Mallard Golf INC. and scuba diving for golf balls.MIAMI, FL — If you thought you had tough job, try spending the day with Mallard Golf INC. where each hour brings a new set of obstacles.”It’s a challenge, some golf courses have alligators, snakes or different hazards so it makes for a pretty fun and exciting way to make a living,” says Douglas Bounassi. Bounassi takes this plunge daily hoping to capitalize on that slice or hook. It’s a dirty job where face to face encounters with gators, snakes and snapping turtles are just par for the course.”There’s pieces of houses and roofs in some of these ponds,” says Bounassi.Each twist and turn uncovers something new in their quest to fill a daily quota of 2,000 golf balls per diver. That’s money in the pocket when they’re cleaned and resold but there’s a price to pay.”I got bit by a small gator once, I probably won’t forget that,” recalls James Oatley.hazard pay doesn’t accompany these divers. Instead it’s all sheer guts to get in the murky water and scoop up golfs poor shots.”You got to work for it, you got to do things somebody else necessarily doesn’t want to do,” says Elead Oatley.From clubs to a complete set, golf ball retrievers score big when it comes to their find which stretches beyond Nike or Callaway. Decades of experience has helped polish this year round business from watering holes in the Keys all the way to New Jersey.”It’s kind of like a competition with me and my dad and started off at a young age and just became a game for us almost,” says Oatley. A father and son duo working with Bounassi completes another day at the office carting off their prize catch in hand ready to tee off on a new set of terrain tomorrow.”I get to be outdoors, I get to go scuba diving which I love to do,” says Bounassi. Ironically out of all the hazards in the water the worst according to these divers comes from flying golf balls hit off tees as they approach or exit the water. Visit mallards website to see what happens to all of the golf balls they collect..http://www.ilovetogolf.com

Whether it was working under water in the construction of docks, or later as a deck officer on ocean-going ships, the early days of Veljko Pesakovic’s career meshed nicely with his passion for scuba diving.A young student in the naval academy in the former Yugoslavia at the time, Veljko’s diving training led to jobs, as well as recreational diving opportunities that only a privileged few enjoyed.In building concrete marina docks, his job was to assemble under water the planks that would serve as forms to contain the cement. He also found work in ports, cleaning the hulls, bottoms and propellers of 150-foot vessels that ferried 80 to 100 passengers between the islands and the mainland. For a young recreational diver looking for every opportunity to pursue his sport, getting paid to do it was a bonus. The pay breakdown was split evenly in three ways – to the diver, the diving club and for operating expenses.But his favourite memories were of the recreational dives his group of eight to 10 friends from the diving club would make from their base in Split (in the former Yugoslavia) to the islands in the Adriatic Sea. In his homeland, divers underwent rigorous training to be certified, spending two months in classes before they even went into the water. As such, they were valuable to the navy, which sponsored the diving club and provided them with a boat, free fuel and access to places few others could go.The diving club had two focuses for these trips. One was the “archaeological group,” which sought out sunken ships from the Roman era. The interesting artefacts on those ships included “amphoras,” which were vases two- to four-feet tall that were used to transport goods such as wine or spices. The other was the “gastronomic group,” which dove for rare shells known as “prstaci,” found underwater in the rocks of the Adriatic islands. They were considered a delicacy and Veljko says they took hundreds of years to mature. In August, they would dive for lobsters, but in Yugoslavian waters they were not allowed to catch them with the aid of air tanks. Being young, fit and experienced divers, they had no trouble going down 60 feet without an air tank to catch the lobsters. When he graduated from the naval academy and began to cruise world on commercial ships, the big bonus for Veljko was the opportunity to dive during his down time in ports. Among his favourites were Durban in South Africa, Newcastle, Australia, the island of Mauritius and the Canary Islands. He rented equipment from local diving clubs and went on their organized dives, usually 20 to 40 miles from the ports. These locations were prime diving locales. There, warmer water temperatures would mean that the spectacular aquatic life that divers enjoy exploring would be at much shallower depths. This involves several advantages, Veljko says. One is that the colours of the plants and fish in shallow water are much better because water absorbs the light. By 130 to 140 feet, “everything is grey.” Shallow depths also make aquatic life more accessible to divers and allow for more time to enjoy them before air tanks run too low to safely continue the dive.For Veljko, who now lives in Montreal, Canada, the Adriatic dives and those at his favourite warm-water locales around the world reinforced his passion for the sport. “I was spoiled,” he says. “I was privileged. I was a paid tourist.”www.kirkscubagear.com

About 35 miles off the coast of Honduras sits Roatan Island – boasting Caribbean vacation homes, lush tropical greenery, local developments and fishing villas. Roatan Island is around 32 miles long and is slender, elongated and curved like the blade of some ancient pirate’s cutlass. Surrounded by shimmering, sun drenched waters of turquoise – Roatan is the largest of the Bay Islands. Hidden treasure of all kind waits patiently to be discovered on the island of Roatan.

Paradise Underwater

The first stop on our journey for treasure on Roatan Island will take us under the stunning crystal waters of the Caribbean to the 2nd largest coral reef in the world. Because the coral reef is so massive and breathtaking, Roatan diving is becoming a must for those interested in scuba diving and snorkeling – hence the dive resorts and villas nestled here and there on the island.

The sea life and coral come in every color of the rainbow. Enveloped by the blue-green waters, you will see fascinating clumps of coral which range in shape, color and size. You will be left speechless from the pure beauty while you’re diving or snorkeling in Roatan and you never know what you will spot in this magical place of strange and beautiful sights.

Pirate’s Gold

Fueled by the whispered rumors of ancient treasure, we will now be moving to various locations on Roatan Island – some of which are said in stories to contain the forgotten gold and treasures of pirate visitors from long ago. In the 1700’s, pirates had control of the island – and it is still said that some of their buried treasure and booty waits to be discovered to this day.

From chests full of gold doubloons to coffins filled with gold in underwater caves – there are numerous stories of treasure found on Roatan Island. Locals will tell stories of long forgotten places and adventurers who have found wealth through Roatan treasure! Will you be the next to discover riches and wealth on this untouched island left by a pirate of the old days?

Island Life

Our final discovery of treasure in Roatan is not gold, but some would say it’s a better kind of treasure. Although there are ‘tourist hotspots’ on Roatan, much of the island is untouched. However, some individuals and companies are seeing the importance of the development of Roatan. There are already many people who regularly visit their Caribbean vacation homes, villas in Roatan or quiet vacation condos.

One such is the Oceano Village development. Built away from the tourist areas, Oceano Village remains within reach of hospitals, tourist attractions and necessities. With a net-zero construction, the beach front homes are built of renewable resources and sit upon a beautiful lush, landscaped area of Roatan. Each vacation home is greeted outside by fine, powder white sand beaches and its own view of Paradise.

Caribbean vacation homes promise the quiet, uninterrupted lifestyle of a still-untouched island – combined with the colorful culture of the friendly locals and the promise of a new discovery each day on Roatan Island.