Private Beaches All Day

In Thailand, we saw some truly awe-inspiring, I-can't-believe-nature-made-this beaches. They were remote, hidden, and had even been featured in movies freaking titled The Beach.

The only hiccup? Those "hidden" beaches were found decades ago. We were sharing them with a few thousand other tourists. And, not to be negative, but it's a little hard to enjoy even the world's prettiest beach when you can barely see the water from where you stand on the sand.

And then we arrived in the Philippines.

In Philippines, we saw beaches just as amazing, if not even more ridiculously beautiful. The difference this time was that there were very few people around. Sometimes, there were no people around. (Thanks to Tao Philippines for brining us to remote islands.) 

We found ourselves in a reverse-Castaway situation. We knew there were other people on the island somewhere and that we had a way off... but what if we just sort of hid and waited until they left and then we could stay forever... that was the train of thought. 

Now, I'm not just bragging. This post does have a purpose. (At least I think it does. As usual.)

Before we left Denver, we met a couple who had just returned from a year-long trip and had visited a lot of the same places we'd be going. They told us that they had expected to like Thailand a lot more than they did, since they found it overrun with tourists. And, they told us about the incredible month they'd spent in the Philippines, strongly advising that we added it to our list. Did we listen? Sort of. 

Sometimes in life, and definitely in the travel-life we've been living, you can't just take someone's word for it. You need to go and see it for yourself. Even if you know what you're getting into, you just need to have the experience firsthand. And so, we planned for four weeks in Thailand and just over two in the Philippines. 

Thailand had been at the top of our lists for a long time. The iconic long tail boats, diving in turquoise water, the addictive spicy food... I could go on and on. But because we'd heard from a few different fellow travelers that Thailand was a step beyond well traveled, we tried to keep our expectations in check. Then, before we knew it, three weeks turned into four and we were spending a month there.

We'd never have skipped it. We needed to see it for ourselves. (And we did have some great times. Of course we did.) 

When we left, we found ourselves telling other people how we had liked it, but did think it was hard to find a unique experience since the entire country seems so accustomed to catering to tourists. Particularly of the young, wild, on-their-parents-dime variety. 

And then we arrived in the Philippines. Obvious differences aside (Philippines is a country made up of 7,000+ islands, Thailand is arguably more accessible, etc.), with minimal expectations for the Philippines, we were blown away.

Immediately after arriving in Coron, our first stop, we felt a refreshed sense of traveler-ness. We didn't see hoards of caucasians teens on iPhones or older couples walking arm in arm with their private guide. There were only one or two "tourist shops" on the main road, instead of occupying every other storefront (or worse, every storefront, a la Bangkok's Koh San Road). 

Even though others had offered their friendly advice and told us that the Philippines was better than Thailand - urgently throwing in, "exceptforthefood!" - we still had low expectations for Philippines and very high expectations for Thailand, a county that had been at the top of our list for years. 

We obviously didn't see all of either country. Are there parts of the Philippines that suck? Yes, pretty much every large city. Does Thailand have rural countryside waiting to be discovered? Probably. 

Maybe it's that we didn't try hard enough in Thailand to escape the well-beaten path and pack of tourists.* Maybe Palawan in the Philippines is still a hidden gem. No matter the reason we found Philippines beaches better than Thailand's*, we did. And we felt obliged to share that information with you. 

So, is Philippines the "new" Thailand? I think you'll have to go to both and then decide for yourself. Oh, come on, like you weren't going to anyway... 

* the one exception to all of this is that the Similan Islands, off Thailand's west coast, are pristine and amazing and void of tourists, since only liveaboard trips go there. Come to think of it, maybe the secret to private beaches is just a private boat...... 

Where Did All The Sharks Go?

Over the last six months of traveling, Grace and I have had the privilege of scuba diving or snorkeling at more than 25 different sites across the USA, South Africa, Seychelles, Vietnam and Thailand. While we’ve seen beautiful reefs and marine life, we’ve also noticed an alarming trend - especially in Southeast Asia - that’s hard to ignore. Shark sightings are becoming more and more rare. And, when they do happen, they are often in low numbers.

We are always excitedly on the lookout for new and different animals in their natural habitats. This is especially true when we dive and our absolute favorite animal to see has always been sharks. In the last six months, we've been lucky enough to spot nurse sharks in Florida, a few white tips in the Seychelles, Great Whites in South Africa and a grey reef shark as well as a leopard shark in Thailand.

Leopard Shark at Koh Bon Point, Similan Islands, Thailand

While we’ve had these experiences, they are notably few and far between. You would probably be surprised to hear that the most sharks we’ve seen in the last six months have been in tanks at fish markets in Vietnam.

Sharks for sale in Phu Quoc, VIetnam

While on a liveaboard in the Andaman Sea off the west coast of Thailand, we talked to our divemasters about this topic. They said that sharks were not always so scarce on the reefs but unfortunately, illegal finning has begun to take its toll on the diversity and quantity of sharks in the area. As an aside, sharks are primarily caught for their fins for use in shark fin soup, a delicacy in parts of Asia. The fins are cut off and the sharks are thrown back into the sea, often still alive. While we had never seen shark fin soup for sale before, we've now seen it on several restaurant menus in Asia and most recently being offered by food vendors at Chinese New Year festivities in Singapore.

Now, I assume finning is not news to anyone who watches Shark Week or has visited an aquarium in recent years. We certainly knew about it before traveling to Asia. But to see the absence of sharks firsthand on an otherwise healthy reef is a wake-up call. Shark overfishing is not becoming a problem, it has been one for quite some time.

As large as the ocean is, it is not large enough for the sharks to hide.

Because Grace and I are interested in this topic and still plan to dive in the Philippines, Australia, Indonesia and Hawaii on this trip, we wanted to learn more. The research about shark populations and the things that threaten them is expansive and varies based on location, species and legislation. Although it seems unanimously agreed upon that most shark species populations are on the decline, some, such as oceanic white tips, thresher sharks and hammerheads, are disappearing at a much faster rate than others.

In order to understand a bit more, I poked around scientific journals and pulled some information from an article called Global catches, exploitation rates, and rebuilding options for sharks. Below are a couple of facts that really got my attention.

• A conservative number of sharks killed a year is 100 million but could be as high as 273 million.

• Between 6.4% and 7.9% of sharks of all species are killed annually. Anything over 4.9% is beyond their rebound rate and poses a serious risk to shark sustainability.

Another way researchers are measuring the impact humans have had on the shark population is by studying data from fishery logbooks over time. While the sharks are not targeted by the fisheries, longline hooks catch many sharks who attempt to eat either the bait on the hook or the captured prey.  Each fishing boat records the number and species of the sharks they catch, and these numbers give an ongoing estimate of the abundance of each shark species in the region. Of eight shark species studied in the last 15 years, they have seen declines between 50 and 89 percent.

While these numbers might seem depressing, the issue is not out of our hands. There are hundreds of organizations out there dedicated to helping sharks. There is also a record amount of awareness and global legislation to help protect sharks. Scientists have also seen certain populations of shark species, such as the great white, begin to rebound after a concerted global effort.

Juvenile Great White, Shark Alley, South Africa

The issue will remain a complicated one, especially if we begin to factor in things like global warming, pollution, and overpopulation. But if you are interested in learning more about how you can help, check out Discovery Channel's website called Sharkopedia, which has a section completely dedicated to Shark Conservation.

I think as people, we feel the need to protect what we are most connected to. In my opinion, the best way to get involved is to get out there and explore the world’s oceans for yourself. Some of my greatest and most unforgettable moments have been up close shark encounters. Hopefully, with time and effort, we won’t have to be the last generation able to experience these amazing animals in their natural habitat.

Grace and me diving in the Similan Islands, Thailand