, checking out ship wrecks and coral gardens. I met really nice people along the way, and some of them showed me how it is like living beside the sea. Because of this, my love for the ocean definitely grew stronger and it got me thinking a lot about my advocacy. For some people, diving is an enjoyable form of leisure, and for others, it is where they get their livelihood to be able to serve food on the table for their families.

Coron, underwater

Never underestimate the power of a first-aid kit. Some of you may not know the story behind my first-aid kit which I would probably have to tell in some other post. In Coron, it came in really handy as I got myself sick during my solo travel. I experienced food-poisoning and I had to deal with it on my own. It was around 9 in the evening when I started vomiting and I had to cope with a really bad diarrhea. It was daunting, as I do not have anyone beside me to get me some water or even medicines. This is where my first-aid kit came in. What’s inside my kit would always be paracetamol, allergy tablets, a couple of loperamides, flu tablets, and even some medications in case of hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. I even bring a pouch of vinegar sometimes when it’s a beach travel, in case of jellyfish or sea urchin stings. Yes! I am paranoid like that and my paranoia paid off. I was so weak, I couldn’t bring myself to the hospital. All I had was my first-aid kit, water, and the hopes that it would work. I took 1 allergy tablet, in case it was a severe form of allergy and at 3 AM, I took 2 Loperamides. My flight back to Manila was at 3 in the afternoon, and I was still lying alone in bed at 9 in the morning. It worked somehow, at least I was OK during my flight back. It got me going in one way or another, or else I could have ended in some hospital bed somewhere in the island.

Kayangan Lake

Every island has its own story, just like every traveler you meet. Whether it’s a story about a tourist getting killed by a stone fish, or a multi-billionare buying an island, or some fairies showing up in the mountains and lakes, every corner has its own amazing piece. Likewise, I have realized that solo traveling has allowed me to discover the stories behind every backpacker I meet along the way. Adventure stories, mishaps, life lessons, it’s what you truly acquire more than the experience.

Green Lagoon.

  Coron Itinerary 3D2N

As I have said, it is best to fly to Coron as early as possible.

DAY 1

6:50 AM  Depart Manila

7:50 AM ETA Busuanga

8:40 AM Arrival Hotel/Inn (Check out Palawan Hotels here.)

9:00 AM Start TOUR B

5:00 PM End of TOUR B

7:00 PM Dinner at Lolo Nonoy’s.

DAY 2

8:30 AM Start TOUR A

5:00 PM End of TOUR A

6:00 PM Maquinit Hot Springs

7:30 PM Dinner at Santino’s Grill

DAY 3

5:30 AM Sunrise Trek at Mt. Tapyas

7:30 AM Breakfast at Town Proper

8:30 AM Pasalubong Center

10:00 AM Prepare for flight back to Manila

11:00 AM Early Lunch

12 NN Travel to Airport

3:00 PM Depart Busuanga

4:00 PM ETA Manila

For Coron Tour Packages, visit Letzjet Travel and Tours or e-mail us at bookings@letz-jet.com.

What about you? What have you learned from your solo travels? I’d like to hear from you! 🙂

-Bobbie

Explore Coron: Realizations from Traveling Solo was originally published on WanderBitesByBobbie