Manuel Bustelo

Diving in Andorra...what about altitude diving?

2010-08-08T10:26:00.000-07:00

Isn’t it always great to discover new aspects of the sport you love? If you are an experienced diver, but had neither tried altitude diving nor dry suit diving, Andorra is the place for you.

Altitude diving changes decompression tables. As long as you review your diving theory in advanced and use any Suunto diving computer, bottom time isn’t something you should worry about.

Altitude diving changes your surroundings. You are not longer surrounded by astonishing beaches and coral reefs, as it has been my case every time I dove in Central America. In Andorra, you are surrounded by beautiful mountains, enclosed lakes with pristine waters and all the kick that diving with a dry suit has to offer.

There are new companies running altitude diving operations along the Pyrenees. Most of those companies have been inspired by two entrepreneurs called Raul Baro and Hector Encuentra. These buddies won an award in Andorra for an ‘innovative tourism concept’ and trigger the development of altitude diving in the Pyrenees. Therefore if you want to dive with the most experienced team around this mountain area, in the highest lakes and get the kick of learning dry suit techniques, check out www.divingandorra.com or contact info@divingandorra.com

Diving Andorra believes that altitude diving can also provide the right setting to those who have never dove before. They offer several courses, from beginners to advanced run either in Grandvalira or Vallnord mountain resorts.

Above all, Raul and Hector are Suunto lovers, and always trust in their D9 and Cobra computers when they dive in cold waters.

Do you wanna know how cold? Just wait till next winter, when more news and pictures diving under the ice are uploaded!

Bond yourself with nature!

2010-02-08T01:29:00.000-08:00

When I was four years old, my parents were told that clean mountain air from the Andes could help cure mine and youngest sisters’ asthma. Repetitive family visits to the mountains since that age, helped cured that illness. Since then, I developed such a great fascination for mountains that I felt the thrill of mountaineering was among the greatest ways to create a bond with nature.

After twenty five years of mountaineering in the Andes and Alps, I have the chance to dive in the Caribbean Ocean for the first time. Immediately, I recognized my bond with nature was incomplete. I was missing the fundamental knowledge of life underwater. I was missing a crucial contact with underwater environment. I did not know the peculiar, strange but magnificent life underwater.

As a sportsman, I gained a strong motivation to understand how the adjustment of our bodies in the mountains and underwater could be compared. By learning about gasses and pressures, I could begin contrasting.

In mountaineering terms, the air becomes ‘thinner’ the higher we climb. This means that due to the reduced atmospheric pressure, we find less and less concentration of oxygen particles in a given air space the higher we ascend. Our body triggers a process to compensate for the lack of oxygen concentration we provide to our lungs. Nitrogen found in the air we breathe, as we don’t metabolize it, is not an issue when breathed above water.

When diving though, atmospheric and water pressure change the game rules. Nitrogen becomes a major concern under increased absolute pressure (water pressure + atmospheric pressure), due to the fact that we don’t metabolize it. Oxygen, on the other hand, it isn’t an issue of concern as long as we remain within the limits of recreational diving. Although timing differs a lot, as with mountaineering we can help our bodies adapt to the environment following a predefine set of rules.

To my view, mountains create a bond with our world due to the fact that put humans back to where we belong: nature. Mountains are astoundingly big sentinels of stone that make us feel humble against the beauty of nature. Only by learning to respect and mastering survival in their uneasy environment we increase our chances to climb them again and again.

Oceans teach us about our very first origins. After all, life was first formed in them. The more ancient ecosystems are found underwater. Unthinkable life forms and creatures live in our vast oceans. Underwater life is so striking to the human eye, yet so fragile and so endangered by human hands. Diving creates a bond with nature by showing and teaching us about the still little explored underwater world, which dominates life on earth. Diving help us to value and respect our living oceans, before they become dead and polluted oceans by the hands of those who never learned to value them.

Now, when I dive deep down, I came back up to the surface feeling as grateful as when I am about to reach a mountain summit. Likewise, when I contemplate the mountains heights I feel happiness in the same way as when I contemplate the underwater world. It feels like I am now more… bonded with nature.

2000 dives and counting!

2009-09-05T10:11:00.000-07:00

There are probably many ways to define happiness. There might also be several was to define luck. I am happy and lucky because by pursuing dreams and challenges, I have found joy and discovered new challenges I never thought about.

I entered into the diving world thanks to mountain biking. Two years ago, after finishing for the second time a five stage race in Costa Rica, I met a wonderful person who suggested I should check out diving in Roatan. I found diving the natural extension of mountaineering, which in turn is the first sport that introduce me into all those related to the mountains, including mountain biking.

On the mountains, you have to deal with the lack of pressure which reduces oxygen particles concentration into what we call 'thin air'. You learn to observe and appreciate the world from above. While diving, you have to deal with the increase of pressure, which has a direct effect not only in oxygen but other gases such as nitrogen. You learn to observe and appreciate a new world from below.

Finally, I was lucky enough to meet J.C.Martin Cabrera Deheza. He was my Open Water instructor and become at last, the reason why I came back to Roatan for my Dive Master instruction.

As a fellow Argentinean with a lot of experience in diving, I could not resist sharing some quality time with Martin while I questioned him about diving.

You logged more than two thousand dives so far. Is there anything that still surprises you underwater?

Martin: Yes of course. Finding new creatures still surprises me. In fact, those creatures have always been down there. It is ourselves that the more we dive, the more we adjust our brains to discover new creatures and fish that have body shapes we never thought of. I believe some sort of 'unconscious' transformation happens within our brain. That surprises me!
I have dove for so many years (five) in Roatan that diving sites don't surprise me anymore, which doesn't mean I don't like them any more, but the opposite!

You have certified more than 300 people. As an instructor, what do you learn from your students?

Martin: Yes indeed. What I continue learning is that I still have things to learn. As they are people and not machines, I always hear new things from them.

What place does diving occupy in your life?

Martin: During the last five years occupy a big part. I did my first dive in Pto. Piramide (Argentina) and the second one in Cozumel (Mexico). Since I arrived in Roatan five years ago, diving is what I do every day of my life. I work six days a week and dive from two to four times each day. All my social activity turns around the diving world. Even my girlfriend is a diving instructor and we talk about diving a lot. Currently, mi life is diving.

What would you tell to someone who has never dove?

Martin: I would tell you something that I was told when I first arrived in Roatan. Someone told me that what I knew about this island was only one half. The other half was down the water. Someone who visits a Caribbean island will be missing that half if he/she doesn't dive. Besides, the feeling of achieving neutral buoyancy must be similar to the lack of gravity. When you reach the edge of a wall an can continue over it, you don't fall like in a mountain you will. Somehow, diving is like being able to fly.

Let's suppose you chose to live you life as a fish and that you could become one.
Which fish from Roatan's reef would you wish to be?

Martin: I would have loved to be a bird, out of the water. Therefore, I decide to become a spotted eagle ray. They move so preciously underwater that you can't help thinking they are flying.

Could you imagine a world without reef corals?

Martin: Unfortunately yes. You only have to pay attention to global warming and the pollution of the seas. Year by year and little by little the world is loosing its coral reefs. It is certainly not what I would like to see. If we loose our reefs, a big chunk of sea biodiversity will die.

Do you think that the increase popularity of diving as a sport could contribute further to endanger reefs?

Martin: While I followed my Bachelor in Tourism I learned what is called 'loading capacity'. Any natural area has a loading maximum capacity. It would be good to find out the one that corresponds to Roatan's reefs. Often, more tourists mean more divers that results in more income for the diving industry. In other words, the amount of divers might not the problem. Instead, we need to focus on the dive sites poor management and lack of legislation. As an example, when you dive in Galapagos Islands there's always a marine park ranger with the dive groups. I am not sure if we can implement such a system here but we do have the capacity to better train our divemasters to protect the reefs.

If you could spend an entire day with either John Scot Haldane (demonstrated how much excess nitrogen the body could hold before bubbles resulted) or Jacques Cousteau (who invented together with Emile Gagnan the underwater breath on-demand regulator). With whom would you spend it?

Martin: I think I would choose Jacques. He developed the breath on-demand regulator and I would really like to dive with him. One could only wonder how many stories he might have had to share. However, I would find interesting to talk to Haldane as well!

Where do you see yourself in the next ten years?

Martin: I myself working in my own business. I am not sure if it will be within the diving industry, but definitely related to tourism and it might be back in Argentina. I wont quit diving though, I continue diving all my life!

What do you think about SUUNTO diving instruments?

Martin: I never had a Suunto computer, simply because they haven't been within the scope of my price range. I know Suunto diving instruments since I started diving and at the time, I always wanted a Suunto Stinger. Suunto diving watches design, compact size and durability are certainly the characteristics that make this brand unique.

Thanks for these SUUNTO adventures with me!
Hasta la vista
Manu

Guava Grove in Roatan

2009-09-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

I do like to share my accommodation experiences while I travel when there's really a lot of positive things to say about it. I have been talking a lot about diving and you might be already planing your next diving or adventure holiday to Roatan.

Among those beautiful views Roatan has to offer, the sun setting over the sea every afternoon is breathtaking. Therefore, you should try to get an accommodation from where you wont miss it. After each day of intense diving activity you certainly need to chill out. What is better than watching the sun setting from your balcony? Guava Grove Villas offer you that chance!

It counts with four kitchenette units. You can choose from cozy queen to twin rooms. The Villas are situated amongst lush flower and fruit garden pathways, which smell beautifully after the regular tropical storms.

Placed in Sandy Bay, you are at only a twenty minutes walk from the hassle and bustle in West End. If you prefer, you can also swim or snorkel by Sandy Bay beach, which is much more tranquil than West Bay.

If you are traveling on your own or with friends, the Villas are completed with Oasis Lounge bar. Regular quiz nights, live music and other social events will keep you busy. Here you will have the chance to mingle with other travelers or those ones involved in the local diving industry.

For further info, check out http://roatan-guavagrove.com/index.php

Picking Bananarama dive center manager's brain!

2009-08-22T13:09:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody! I have already spent forty five days in Roatan diving non-stop. I figured it's about time I could pick on Malcolm Forrest's brain. As Bananarama dive center manager, I was eager to know what one of the most well-known and respected diver on the island could share with us.

Here's a summary of our friendly chat at down by West Bay beach.

How did you become Bananarama's dive center manager?

Mal: I left my job in England and came to Roatan to work as a dive master. I ended up getting a job as a dive master and manager of a dive center in West End all straight away. While working on the island I always quite fancy the job at Bananarama. Four years ago, a managing position became available and my partner Sofia and I were offered to cover it.

Can you please mention some of your staff attributes?

Mal:Yes sure. We definitely have got a nice mix of different nationalities and personalities.
Our staff is passionate about what they do. They only have one day holiday a week and I have never received any complain about it. They are also competitive, in the good sense of the word I mean. Our instructors are always competing to see who has been able to find the coolest fish or creature underwater. The way they interact each other has also a positive impact with our clients. As they are so enthusiastic, they continuously inspire confidence on our customers.

What does it make Bananarama dive center different from the other dive centers on the island?

Mal: We are not completely different. Roatan has a good amount of good dive centers and their staff generally like what they do. We do probably go a little bit extra in taking more time with our divers. You also have to choose people that can work in a mature team. Captain must help our instructors and the other way around. This has an impact in our customers, because we create an easy and relaxed atmosphere. Our aim is to have our divers enjoying their time with us!

How many courses do you give per year?

Mal: We have an average of 350 students per year. Seventy percent of those are Open Water.

Why would you recommend a diver to come diving to Roatan?

Mal: Those who want to start diving would have great fun on the island. E-learning PADI courses are becoming increasingly popular. They have to go through all the theoretical knowledge at home and only come down here for the diving. Certified divers will find that Roatan is among the top destinations in the Caribbean. We don't have very strong currents, there is good visibility and a lot to see. We have two wrecks which are very popular and some drift dives which can be enhanced with the use of Nitrox. More experienced divers will find lots of swim through, canyons and adventure dives. There is a little bit for everyone!

Which are your favorite diving sites on the island?

Mal: I don't always tell them ! Ok, the south side of the Island, near the point, between 60 to 110 feet. The reef is very healthy in that area and barrel sponges are huge! You can find Sargassum triggerfish, Queen triggerfish, Blue parrotfish, Turtles or Spotted eagle rays. Schools of Blue chromisfish always give you a buzz when looking at the drop off!

Can you recall a funny moment/episode during your diving career?

Mal: The most fun comes from teaching rescue courses numerous scenarios. Boat captains and other people are involved to recreate rescue situations which turn out to be a lot of fun. On my early days as a Dive master I intended to guide a customer to a dive site called 'Whole in the Wall'. While on the boat, I gave her a long briefing about the site, spin over my back, entered into the water and realized I would never be able to find the 'Whole in the Wall' cause I was in the wrong dive site. I ended up taking her through some channels and made her believe we have been to the right place!

How do you cooperate with Roatan Marine Park?

Mal:I am lucky enough to be friend with the current manager. Nick, who is an employee, is a fellow English man. My partner Sofia, myself and Bananarama actively cooperate with the Marine Park. We cooperate with the park rangers who patrol the area, as this is quite a big area. I have personally helped them to secure the current office building and have been involved in the Marine Park T-shirt design. Everybody would like to see more done, but you need to understand that everything is a slow process in this area. The lack of funds doesn't help them either. If water continuous to get warmer, paired to unsustainable fishing and poor diving practices, the reefs are in great danger.

What do you think about SUUNTO instruments for diving?

Mal: Four years ago, I purchased a Suunto Mosquito in England for my partner Sofia. It has proven very reliable, easy to service and she seems to be very happy with it. I am particularly attracted to the new Suunto diving line such as the D9, which not only looks great as a watch but it has a great feature: a compass integrated.

Thanks to you for reading! See you in a couple of weeks when the last dispatch from Roatan will be published.
Good luck and if you are close to the water, good diving!
Manu

What does it take to own a five star Padi Dive Resort in Roatan?

2009-08-03T09:38:00.000-07:00

Following my annual mountain bike race in Costa Rica and after spending a few adventurous weeks at both sides of Lake Nicaragua, I finally made it to Roatan (Bay Islands, Honduras).

As soon as I reached the island and got my stuff sorted out, I grabbed my Suunto D9 and Cobra 3 and rushed into the Dive Center, which five months earlier, have accepted my application to begin a PADI Dive Master course.

I was surprised when I found out that the Dive Center was part of a much bigger structure from a Resort called Bananarama.

It's been three weeks since I got here already. I have had the fortune to spend several hours with wonderful people at the resort, when I am not diving! Some of those people are two buddies who no matter how early I get to the resort, are already up and working hard. Despite the fact that they are always busy, greeting the resort staff and visitors seems to be one of their main priorities.

Guy St. Louis and Philip Clark who are managing partners at Bananarama, never look like they might run out of energy! So one afternoon, as the sun was setting after a cool diving day, I decided to learn a little bit more about them and their thinking behind a Diving Resort. This is a summary of our friendly discussion:

Guy and Phil, please tell me a bit more about Bananarama's past?

GUY:Five years ago, the Caribbean cruise where my family and I were spending holidays, made a stop in Roatan. I kind of felt claustrophobic with so many people around in the cruise, so we jumped into a taxi and ended up relaxing the entire day at West Bay, where Bananarama is located. My sun Louis spent some time with the owner at the time. Back at home, and about eight months after we first touched down Roatan, Louis persuaded me to 'own a business at the Caribbean'. We were lucky, and after gathering friends and family as investors and partners, we put an offer for Bananarama by the end of 2006.

After expanding our facilities by also purchasing the Vintage Pearl resort, we have now grown into a large family resort which can offer full services. We count with three bars, two restaurants, accommodation in apartments and villas, and a five star Padi Diving Center.

How important are the diving activities within the resort services?

GUY: Although we define ourselves as a diving resort, we provide a full service circle. Our customers can enjoy an entire living experience at the resort, from snorkeling, diving and kayaking, to night entertainment and comfortable accommodation.

Put it this way, as a customer in Bananarama, you will experience an evolution of what happens above and below the water while you stay in Roatan!

We have learned from recent surveys that at least sixty percent of our diving customers are recurrent customers who have either used some or all of our services in the past.

If diving services are such an important link in your business, how do you guys cooperate with Roatan Marine Park to protect and preserve the reefs?

PHIL: Our cooperation with the Marine Park is very good. We know we will be out of business if the reefs weren't there.

One of the first thing we did after buying Bananarama, was to re-do the entire sewage pipe system. The old one used to damp everything into the reef! We also purified the water and have installed rain water collectors.

Looking towards the future of our business, we want to become an Eco-friendly resort and promote those practices towards other resorts in West Bay. We estimate that the number of visitors arriving to Roatan will be four times bigger in ten years time. Therefore, you need to handle your business well if you want to be able to also handle the environment preservation.

Neither us nor our customers should feel that we are spending time in this beautiful place while we are screwing up the island.

In 15 days I will be back with Roatan underwater pictures, more Suunto news and an interview with Malcolm Forrest, Bananarama's dive centre manager. For more info, check www.bananaramadive.com
See you guys!!

Costa Rica, bikes, donations and my Suunto X10 !

2009-07-12T07:02:00.000-07:00

The seventh Guanaride (www.guanaride.com) edition took place between the 24th and 28th June. This is a five stage endurance race, which is gaining international recognition for its state of the art organization and beautiful single tracks through the rain forest and pristine Pacific beaches.

With the constant support from Suunto Oy, Giant Europe and Sram,Rock Shox,Avid,Truvativ as my main sponsors, I participate in this race since 2006. Last year, I become Guanaride's ambassador in Europe, recognition which I happily accepted due to the social responsibility the race organizers have shown. Since the very first edition, Guanaride has been committed to give back to the community by either providing funding to conservation projects or helping those who needed the most.

When World Bicycle Relief (www.worldbicyclerelief.org) suggested twelve months ago that I contact Hans Rey from www.wheels4life.org to organize bike donations in Costa Rica, I did not hesitate for a second. The idea to empower the community that lives by the race track felt me with joy. Most of my happy moments during each stage are when all those kids from the schools surrounding the race course cheer up, help and encourage the race participants with big smile on their faces. Most of those kids, do not have a bike. Most of those kids, have to walk to go to school. Still, while we were simply having fun on our bikes, they felt us with energy to continue pedaling.

Thanks to Hans Rey great support, this year fifteen students from twelve schools received new bicycles as well as new helmets and reflective t-shirts that helped them to ride their new bikes safely (safety items donated by www.aconvivir.org). All these schools are located close by Guanaride 400 km course.

Year by year, the course has been improved and more new loops are being included to each stage. My Suunto X10 helps me to keep the tracks updated on Google Earth. This gps counts with several advantages over its predecessors. With superior battery life, extended memory capacity and state of the art satellite connection Suunto X10 is a 'must have' for any outdoor enthusiast while riding a bike, hiking, sailing or simply traveling around the world!

For those interested in checking out the race logs, please visit www.suuntosports.com and search for the latest travel reports.

Solar charger for Suunto X10

2009-03-08T05:34:00.000-07:00

If you are planning to be on the wild with your Suunto X10 for several days or weeks, have you thought about recharging its battery? Suunto X10 is a great tool for your outdoor trips, which besides barometric, compass and altitude features comes along with a powerful GPS. As Suunto X10 battery needs a daily recharging after an intensive GPS usage (about six and a half hours with a satellite lock of 1 second) you need to have a practical and light tool to recharge the battery.

There isn’t a better solution out there than a Solio solar charger. Either the Solio Hybrid or Solio models will do it. They are light, compact, easy to transport and extremely fast solar chargers. I have tested them up to 7000 mts and they work perfect. In fact, the higher you are the faster they charge as sun light becomes more intense.

Don’t hesitate, a Solio charger would become the perfect companion for your Suunto X9, X9i or X10 wristwatches.

Back to the sources

2008-12-26T04:24:00.000-08:00

On Friday 19th December, at 14.20 hs I was back to the sources.

Twelve years have passed since I first step in Aconcagua summit. I was there again with a clear blue sky above us. ‘Us’ is me and a group of five wonderful friends with whom I spent twelve days in this mountain.

Aconcagua has been my source of inspiration to start high altitude climbing. As a kid travelling with my family to Chile, I often saw this mountain from the car windows. As a teenager I wondered what it felt to be up there. Shortly after, I climbed it.

Aconcagua is a truly gigantic mountain when compared to those other ones around it. Aconcagua is a truly enigmatic mountain when known that the Incas used it to sacrifice and offer their kids to the Gods. At last, Aconcagua is a truly beautiful mountain that offers breathtaking views.

Thanks to www.aconcagua2008.nl team members for the unforgettable days we spent together. Congratulations for the strength you kept all the way to the summit.

Finally, this summit is dedicated to my friend German Gonzales Mena, cameraman of ‘No Bike’s Land’. As a professional mountain photographer and cameraman, he loved working in Aconcagua. German passed away three days ago, after fighting bravely for a year against leukemia. He was only 43 years old. May his soul rest in peace over a mountain that was a source of inspiration for both of us.

Getting ready for Aconcagua

2008-12-03T14:42:00.000-08:00

In a few more days I am off to Aconcagua.

Mt. Plata (5960 mt) and Mt. Rincon (5380mt) offer the perfect training setting. They are placed only within one hour by car from the western city of Mendoza. I was born here, I grew up here, and every time I come back to Argentina I fall in love again with the Andes I shared seven days with Juan in these two mountains. My friend has made it nineteen times to the top of Aconcagua working as a guide. During those days, we both agreed that climbing on our own to the summits was a retrospective experience. Nobody else but foxes, guanacos and condors were hour daily companions.

The only competition going on between Juan and me was to check which Suunto will give us the most accurate reading when we reached the summit. I had the X10, he had the Vector. He got the exact reading, I got to connect the X10 GPS and was only 2 meters below the suggested altitude. The view from the top was so magnificent, that we didn’t dare to discuss who the winner was.

Aconcagua is the next higher step. But I will certainly miss Juan, the solitude and the guanacos.

Safe Sunscreen for Sea Life?

2008-07-29T08:12:00.001-07:00

Are we responsible divers? I have found a very interesting article published by www.thegreenguide.com that I ought to share with all those divers who whish to respect and preserve nature.

‘Coral reefs are under increasing threats, not only from global warming but also from us, tourists who want to appreciate their beauty. A study published by Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) revealed that chemicals and preservatives used in a number of sunscreens triggered viral infections in coral, causing them to bleach and die. The study targeted sunscreens that use chemical UV barriers (which absorb UV rays before they damage your skin) as opposed to physical UV barriers (which reflect UV rays before they reach your skin), and found that the sunscreen chemicals benzophenone and cinnamate caused the most harm. The researchers also found that preservatives called parabens, common in sunscreens, promoted coral bleaching.

It’s easy to imagine that one of us slathered with sunscreen wouldn’t cause much harm to ocean life, but the EHP study noted that the 78 million tourists who visit areas with coral reefs leave behind the impressive amount of 4,000 to 6,000 tons of sunscreen annually, because roughly 25 percent of what you put on gets washed off.

Since there are no regulations on what is ‘biodegradable’ or ‘reef-friendly’ buy sunscreens buy sunscreens with plant-based ingredients, which break down faster than petroleum-based ingredients do after they washed off. Also, opt for physical UV barriers (titanium dioxide and zinc oxide) rather than chemicals. Fortunately, what’s better for the coral tends to be better for you: The same chemical preservatives and UV blockers that damage reefs may interfere with your hormones.’

The Japanese diver story at Drake Peninsula

2008-07-13T04:21:00.000-07:00

I probably couldn’t think of a better way to describe how good diving in Drake Peninsula (Costa Rica) can get by describing the ‘Japanese diver story’ mentioned by Brian Chavez. Brian, born in Denver Colorado, is Jinetes de Osa’s owner. He is one of those buddies who either consciously smile through the entire day or were born with smile drawn on their face.

This friendly biochemist by formation, early in his career traveled to Costa Rica and turned down job offers in Chicago while looking to buy land at Drake Peninsula.

Here’s a summary of our chat together and the distinctive ‘Japanese diver story’.

How did you become Jinetes de Osa’s owner?

Brian: As I was spending my days in Sierpe, I met this guy Santiago who was a Captain. I mean, a real Captain with a cigarette in his mouth all the time. He would roll the cigarette into his mouth to keep it from getting wet if it rains. He was the one who told me that Jinetes de Osa was for sale, I made an offer and two month later I become the owner. At first, our diving center didn’t look that great. I remember a tourist passing by asked me whether this building was a ‘kind of factory’.

So, tell us about the ‘Japanese diver story’ please.

Brian: Five years ago, a young Japanese man turned up to do the PADI Open Waters course. Although he had no previous diving experience, he was well equipped with an underwater camera worth around US 5000. On our first dive, we were lucky enough to see a whale shark.

On our second day, we did two consecutive dives. It turned out that we saw a great hammer head on our first dive that day and even more impressive, an Orca and its calf.

On our third day and final dive we spotted a big sting ray. As my student was getting ready to snap a picture of the ray, which was fairly close to us, a big hammer head grab the ray and scared the heck out of him, dropping the camera and not getting any picture.

Although this might not be exactly what happens in every single dive at Drake, the Japanese experience pictures very well the diversity that can be found while diving at Isla del Caño.

Given the fact that you are surrounded by wonderful nature; does it encourage you to run any green policies at Jinetes de Osa?

Brian: Yes, we have a small program of recycling batteries used by our customers. As Costa Rica doesn’t recycle batteries, we encourage our customers to take them back with them in order to be recycled at their country of origin. We also capture water from the rain, to save water supply.

We would also like to become the first carbon neutral hotel in Costa Rica, by offering our customers air-conditioned rooms if they pay to compensate for the emissions that this produce.

If you are interested in diving at Isla del Caño, take a look at www.costaricadiving.com

Pictures by Yann Feron (www.yannferon.com)

Undisturbed beauty of San Blas

2008-07-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

The islands of the San Blas Archipelago are strung out along the Caribbean coast of Panama from the Golfo de San Blas nearly all the way to the Colombian border. San Blas is a series of 378 islands of which only 49 are inhabited by the fiercely independent Kuna Indians. Although only a 30-minute plane ride away from Panama City or four hours by four-wheel track vehicles, a trip to the San Blas islands will transport you 20 centuries into the past.

The Kuna Indians, who run all the islands as an autonomous province, with minimal interference from the national government have maintained their own economic system, language, customs and culture, with distinctive dress, legends, music and dance and thus have avoided traditional tourism development. The economy of the islands is based on coconut sales, fishing and tourism, and they offer travelers good snorkeling and swimming. Facilities are few and very simple, as is the food. The area is surrounded by reefs, some of the oldest in the world, and offer wonderful free-diving and snorkeling opportunities, the best of which are between the months of April and June.

San Blas is famous for one of its arts and crafts, the mola. Kuna women make rainbow colored fabrics, emblazoned with fish, birds, jungle animals and geometric designs that would impress the eyes of the more critical artists. The men still fish from canoes as they did before Columbus came and often carry buckets to get rid of the water that constantly leaks the canoes wooden structure. They still run up to the corner coconut palm trees for something fresh and cool to drink each morning, just as they have for untold centuries.

As long as the Kuna Indians manage to keep traditional and unsustainable tourism from booming in this area, San Blas Archipelago and Kuna’s culture will remain as an undisturbed nature and sociological jewel.

Pictures by Yann Feron (www.yannferon.com)

Diving in Bocas del Toro

2008-07-11T10:11:00.000-07:00

Christopher Columbus was the first white man to anchor in Bocas waters in 1502 . Later, English pirates used Bocas as safe haven and in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Bocas became an international commercial center for trade in cacao and bananas. Bocas was populated mainly by immigrants from Jamaica making Bocas an English speaking province in a Spanish speaking nation. Even today, most locals speak English.

At the turn of the century, the town of Bocas del Toro was the first headquarters of the United Fruit Company. Boasting of 25,000 inhabitants, it had six consuls and five newspapers. A banana blight in the l920's put an end to this vibrant commercial center, but historical buildings and a stately park still stand.

Diving and Snorkeling
The best places for diving are Coral Key,

Dark Wood Reef, Hospital Point and Punta Juan Buoy. For snorkeling, the Garden near Cayo Nancy, and Punta Juan buoy are excellent..

When diving in Bocas you will be able to see some of the best preserved hard and soft coral in the world. You will also have the opportunity to see sting rays, lobsters, many species of crabs and a countless variety of tropical reef fish. Besides, it has nice wreck diving, which is hallow and with a good amount of life.

Bocas is also a great place to do night dives. There is a huge amount of amazing bioluminescence. Lots of big crabs and others come out to be seen.

I could concentrate on my dives by using the Suunto D9, which is the world's first dive computer to integrate a digital compass and wireless tank data reception. Suunto D9 combines all dive-critical information in one instrument, conveniently mounted on your wrist. Instead of monitoring a multitude of gauges, I enjoyed my dives and played around with the compass by finding all the critical information in this reliable instrument.

The friendly staff from www.labugapanama.com would help you to discover the magnificent underwater world held in this relaxed corner of Panama.

Top2bottom becomes Peak2creek

2008-05-27T15:53:00.000-07:00

I had a great time during the last Top2bottom race. Not only because the team I belong to made if first through the finish line, but also because wining a race being part of a team while doing an individual discipline like downhill marathon is a great feeling. I have great confident that this race, which puts together all those sports that can be practiced on the mountains, will become a must do in the Otztal valley! Thanks to Suunto and Red Bull for sponsoring such a great event! And more thanks to Giant,Sram and Mavic for providing with a great bike which also made it first on the MTB downhill!
Manu

The magic land around Pissis volcano

2008-04-14T10:38:00.000-07:00

Pissis volcano is placed in the ‘Andes Septentrionales’, to the south of the Atacama dessert. The area that surrounds this volcano is over the second highest plateau of the World, where we can find plenty of wildlife adapted to the harshness of such environment.

Countless Vicuñas live on these high flatlands, where the more colorful flamingos are seen on the distant lagoons. As there’s a high content of minerals on the lagoons waters, the more beautiful combination of colors can be found around the area of Laguna Negra and Laguna Azul.

This is certainly an area worth visiting if you happened to be on the north of Argentina. Several volcanoes have been rarely climbed, offering countless possibilities for those adventures seekers who enjoy nature where the closest human being around is at several hundred miles away.

The new Solio solar chargers helped me to keep my X9i battery charged during the many days I spent on the mountains.

Have fun!

Manu

Mt Penitentes, Argentina

2008-04-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

Hello!

I am back from the mountains and happy to be ready to share our fantastic discoveries with you guys.

Together with a group of five people, we climbed Mt. Penintentes (4300mt) placed in Mendoza, Argentina. What makes this mountain so special is the fact that was climbed by the Incas 500 years ago. The Inca's built a stone cairn 10 meters below it's highest summit, which has a direct line of sight with the placed where the Inca's sacrificed a boy of nine years of age. This mummy was found in Aconcagua, at the bottom of the Southwest ridge. Mt. Penitentes offers a perfect view of that spot; therefore the Incas’s chose this mountain to become a ‘secondary altar’.

It is fascinating to feel that we were standing at 4300 mts, at the very same place where such indigenous people once venerated their Gods.

I used X9i to record logs during our three days climb and can now see in Google Earth the exact location of the Inca’s cairn on Mt. Penitentes!

For those ones interested in information about the boy that was sacrificed in Aconcagua, I recommend to search for ‘Aconcagua mummy’ in Google and you will get information from different important sources. The Archaeologist who has published good documents (in Spanish) and who was present at the moment of the excavation is called Juan Schobinger.

Have fun!

Manu

2008-03-07T09:43:00.000-08:00

Hello everybody!!

Since I have a special attraction to indigenous cultures, during the next two months once again I will be following the Inca’s legacy in the Argentinean Andes. After holding meetings with renowned archaeologist in the western Argentinean city of Mendoza, I will go up to Mt. Penitentes (4350 m). Although this is not a high mountain, it is placed right opposite to Mt. Aconcagua (6969 m) and offers a unique view of the some magnificent Andes peaks.

Later on, I will travel north of Argentina and spend some time discovering new areas where three years ago we shoot ‘No Bike’s Land’. Pissis volcano (6893 m) and Incahuasi volcano (6671 m) hide so many wonders that three weeks filming on this area was not enough to discover them all. I am intrigued by the same natural wonders which caught the Inca’s attention more than five hundred years ago.

I will be using my Suunto X9i to track and save logs which will be later downloaded in Google earth. Solio solar panel will help me to keep the X9i charged all the time while 'm on the mountains.

Stay tuned for more pictures coming next May!

Saludos!

Manuel

Interview with an atomic rider

2008-02-19T10:32:00.000-08:00

Would we all grow older like this man as mountain bikers?

We all know as mountain bikers how great the kick can be when we ride our bikes, in particular if we ride our bikes through breathtaking landscapes. But mountain biking is not all about ourselves, our bike and the landscape around us, it is also about the wonderful people we can meet through this glorious sport.

As I landed in Costa Rica for my second endurance race called Guanaride (www.guanaride.com), I wondered if I was going to meet again that only rider I saw the previous year riding a five days endurance race wearing no shirt, no Lycra, no gloves and no mtb shoes. Instead, this long grey hair man was riding only SPD sandals, shorts made out of an old jean and the compulsory helmet. I was surprised not only because of the way he was dressed, but also because what he told me: that this was going to be his fourth Guanaride, among some other ten endurance races he has done in Costa Rica. From the look in his wrinkled eyes, from the strength of his ‘mature’ but fit body, from the old full suspension trek his was ridding I knew there was more inside of him than meet the eye.

You could already guess that during this year’s race he was there again. This time, I couldn’t help it and I ended up having a very interesting conversation during sunset in Playa Samara (a beautiful and sweet spot on the Costa Rica Pacific side) with this man called Heart Akerson. I leave it up to you to decide if he is one of those nice people you can only wish to know through our nice sport of mountain biking, but he certainly must got something that it is worth reading.

Manuel: You told me that with 57 years of age you have race Guanaride five times already. What else have you done?

Heart: I have raced and finished 9 times La Ruta de los Conquistadores. I have also run up and down the highest mountain in Costa Rica (Chirripo, 3819 mt) and completed four Canada Ironman barefooted.

Manuel: Why do you ride your bike shirtless, with nothing more than cut-off jeans, SPD sandals and a helmet?

Heart: I think that we have got a civilization out of touch with the world we live in. I like to ride my bike with the minimum. I don’t need to ride with more clothes than the ones I use because I need to feel close to nature by feeling the water, air, sun and mud directly on my skin.

Manuel: Tell us a little bit about yourself Heart?

Heart: I was born and grew up in USA. When I was 12 I had a very strong vision to become a nuclear physicist and develop new power sources. After I actually became a nuclear physicist, I realized that there really were no applications of nuclear power that could be used responsibly by this civilization and switched to theoretical physics. I am currently the CEO of Heart Transverter SA, which is a company that develops and manufactures the Transverter which integrates all types of renewable energy sources. The work at my company keeps me very busy, sometimes I spend ten hours in front of the computer, but I like to change the channel by riding my bike in the company of good riders. I am the father of nine kids and some of them are very good mountain bike racers. Besides my company and sports, I also like to spend time playing classical music in the piano.

Manuel: If you grew up in USA then how did you end up in Costa Rica?

Heart: As I was living in the States and with 27 years of age, I decided to build up my own sailing boat. I used this boat to sail down to Costa Rica. It ended up taking me three years to reach this country having departed from Oregon. I have nine children and one of my sons was born in that boat. In fact, the boat is still by the beach opposite to my home and you are welcome to come and see it.

Manuel: I would love to! What would you recommend to improve endurance mountain bike races like the one you are participating right now?

Heart: Probably the bigger thing we could do is to draw more people into these kinds of races. When people participate in these races they become more aware of the world they live in. They could witness the wonderful nature they have around and could be more in touch with the world they live in. I want to do things that affect the world in a positive way; maybe these riders would do the same after those races.

Manuel Bustelo partners: Sram Europe, Giant Germany, SixSixOne, Suunto Oy, Mavic Europe, Maxxis Spain, Northwave and Powerbar Spain.

Pictures: Courtesy of Luis Castro and www.guanaride.com

Top2bottom documentary

2008-02-19T07:02:00.000-08:00

Extreme multi sports race

Have you ever thought that no matter how fast you are with your mountain bike going downhill you can not win the race if your other nine team members aren’t the fastest ones in their own disciplines? Yes, you heard well, other ‘nine’ team members.

Extreme multi sport races are becoming more and more popular. Races of this type provide athletes who practice individual and extreme sports with a unique thrill and challenge. As an athlete, you still have to be the fastest in what you know best. As a mountain biker (if the race like the one we will describe here includes this discipline) you still have to be the fastest one going downhill, but you need all other members of your team to be the fastest ones as well. What does make extreme multi sports races such a particular interesting event to be in if winning doesn’t depend on how crazy you are? Well, they provide you with the opportunity of becoming one more of a bunch of crazy athletes trying to be the fastest ones, so YOU and THEY can win the race.

Last year Top2bottom race gathered 10 athletes in the Otztal alpine valley in the Austrian state of Tyrol to make a documentary about what it takes to do such a race. This valley is not only famous for its beauty and the opportunities it offers to do from great mountain biking, to climbing or practicing water sports. It is also well known due to the fact that in 1991, Ötzi the Iceman, a well-preserved natural mummy from about 3,300 BC, was found in the nearby Schnalstal glacier on the Similaun Mountain.

Let’s get back to the movie and real action. While more than seven different cameramen with state of the art high definition cameras worked around the clock during twenty one days to make this documentary possible. After having ridden downhill for several days on the same track with the filming crew, I am now going to try to tell you what it takes to be the downhill mountain biker of Top2bottom race.

You as mountain biker have to wait until eight other team members finish their part. The race starts 57 km above your kick off point, with the speed flying buddy jumping off at 3772 m high from the top of Wildspitze. This is the highest peak in the Otztal Alps and the second highest peak in Austria. The team mate who does the hand off to you is the soaking wet bloke who has just abseiled down the 159 m Stuibenfall, which is Tirol’s largest and most spectacular waterfall.

Mountain bike downhill

As soon as the hand off is done to you and the competition judge gives you the green light, your off to ride as fast as you can the next 10 km of the race. The first 2 km are a very fast ride through a stony road that follows down the waterfall stream and the initial 500 m are the steeper section of this road. You just need to watch out not having your bike sleeping off the gentle turns. In fact, you might only call the turns ‘gentle’ after you cross a wooden bridge which entrance is at around a seventy degrees angle to your right. As you are coming down at full speed, you need to take this turn with the brake levers lowered down at full power, or you might find yourself walking back uphill. This entire cool scenario is happening inside a dense forest.

Once you are off this area, hell starts for downhill lovers. You are actually always going down, but you have to pedal pretty much in a few sections where you wish you were sitting in a hard tail carbon fibber bike or even better, a motorbike. The problem for you might not be the fact that by the time you reach the first 5 k, the race has already turns into an epic downhill marathon. If air doesn’t reach your brain on this ‘almost flat’ section the worst it can happen is that you might fall into the last fresh cow shit of the plenty of horned beasts wondering around the trail. Then, what’s the problem? You have to remain fresh and pumping oxygen into your brain by the time you reach the last 3,5 k where the fastest and more technical section starts.

The last kilometer downhill goes through a single-track which again follows a stream to your right and this time, in a much denser forest than the one you left behind. The beginning of this single-track starts with an almost-impossible 50 degrees turn in an area reduced to one square meter of very slippery earth, where you basically have two options if you don’t manage to get the rear wheel to follow the front one:

A) Fail to finish the turn and slide down into the stream (which might be a bit shameful and wet moment)

B) Get off your bike and walk (which is even more shameful but probably better than to end up wet)

Now if you don’t manage to do this ‘go to hell’ turn, no time for unhappiness and shameful moments is left as you have to rock and roll and focus on this single track that you definitely have to ride down without taking a fall. All sorts of nasty things that a downhill racer loves will be found here: wet big roots, jumps over loosen stones, big gaps with big steps and even some bushes impeding your vision and though of ‘what on earth comes next’ on this single-track.

By the time you hit a gentler, flat section you might remember that the finish line for your downhill is pretty close. Should you have some breath left, you will find yourself sprinting in a narrow track with big (I mean really big) stones to your left and a one meter wooden fence to your right, where again you will remember how much equilibrium a rider must have to sprint in such a narrow passage.

By then, your buddy waiting at the riverside sitting on his kayak will be shouting so loud that you have to hurry up, that you better do so. That’s it, you go down to him ridding downhill a twelve meters steps that take you straight into a one meter wet concrete platform where you better have good grip to come to a halt, or you will soon end up doing kayaking with your team mate in Ötztaler Ache river.

Once you touch the kayaker’s arm, he’s off and your race against the clock is finish, but that’s not the end for you. As the mountain bike rider is the one before the last one (kayaker) and the entire team has to assemble on the finish line of the buddy you just saw paddling down the river, you have to continue riding down all the section that will be covered by him. Yeap… all ‘his’ section as well, but not on the water. If you are completely out of breath, the good news is that you can take a few short cuts which are very technical (which means good fun) and be able to cheer up your buddy on the kayak.

In fact, you actually wish you could do so; cause rather than cheering anyone up, you have to quickly swap your protections, shoes and helmet for a full body neoprene swim suit and… a rafting helmet which definitely doesn’t look as cool as your full face helmet you just took off. Not to speak about the way you might look like in a tight neoprene swim suit.

Here is why you as a downhill racer have to go through this moment glory dressing up with the rafting outfit: the race actually finishes when all member of the team get together on a raft, go down another 6 km on the river and cross the finish line.

To sum up you end up riding ten kilometers downhill against the clock like a maniac, going through fast and technical sections. Then continue riding two more against your kayaker buddy (aka team mate) only to find yourself dressed up in a tight neoprene swim suit in a raft paddling like a maniac with a bunch of other maniacs.

Finally, if you like to race downhill and extreme multi sports races, it might be worth trying this one in the Austrian Alps.

Manuel Bustelo would like to thanks Suunto for their constant support.

2007-08-27T01:43:00.001-07:00

Hello again!

Since I woke up in the Honduras Caribbean town named Tela this morning, I felt a rush I should let Suunto crossports lovers to know the wonderful things anyone can do and see in Central America.

I spent a week in Nicaragua. I would recommend anyone loving mountains and nature to jump into the ferry that takes you to Ometepe Island placed in the middle of Lago Nicaragua. This island it's not only packed with wild and astonishing wildlife, but also with the magnificent view of Concepcion (1600) and Maderas (1350) volcanoes. Both can be climbed, although the highest one is currently 'very active' and due to the heavy emission of poisonous gas, it is not recommended to go higher than 1000 m.

Then I moved to Roatan, a beautiful Caribbean island one of the three Honduras’s Bay Islands. Mentioned as a diving paradise I thought ' why not trying scuba diving then?' As I didn’t have any diving certification, I ended up getting an Open Water and a Deep Dive certification. Ten days ago I knew little about swimming with my head under the water and now I have finished wonderful dives and discovered the world that lies at 45 m deep!

I was also happy to found out the good reputation of Suunto dive computers among the diving instructors (2 out of 3 had a Suunto dive computer). Furthermore, I was glad to dive with my Suunto t6 to a depth of 45 m. Although it is not packed with useful diving functions, it was a very useful timekeeper down there.

I have discovered in scuba diving a wonderful sport that goes in the opposite direction of what I am used to: go to high altitudes! The fantastic world that lies below the water is as breathtaking as looking down from a 7000 m summit.

That’s all for now folks. I am off to visit Copan and Tikkal, two cities within the most important Mayan legacy.

Adios!
Manuel

2007-07-30T23:56:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody,

Guanaride 07' has finished. Unfortunately I sustained a serious fall the very first day of the race, only two minutes after I started the steepest section of the downhill. Fortunately I ended up with nasty bruises and some cuts in my left leg and arm, but no broken bones. I got on my bike again that day and managed to finish the first stage.

Thanks to the kind assistance of the local Suunto dealer who took me to hospital immediately after I finished the stage, I was able to continuo racing all the remaining four stages. Although I was far from winning, I managed to improve my overall time by a good margin compared to the one of last year. It might have been the mummy look (due to the bandages that wrapped my arm and leg) that proved to make me faster.

Despite of the fact that it poured down in San Jose the week before the race, the northern region of Guanacaste remained dryer than last year. There was less mud on the way and less water on the rivers we crossed along 400 km ridden during five days. What remained constant is the heat (you literally sweat buckets while waiting on the starting line already at 7 am). It was also nice to find once again the astonishing Pacific coastline, wonderful nature, magnificent wildlife and kindness of the 'Ticos'.

As on last year, I used my valuable Suunto t6 and X9i to record the race logs. I can't wait to download the info into my training software and Google Earth. I particularly look forward to compare the t6 logs with the ones of last year to learn more about my improvement. This will be done soon, but before I am off to Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize and Guatemala to learn more about the landscape and culture of this wonderful region of the world.

Hasta la vista!
Manu

2007-07-02T04:08:00.001-07:00

Next July 26, I will race again in Guanaride. This is an endurance race that takes place on the beautiful Guanacaste and Punta Arena provinces of Costa Rica, placed on the northwest of the country. During five days, more than 400 km have to be ridden through the different natural settings that Costa Rica has to offer as the beach, the mountains, the forest and hidden tracks in the Peninsula. This year's race has incorporated one more day of competition than last year. I will use Suunto T6 with wireless heart belt and Bike Pod to gather useful performance data during the race.

Costa Rica holds five percent of the world's biodiversity. Nature has provided to this country unique and astonishing natural reserves, making it a very attractive setting for riders who want to discover beautiful Central American landscapes while at the same time, ride and finish one of the toughest mountain bike endurance races in America.

Once the race is finished, I will travel south of Costa Rica with the race organizers and photographer to discover other interesting mountain bike tracks. We are planning to spend around 10 days on our ‘discovery’ trip. I will use Suunto X9i to gather useful position information and then spot those tracks in Google Earth.

Adios!!