Welcome to TheScubaGeek.com!

I'm a PADI scuba diving instructor, freelance website developer, aspiring writer, and rum enthusiast running away from the American Dream on paradise islands around the world. I love my life!

Elephant Surfing in Sauraha, Nepal
Aug
23
2013

Elephant Breeding Center in Sauraha, Nepal from thescubageek on Vimeo.

What’s the best way to beat the jungle heat in Sauraha, Nepal? By splashing around in the river with a bunch of elephants, of course!

Join Autumn (FatGirlDoesTheWorld.com), Angie, and me as we go to the Elephant Breeding Center at Chitwan National Park for a fun-filled day of baby elephants, swimming elephants, elephant feeding, elephant surfing, elephants in the road, elephant bathing, naughty elephants, and even more elephants!

For more information about Sauraha’s amazing Elephant Breeding Center or our jungle trek through Royal Chitwan National Park’s wildlife sanctuary, please check out FatGirlDoesTheWorld.com

Reader’s Favorite Kraken Rum Recipes
Aug
19
2013

It’s no surprise to me that one of my most popular articles on this site is this little love letter to Kraken rum. From the very first time the Kraken wrapped its tentacles around me in Hawaii, I’ve loved the unique flavor of this sweet dark rum. With its stylish logo and smooth marketing campaign, Kraken rum has apparently amassed quite a cult following.

Here’s some of my favorite reader-recommended Kraken drinks…

put the lime in the coconut

Tried it in St. Vincent with Sparrow’s Rum. Highly recommended!

Put The Lime In The Coconut

Jon P writes:

From our time in Belize I can heartily recommend the following.

1 serious slug rum
Water from 1 fresh young coconut
Juice from 1 lime

That’s all you need… it’s better if you can pay someone to make you up a gallon jug of coconut water all at once, then just work through the rum steadily.

Sea Beastie

HandsomeDynamite admits he “came up with this on vacation”:

2oz Kraken
2oz hard cider
1/2oz orange juice

Mix in shaker filled with.ice, strain into old fashioned glass. Garnish with cinamon stick.
I make mine doubled, but toned it down for this. I’ve also sprinkled nutmeg on the top ocasionally.

Doctor Octopus

Just what the doctor ordered…

The Doc Ock

 
Nicole likes it hot:

1:1 Kraken and Dr.Pepper

Tastes sweet and a little spicy.

The Seven Seas

guardiandearbys offers this tantalizing tale:

Well just last weekend i had Kraken and enjoyed it so much that i began thinking of other ways to enjoy my Kraken, heres what i came up with:

2 shots Kraken
Mix Coke
2 shots Captain Morgan

The Kraken lives at the bottom of the ocean which is sailed by Captain Morgan… halfway through the drink the captain and kraken mix together bringing Captain Morgan to a fight to the end with the deadly Kraken.

sounds pretty out there but when i thought of it i was pretty out there already.

Pirate Tea

pirate party

Where’s the rum?!

Sam’s having a pirate party, and everyone’s invited:

In a Mason Jar

1.5-3 oz of Kracken
fill to just below where the jar starts to narrow with Coke
pour to just below the thread with pineapple juice (you can use OJ)
top of with a splash of tequila.

Mix together.

Pirate Ale

Captain Jack Sparrow

Must. Attend. Pirate Festival.

Libba recommends trying this drink at your local pirate festival:

We call it a pirate ale. Woodchuck Amber with a shot of Kraken. Had it at the local pirate festival.

Note to self: Apparently there’s such thing as a local pirate festival!

Kraken Beer Float

CG’s head just exploded (clean up on Aisle 3!):

I’ve only had Kraken two ways.

My very first was with Coke, and I wasn’t the least bit disappointed, but let me tell you…

Kraken and Root Beer is perhaps the best thing I’ve ever flung down my esophagus. I’ve mixed up to 2:1 and kept it there for good measure, but at a 1:1 the best way I could describe it is almost exactly the same flavor as the rainbow snow cones with the bubblegum ball at the bottom from the Ice Cream Trucks that I frequently ate as a child.

Upon realizing this my mind exploded, but I advise everyone to try it once, it’s intensely delicious.

Thar be the Kraken!

Other Kraken Ideas

Ted writes:

Kraken is great also with Crown Royal Black and Gentleman Jack, but I prefer it with the Crown Royal. Mix those with sprite, dr pepper, coke, or ginger ale. They are all tasty!

Josh says:

One of the best ways i have had it was in a lager. Twas excellent

Brandon suggests:

Kraken and cranberry gingerale or sprite and cranberry juice. Mmmm

I’m gonna have to agree with K Randall:

Kraken on the rocks for me!

The Kraken Rum - put a beast in your belly

Whitewater Rafting in Borneo
Aug
19
2013

Whitewater Rafting in Borneo from thescubageek on Vimeo.

What happens when three Americans, a Brit, and an Italian decide to go rafting on the flooded Padas River in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo? Lots of laughs, wipe-outs, and mouths of muddy water ensue as we brave seven enormous sets of Class III and IV rapids!

Thanks to Riverbug Rafting in Kota Kinabalu (www.riverbug.asia) for keeping us safe on this crazy adventure! And a big special thanks to Lucy at Lucy’s Backpacker’s Lodge (lucyhomestay.go-2.net) for hooking us up with this awesome tour, as well as for being our surrogate mother in Kota Kinabalu!

Swimming with Sharks in Raja Ampat
Aug
5
2013

Swimming with Sharks from thescubageek on Vimeo.

Check out this sweet video of Autumn and me swimming with reef sharks around the jetty at Wayag Island, Raja Ampat, Indonesia. The sharks, which ranged from 2-3m/5-8ft and lived around this jetty, seemed harmless enough to make risking a swim in the shallows worthwhile. Giant clams, pristine coral reefs, and TONS of sharks made this snorkeling adventure one of the highlights of our trip around Raja Ampat. Thanks to Deni at Raja Ampat Adventures (www.rajaampatadventures.com) for showing us this amazing spot!

Jumping Off a Waterfall in Laos
Aug
5
2013

Jumping off a waterfall in Laos from thescubageek on Vimeo.

So here I am on the Bolevan Plateau in Laos, where upon arriving at this waterfall the locals immediately offered me a cold cup full of Beerlao. The second thing the grinning, laughing Lao kids did was convince me to crawl up the slimy rocks of this 8m/25ft waterfall. After watch a few of them leap safely into the chocolate waters below, I finally decided to take the leap of faith!

Free Diving to 18m/60ft in Bunaken, Indonesia
Jul
27
2013

Free Diving to 18m/60ft on Bunaken from thescubageek on Vimeo. Big thanks to Cicak Senang for the awesome bungalows within swimming distance of this world-class coral reef wall.

Vietnam Travel Map
Jan
11
2013

[google-map-v3 width=”630″ height=”500″ zoom=”13″ maptype=”hybrid” mapalign=”center” directionhint=”false” language=”default” poweredby=”false” maptypecontrol=”true” pancontrol=”true” zoomcontrol=”true” scalecontrol=”true” streetviewcontrol=”false” scrollwheelcontrol=”false” draggable=”true” tiltfourtyfive=”false” addmarkermashupbubble=”false” addmarkermashupbubble=”false” kml=”http://www.thescubageek.com/kml/Vietnam.kml” bubbleautopan=”true” showbike=”false” showtraffic=”false” showpanoramio=”false”]

Cambodia Travel Map
Jan
11
2013

[google-map-v3 width=”630″ height=”500″ zoom=”12″ maptype=”hybrid” mapalign=”center” directionhint=”false” language=”default” poweredby=”false” maptypecontrol=”true” pancontrol=”true” zoomcontrol=”true” scalecontrol=”true” streetviewcontrol=”false” scrollwheelcontrol=”false” draggable=”true” tiltfourtyfive=”false” addmarkermashupbubble=”false” addmarkermashupbubble=”false” kml=”http://www.thescubageek.com/kml/Cambodia.kml” bubbleautopan=”true” showbike=”false” showtraffic=”false” showpanoramio=”false”]

Laos Travel Map
Jan
11
2013

[google-map-v3 width=”630″ height=”500″ zoom=”13″ maptype=”hybrid” mapalign=”center” directionhint=”false” language=”default” poweredby=”false” maptypecontrol=”true” pancontrol=”true” zoomcontrol=”true” scalecontrol=”true” streetviewcontrol=”false” scrollwheelcontrol=”false” draggable=”true” tiltfourtyfive=”false” addmarkermashupbubble=”false” addmarkermashupbubble=”false” kml=”http://www.thescubageek.com/kml/Laos.kml” bubbleautopan=”true” showbike=”false” showtraffic=”false” showpanoramio=”false”]

Thailand Travel Map
Jan
11
2013

[google-map-v3 width=”630″ height=”500″ zoom=”13″ maptype=”hybrid” mapalign=”center” directionhint=”false” language=”default” poweredby=”false” maptypecontrol=”true” pancontrol=”true” zoomcontrol=”true” scalecontrol=”true” streetviewcontrol=”false” scrollwheelcontrol=”false” draggable=”true” tiltfourtyfive=”false” addmarkermashupbubble=”false” addmarkermashupbubble=”false” kml=”http://www.thescubageek.com/kml/Thailand.kml” bubbleautopan=”true” showbike=”false” showtraffic=”false” showpanoramio=”false”]