Page 1580 - Dive the Seas and More-2
P. 1580
U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS ADVENTIRE finally visited the U.S. Virgin Islands I
& DIVE MAP learned what one cannot possibly learn
from books and internet studies – that the
Five years after starting Franko’s Map of U.S. Virgin Islands are so lovely and
the United States Virgin Islands this I beautiful that words are not really
finally produced this map in January, adequate to describe. My findings and
2006! In the year 2000, I had recently quit interest in the U.S.V.I. inspired me to
my day job as an engineer and went to make this map into a beautiful piece of
work on maps of the Caribbean, artwork. The mountains are shown in a
simultaneously with maps of the smooth and wonderful green shaded
Hawaiian Islands. At the time I fantasized relief, based on USGS. (United States
that the U.S. Virgin Islands would be and Geographic Service) digital elevation
interesting and beautiful place and so I models (“DEMs”). The waters around the
began to study what is there, particularly islands are shown in Caribbean-turquoise
in the U.S.V.I underwater, because of my blues in descending hues to represent the
personal interest there. I learned that St. depths, which are based on data from
Thomas was an interesting place, and that NOAA (National Oceanic and
Charlotte Amalie is probably the most Atmospheric Administration). With this
busy cruise ship port in the Caribbean, U.S. Virgin Islands map background,
that St. John was roughly 2/3 a National which I actually first created in the year
Park (Virgin Islands National Park), and 2000 I began to load the map with
that sister Island St. Croix, was seemingly pertinent information about the Virgin
nothing like the other two main islands, Islands, particularly the dozens of
but it has world class scuba diving sites. superlative dive sites found there. A year
The more I researched the more I was later, the infamous 9/11 happened and I
interested in the U.S. Virgin Islands. My pretty much had to turn off my Caribbean
interest was for their beauty, their studies and turned my efforts to more
beaches, their scuba diving and localized stuff in my home area of
snorkeling, and for their extraordinary and Southern California, plus my home away
significant history. So, was I going to from home, Hawaii. In fact, instead of
produce a tourism guide map or a dive going to the U.S. Virgin Islands at that
map, as I had originally thought? Well, time, I went to Oahu and created what is
considering that most people who go the known as Franko’s Map of Oahu Surfing,
St. John, St. Thomas and/or St. Croix go which turns out to be a top seller!
snorkeling or diving as a primary activity, Anyway, things have come full circle, at
it suits all, I had to produce my usual dive last, and I have finally released my first
map, but since there is plenty of room on edition of Franko’s Map of the U.S.
a map for all kinds of other information, I Virgin Islands.
gave the viewer the things to see and do of
the U.S. Virgin Islands as well. Having
