Steven Becker

Archives

Haiti, an island nation that has suffered much in its existence, manages to thrive as a cultural and historical treasure trove, with its unique and varied lifestyle of its peoples, their cultures, and the deep history one can feel when they arrive. Of the many sights beckoning you, no visit to Haiti would be complete should you be so unfortunate as to miss out on see the largest fortress in the Americas…. Read More

Labadee Probably the most popular place to visit in Haiti, Labadee is a wonderful island area that features beaches with a large expanse of sand and surf. The palm trees that line the beach offer relief from the endless Haitian sun, and the beach is perfect for relaxation and sunbathing. Hammocks, beach chairs and beach huts are in abundance, and for those who like an active vacation destination, there are plenty of… Read More

Key Largo Key Largo (which means Long Key, named by the Spaniards) is one of the closest of the islands to the Florida mainland. Drive south from Miami for about an hour or so, and you will come to the drawbridge at Jewfish Creek. When you cross this bridge, you will find yourself in Key Largo, the first island of the Florida Keys. Key Largo is the home to the world’s largest… Read More

Hendrick Quintor, a free black man of African and Dutch descent, was considered to be one of the most dangerous pirates of the 1700s. He served on the Whydah with distinction, but few know the story of how his legendary ship, the Whydah, and he, along with the rest of his damned crew, were destroyed. The Whydah left on her maiden voyage in early 1716, travelling out the English Channel and into… Read More

The Wreck of the Ten Sail (Book 2) – OUT NOW

If you took advantage of the price drop on the Mac Travis Adventure box set last week, don’t forget that the excitement continues in the fifth book – Wood’s Harbor. “Washed up on a beach, with a path of destruction in his wake, Mac Travis must put his life back together. With his girlfriend hanging by a thread, he becomes embroiled in a plan to blow-up US and Cuba’s fledgling relationship. Along… Read More

Since the beginning of time, men have gone into the water—some to collect food—some to see what lies beneath the waves. It’s hard to actually tell the exact date of the first dive, but we do know from recovered artifacts that the people of Mesopotamia dived to collect pearl oysters—and that early diving took place around 4,500 years ago. Later the Greeks of Thebes would dive for pearls and the Chinese were… Read More

For many centuries, people have practiced breath-hold diving. Evidence of this comes from many thousands of years’ old undersea artifacts that have been found on dry land. In Ancient Greece, breath-hold divers are well-known to have hunted and engaged in military activities under the sea. It took the invention of apparatus to help humans breathe underwater before many people could see the world underneath the ocean—before the apparatus, each dive was short,… Read More

Florida in the 18th century remained a lonely outpost of the declining Spanish Empire. Its most important mission was to secure the homeward route of the Spanish New World Treasure Fleets. These fleets had long funded Spain’s now-receding role in European and world affairs. The loss of the 1715 Fleet was another blow to the newly established Bourbon dynasties of Spain. Gold and silver in great quantities was homeward bound to King… Read More

It is unknown to many that the equipment used for Scuba Diving was actually originally designed for firefighting. Inspired by a fire accident two brothers saw, Charles and John Deane designed a “smoke helmet” that was to be used by firemen fighting fires in smoke filled areas. This early design was made up of a helmet made of copper with a flexible collar and garment attached to it. A leather hose was… Read More