One of the most popular reasons people choose Cuba for their holidays is the excellent diving opportunities available Cuba attracts swarms of divers every year, attracted by its calm, warm waters, its stunning coral reefs, sunken shipwrecks and dazzling array of tropical fish. The waters boast an average annual temperature of over 24 degrees centigrade, and with an average visibility of 98 feet, allowing divers an excellent view of the underwater paradise the Cuban dive sites offer. The lack of strong currents and variety of dive sites available mean that the island is a perfect training ground for Cuba’s diving virgins, as well as offering a challenge for those who were born in a wet suit!

So without further ado, here’s a list of our favourite 5 Cuban diving sites:

Maria la Gorda

Located on the west of Cuba, local to Pinar del Rio, Maria la Gorda is a beautiful dive spot surrounded by nature - it’s one of the least developed areas of the island. The dive site itself is found in the Guanahacabibes Peninsula, which is a world biosphere preserve and has two dives zones, with underwater sights including black coral walls, 18th century shipwrecks, flora and fauna. There are also caves around for those looking to experience cave and cavern diving, and possibly night diving trips if the demand is there. The site is a 4 hour transfer from Havana, but it is well worth the trip to experience what is one of the finest Cuba dive sites.

Cayo Levisa

If you’re looking for something a little more accessible from the island’s capital, then Cayo Levisa may be the answer. Located on the north west of the island, about an hour’s trip from Havana, the Cuban dive site is home to sponges, black coral and some of the islands larger tropical fish. It’s also home to some of the island’s more memorable shipwrecks, with 17th and 18th century wrecks of archaeological interest free for divers to explore. If you want to make diving the focus of your holiday, the Hotel Cayo Levisa allows Cuba’s divers to stay in one of its 40 rooms for the duration of their trip

Cayo Largo

Located on the southern side of the Cuba, Cayo Largo showcases virtually untouched beaches and coral reefs. The sea also includes mountains of coral reefs and a wide range of fish and chelonians - and because of the nearby coral reef, the Cuban dive spot is protected from strong currents making it ideal for beginners. Although this is around 177 kilometres from Havana, local domestic flights can be taken between the two locales and take around 45 minutes.

Playa Giron

Just east of the Bay of Pigs is Playa Giron. The international dive centre here deals mainly in shelf diving with additional trips out to local deep caves in the region. The main attractions of this Cuba dive site are the sheer drop offs near shore which are punctuated with swim throughs, making for memorable shore dives. The site has some shallow shore dives to initiate beginners, while more experienced divers will be enamoured by the inland cave dives available.

Because of the distance from Havana (a road transfer will take upwards of 4 hours), I would recommend staying in one of the Hotel Playa Giron’s 290 rooms. It’s certainly popular with Cuba’s divers - indeed; in 1994 a ship was deliberately sunk for the benefit of the diving population.

Faro Luna

Last but not least on my list is Faro Luna, found in the Cienfuegos province on the south of the island. The city has received many accolades for maintaining the clean environment of the water - and as a result of this and the 28 dive sites in the region, it remains a popular area with Cuban diving enthusiasts. The Faro de Luna Diving Center has shipwrecks, marine life and coral formation barriers so high they are visible on the surface. The waters here are so clean and clear that the zone is highly recommended for Cuban divers who wish to engage in some underwater photography.

Those visiting Cuba to dive are in for a real treat. I’ve only name checked 5 Cuban diving sites here that warranted extra special mention, but the clear, warm waters, tropical fish and stunning coral formations mean that wherever divers in Cuba go, they are unlikely to be disappointed.

Emma Lelliot is the general manager of Captivating Cuba, an independent holiday specialist, offering a selection of breaks catering to diving in Cuba. With offices in Havana and the UK, Captivating Cuba offer expert local knowledge for island visitors looking to explore Havana and Varadero and Cayo Coco as well as lesser known resorts including Jibacoa and Trinidad.

Sweet and low. Equal. NutraSweet - I’m sure you know all of these names, and hey, you might be putting them in your iced tea right now. Or maybe you know someone who refuses to use ‘fattening, unhealthy’ sugar, and opts for what they presume to be a ‘healthier’ alternative.

These are all artificial sweeteners, with no real sugar in them. It’s also in diet soda - the companies use a sweetener that’s made in a lab, but doesn’t have any actual sugar in it. ‘Fake sugar’ is what some people affectionately refer to it as.

Literally millions of people drink diet soda every year, too - so it has to be safe, right? I mean, there’s no way that something passed government approval, and millions of people are using it, is actually unsafe. Right?

If you have to ask, you’re probably realizing what more and more people are finally noticing. This wonderful ‘fake sugar’ that many of us flock to is actually extremely unhealthy. Why? Well, some of them have ingredients that are extremely dangerous and unhealthy.

For example, Aspartame is actually in more than 5,000 products that span 60 countries. Afraid yet? Before you put that second packet of artificial sweetener into your coffee tomorrow morning, consider this.

Aspartame has a chemical composition that’s 50% phenylalanine, and 40% aspartic acid. Let’s touch on these each for a moment, because this is exactly what’s in that innocent little packet.

Phenylalanine is actually an amino acid, which can be considered safe - and the war cry of those that knowingly use artificial sweeteners. However, when you ingest aspartame regularly, and therefore phenylalanine, your body suffers, because one amino acid has domination over the rest.

And when phenylalanine is the amino acid that’s controlling your body, the party really starts. Because this happens to actually lower the seizure threshold of your body, meaning that if you’re already at risk for seizures, using this substance can make it a lot worse. And trust me, that’s not the worst of it.

Aspartic acid has actually been known to cause lesions in the brains of mice, and other lab animals that it’s been given to. We don’t know what happens when humans ingest it, because it’s dangerous to do the same tests. And you’re drinking it in your coffee.

What’s even worse in this entire situation is that aspartic acid breaks down into methanol, or basically 10% wood alcohol (by weight), formic acid, formaldehyde, and - wait for it, this is the big one - DKP.

DKP is also known as diketopiperazine (It’s easier to think of it as DKP, huh?), which some people call ‘the brain tumor agent’. Yes, it is actually known to cause brain tumors. Tumors! In your brain! This little packet in your hands!

Aspartame - which breaks down into these very deadly chemicals - starts to disintegrate into them at temperatures higher than 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Not worried yet? Consider that our average body temperature is 98.6 degrees. Within ten minutes of you taking that first sip or bite, aspartame starts its deadly transformation.

Before we go any further, let’s cover what we’ve already read. Artificial sweeteners contain aspartame - and aspartame breaks down into an amino acid that disrupts your body’s balance, wood alcohol, and a chemical that causes brain tumors. And this starts within 10 minutes of eating or drinking artificial sweeteners.

Other symptoms of ingesting aspartame include:

-Headaches that you cannot explain
-Vertigo
-Slurred speech
-Anxiety
-Hearing loss
-Nausea
-Chest pain
-Joint pain
-Fatigue
-Arrhythmia
-Depression
-Increased appetite

Oh yes, yes indeed - this last one has to shock you, because the number one reason that people use artificial sweeteners is because they want to lose weight. These same sweeteners are actually making them more hungry!

Artificial sweeteners are everywhere, and yes, they can harm you. Avoid any products marked ‘diet’ (Check the label if you’re not sure), as they’re probably sweetened by something artificial, and start eating more veggies to lose weight instead. Your body will thank you. Try other safe natural sweeteners like stevia, xylitol, luo han guo etc.

Karen Larsen writes on healthy living topics and tries to practice the same in her daily life.

Do you speak sign language? Are you itching to use your language skills more often so that you don’t lose them? There are people out there who are looking for your help! You can start a business that will benefit persons in the deaf community. You could charge up to $40 an hour for sign language interpretation services.

There are many different situations where a non-hearing person would benefit by having an interpreter on hand. Simultaneous translation is sometimes referred to as “UN style interpreting” or “conference interpreting.” You could offer this style of interpreting for situations when a deaf person is interacting with businesses in the local community or trying to orchestrate travel accommodations. Since very few people in the general population speak sign language, it can be challenging for a deaf person to communicate in situations that the average person would never think twice about. For instance, at the grocery store, if the average person needs additional customer service, they just ask to speak to a manager or go up to the customer service counter. This can be challenging for a non-hearing person if the person available at the customer service counter does not speak clearly enough to enable lip-reading. Relocating to a new community can also be particularly challenging for a deaf person since most people are able to make phone calls to various utility companies to get their new home set up with gas, water, electricity, newspaper delivery, garbage pickup, and the like. Having an interpreter handy would save a deaf person a considerable amount of time and energy and allow them to accomplish these tasks in a much easier and less stressful manner.

Your services would also be very handy if a deaf person wants to take some sort of learning course. You could take notes and create a transcription of the class for them to refer to later when studying. You could also interpret phrases that they may have missed when the instructor of the course turned away from their general direction and they were unable to read their lips.

There are also legal situations when having an interpreter available would keep your client out of troubling situations. When a person’s home has been vandalized or they are required to make a statement in court, having an exact translation of the words spoken could make a world of difference. This would also include situations when a deaf person would like to make a large purchase such as a vehicle or a home that involve large financial obligations and that definitely would require clear communication by both parties signing the contracts involved.

Your services could also be employed by businesses that need to quickly communicate with people speaking a rainbow of languages such as hospitals, social services, vocational trainers, universities, health clinics, funeral homes, wedding planners, and other organizations that work with large cross sections of the public.

At some point, you may also want to pursue a degree or certification from the RID. RID stands for “Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf.” This will aid you if you want to register with an agency who hires out interpreters for the deaf. Many universities and colleges also offer degrees or certifications in areas of language and translation.

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To try and create a totally stress free life would be both unrealistic and undesirable. Stress arising from your work, your family life and other personal relationships, in fact just the everyday business of living and trying to survive as well as you possibly can inevitably leads to stress. It is unavoidable. Further more, some degree of stress could be said to be good for you! Dealing with stressors (the things that cause us stress) teaches us new knowledge and skills. In fact, a famous Swiss philosopher-developmental psychologist, Jean Piaget believed that intelligence arises out of a child’s struggle to maintain homeostatic equilibrium with the environment. That’s a fancy way of saying that learning through struggle how to survive in an environment that is continually changing develops our “smarts”. A very simple example is that when it is cold we put on woolly clothes and thereby maintain our necessary body temperature of about 98.4F.

Trying to deal with too many stressful situations at the same time, to deal with strong continuing stress over too long a period, or with a stress that is overwhelming in its severity can lead to depression, panic attacks and a whole host of physical problems. The physical problems can include angina or heart pains, various forms of skin rashes, colitis, and high blood pressure just to name the most common.

Here are some ways to reduce stress:

Postpone major life changes. Have you been planning to retire or possibly shift your family to another State or country with a nicer climate or higher salaries and find work there? Or get married? Or have children? Or “throw in” your job and start a business? Or go on an expensive holiday? If the change you have been contemplating seems more stressful than exciting then perhaps you should confer with your “significant others” with a view to postponing or totally re-considering the dreamed of change.

Learn to relax. Try to get 7 or 8 hours sleep. If you have been having trouble sleeping you might be suffering depression, especially if you have also noticed significant changes to your appetite. Make sure you give yourself time to relax. This is important. Some time spent watching the football on TV can be a form of medicine! Or working on your hobby or pastime. For a time I was seeing a 37 year old man, the owner-driver of a truck, suffering heart palpitations while driving. Tests showed his heart was OK but he was never tested while suffering the palpuitations. He worked day and night including weekends and would not let anyone else help him. He insisted on cleaning his truck every day and doing it himself. He said he was working to give his children a better future. I failed to influence him and so there is a real doubt in my mind that he will survive to see his children actually enjoying that better future. Let go. Relaxation is necessary. The work my colleagues and I do is very tiring and draining. One of my colleagues has taken up Yoga and has sung its praises so enthusiastically that I am starting too. There are also simple methods of progressive relaxation such as I use to induce hypnosis but can be done on oneself - almost identical in fact to the yoga relaxation method.

Exercise. Try to get daily exercise. Stretching exercises are very good for maintaining that youthful feeling. And three or four times per week minimum you could get some brisk cardio-vascular exercise for at least 40 minutes. By “brisk” I mean brisk enough to make you sweat and puff and your heart rate to increase. Taking a dog for a walk can be good exercise. After 2 weeks of very regular exercise like this it tends to become addictive by which I mean it ceases seeming like a chore and you come to feel something is missing when you don’t do it. This sort of exercise is also an excellent treatment for depression. Swimming for say 40 minutes is also excellent stress-relieving exercise.

Make a pact with yourself to become more assertive. In short, learn to say, “No!” Instead of always saying “Yes”, and taking on new commitments or agreeing to do things you really deep down don’t want to do - just smile and say, “No, definitely, no”. If you are then subjected to wheedling just continue to smile and keep saying “No, no, no”. If you are then subjected to flattery, “Oh, but you are so good at it!”, just keep smiling and say, “That’s very kind of you - but - No”, like a broken record. If you are asked to explain your refusal, refuse to do so. Just say something like, “No, I won’t be explaining my refusal apart from saying that what you are asking is not consistent with my present responsibilities and commitments.” This could lead to more wheedling but just keep up the “broken record” response. It can all be done with a charming smile. There’s no need to be obnoxious or aggressive in saying, “No”. Here’s a hint that will help enormously - say “No” quickly, immediately you detect that a conversation is leading you in an unwanted direction. Only today I got a phone call from a lady who started out, “I’m calling from Rotary and I thought you might like to know what we are doing - ” at that point I cut her off with, “No, not this time but thanks for calling”. She started to say, “Alright, have a nice day” but I had hung up - click - before she finished. I detected she had been about to ask for a donation so I killed her expectation of success immediately before she could subject me to more persuasion. Say “No” and say it fast. Failing to do this can lead the other person to faulty expectations and thereby anger, so this is especially important in personal relationships. If you mean “No” then say it fast and say it plainly and unambiguously. It can be done with a smile. If necessary repeat your “No” over and over like a broken record. Refuse to give explanations.

Attend to your relationships, marital and others. If you have marital or other relationship problems deal with them. You might have to seek counselling either as a couple or on your own. If you are in a toxic relationship then maybe you can simply bite the bullet and get rid of it. If you cannot do that then at least get some help in rationalising the situation and getting it to a less stressful state.

Finances. Money or lack of it is a very common cause of stress. If you are in a stressful financial situation don’t hesitate to get help in sorting it out. There are investment advisors that can help you rationalise your finances and the banks have their people who can counsel you and help rationalise your situation. Government agencies the equivalent of Australia’s “Centrelink” offer financial counselling and the government provides special financial counselling for farmers. Don’t try to tough it out or the situation could get worse. If you see your bank as a potential serious problem then don’t wait for the bank to harrass you - get in first and go to the bank and confess your situation. More often than not banks negotiate livable situations for their customers.

http://www.psychologynatural.com/DepressionBroch.html
Dr. Victor Barnes is an Adelaide psychologist and hypnotherapist. He has also had three decades of experience in adult education and served as Dean of a Sri Lankan college (ICBT) teaching several australian degrees. His overseas experience includes studies and consulting experience in USA, PNG, Poland and Sri Lanka.