Hanging out at the beach in a bathing cap is not something we really do anymore, but these images — real and painted — sure make it look fun.

This painting is by one of my favorite Washington, DC-based artists, Gregory Ferrand.

She Loves Me Not by Gregory Ferrand. Courtesy Gregory Ferrand.

Vintage Bathers. Courtesy Curious Photos blog.

Fisherman's Huts Beach (Hadikurari) in Aruba

It must be the way the coast curves inwardly between Palm and Malmok Beaches; whatever the cause, Aruba’s Fisherman’s Huts Beach (Hadikurari) is incredibly windy, and it’s the place to be if you want to try out (or just) watch some windsurfing. Especially in the summer months, the warm trade winds whip across this beach’s sands and waters at upwards of 20mph, with some gusts reaching the 30s. It’s a true hold-on-to-your-hat (and your sunglasses, and your beach bags) beach.

Trying to windsurf on Hadicurari Beach in Aruba

Although I did not try windsurfing myself, I can attest to the patience of the instructors on this beach; my husband and I watched one teacher try to get a girl to windsurf for well over an hour. It’s apparently a lot harder than it looks, and getting dragged through the water by a lofty sail did not look like the most fun. Once she finally got going though, I was jealous! It looked so carefree and fun.

The water on this beach is quite shallow at first, and not the best for snorkeling due to all of the wind. But, the water is warm year-round and invites lazy wading.

Human spectators aren’t the only visitors to this beach. Keep your eyes peeled for gorgeous turquoise and green lizards. One of them was so friendly that he/she came right up to us and crawled over our hands. The wind doesn’t seem to bother them much, probably because they’re so close to the ground. They’re completely harmless and their scampering adds a touch of frolicking frivolity to the picturesque scene.

IF YOU GO: Take the Arubus and pack a lunch to eat in the shade. Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from the sand flying around.

Lovely lizard on Aruba's Fisherman's Huts Beach

Photos: Jenny Bengen-Albert

I stumbled across this Jantzen ad from 1963 and it is too good to not share it with you all.

Jantzen men's swim bermudas 1963 Courtesy eBay

Looks like prints and a sung fit were pretty popular back then. Here are some versions for the modern man.

Note that most of these trunks are red… just because 1) it’s a universally flattering color, and 2) it looks great against the backdrop of the blue ocean water.

Original Penguin Volley Short Swimsuit in Poppy Red. Courtesy Original Penguin

Sundek Plaid Trunk. Courtesy Neiman Marcus

Orlebar Brown Graphic Print Swim Shorts. Courtesy Mr Porter

Limoland Multi-Coloured Swim Shorts. Courtesy Mr. Porter

P.S. The Janzten picture is actually a poster that’s for sale on eBay.

Snorkeling Will Never Look the Same Again!

I recently learned about something very, very cool, and something I wish I had known about before traveling to Aruba: prescription goggles! As someone who’s worn glasses and contacts since I was 8 years old and who loves to snorkel, this is very exciting. Prescription goggles and prescription masks enable snorkelers to be able to see perfectly without having to worry about their contacts. I don’t know about you, but I have enough problems to worry about when I snorkel: foggy lenses, staying afloat, fish that want to nibble on my toes. I detest having to wear contacts when I’m at the beach because all it takes is one tiny grain of sand and I have to take out my contact, rinse, and then put it back in my now red and severely aggravated eye. I’ve actually never had a problem of losing my contacts in the water (yet!), but I know that’s always a possibility, and it’s nerve-wracking.

I’m still at the beginning stages of my research, but it looks as though you can get prescription goggle for prescriptions as bad as -10; this is actually better than my vision but it’s close enough! Seeing clearly underwater without worries. This is sounding better and better.

The only hiccup I can think of with this product is this: what do you do if you have to take your goggles off? Or what do you do when you get out of the water? Put on glasses? People like me with really bad eyes are, for all intents and purposes, blind without contacts, and I’m not sure how I feel about bringing a pair of glasses with me to the beach…but it’s got to be a better solution than wearing contacts underwater.

It looks like prescription goggles run around $25-$50, but masks range from $100-$300, so they’re more of an investment. Definitely something to think about as I plan my next snorkel expedition.

Photo: Sarah_Ackerman

Inspired by Sebastien’s Jan & Dean’s Surf City post, as we head into the heat of the summer I’m dedicating a series of blog posts called “Looking Back” to retro swimsuits!

One of the most iconic American images of the bikini is a photograph of Annette Funicello from the 1963 Beach Party movies, a series of summer beach movies with co-star Frankie Avalon. Word on the street is that Annette was instructed to wear bellybutton-covering bikini bottoms by none other than Mr. Walt Disney himself!

Annette Funicello, 1963. Courtesy Everett Collection / InStyle Online

The high-waisted bikini bottom is perfect for those ladies who prefer either a) a little modesty, b) a little retro, c) fashion fun, or d) all of the above!

Here are some modern high-waisted versions you can try on for yourself:

Retro Floral Highwaisted Bikini courtesy Mod Cloth

J.Crew New Glamour Top & Shelley Bottom. Courtesy J.Crew

Marc by Marc Jacobs. Courtesy Bloomingdales

To ignore the classics is a huge mistake. Jan and Dean’s Surf City was the #1 song for two weeks in 1963, was originally titled “Goodie Connie Won’t You Come Back Home” and written by Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. Wilson gave it to Jan Berry and Dean Torrence who finished writing and recording the song in the early 1960s. Here is a fun fact, in 1991, Dean Torrence convinced the city of Huntington Beach, CA to adopt the nickname “Surf City” as Huntington’s nickname.

I was lucky enough to find this video on YouTube of a live Jan and Dean performance of Surf City in 1963. Please note that the opening 5-10 seconds sounds really bad because of the crowd cheering so you may want to go ahead and skip over to 0:05.

I am a fan of travel videos which really gets across the feeling of travel, be it introspective or just plain fun. This particular video, Under the Clouds by Vimeo user Gioacchino Petronicce captures the pay off of a seemingly long haul to paradise. The color tones are fantastic and instead of typical sunny beach vacation the journey takes us into Martinique during the rainy season which Gioacchino shoots quite well.

About the video:

These images and these sounds were recorded during a travel from “Toulouse” to “Paris”, and from “Paris” to “Martinique”. We see the North and the South of “Martinique”, the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, during the rainy season in July, 2011.

This small video was thought before I arrive on the scene. The images were not priority but it’s the sound which guided the shoot and the edition.
Sounds recorded with a zoom H4N (post sync).
Images shot with a tripod and a 7D.

Music ; snow angel summer – Voyager One

2011

Flat Mask Comparison above and below water. Image by: Jon Kranhouse

Every wonder why we can’t see properly under water? Well, I looked it up. Our eyes are adapted for viewing in a gaseous (air) environment. Light rays bend less through gasses than they would underwater. In water, light rays are refracted much differently. So how does that affect me? Well, if you like to dive or snorkel it affects three key things: Color, Distance and size. We wear goggles to see underwater. The reason why this works is because of the layer of air between the glass making the light refracts “normally” for us. Keep in mind though that with those goggles on, things will look about 33% bigger in freshwater, 34% bigger in saltwater and 25% closer overall. Our color perception underwater changes the deeper you are and the more particles and how muddy/murky it is in the first place. The following is a guide by Luria et al.

A. For murky, turbid water of low visibility (rivers, harbors, etc.)
1. With natural illumination:
a. Fluorescent yellow, orange, and red.
b. Regular yellow, orange, and white.

2. With incandescent illumination:
a. Fluorescent and regular yellow, orange, red and white.

3. With a mercury light source:
a. Fluorescent yellow-green and yellow-orange.
b. Regular yellow and white.

B. For moderately turbid water (sounds, bays, coastal water).
1. With natural illumination or incandescent light source:
a. Any fluorescent in the yellows, oranges, and reds.
b. Regular yellow, orange, and white.

2. With a mercury light source:
a. Fluorescent yellow-green and yellow-orange.
b. Regular yellow and white.

C. For clear water (southern water, deep water off shore, etc.).
1. With any type of illumination fluorescent paints are superior.
a. With long viewing distances, fluorescent green and yellow-green.
b. With short viewing distances, fluorescent orange is excellent.

2. With natural illumination:
a. Fluorescent paints.
b. Regular yellow, orange, and white.

3. With incandescent light source:
a. Fluorescent paints.
b. Regular yellow, orange, and white.

4. With a mercury light source:
a. Fluorescent paints.
b. Regular yellow, white.

The most difficult colors at the limits of visibility with a water
background are dark colors such as gray or black.