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The surge and surface current slosh me around like laundry in a spin cycle. I’m scuba diving on Gadd’s Wall, a precipitous dive site in Bonne Bay, in Western Newfoundland’s Gros Morne National Park, that just may be one of the top dives on the Rock.

The perfect place to stay for this western Newfoundland golf adventure is the Humber Valley Resort, and perhaps the best golf to be played on this side of the island is the River Course at the resort. The resort offers both an inn and chalets with seasonal rates. The chalets offer options to house large or small groups with all the comforts of a world-class golf destination.

Forget the Rockies. Winter blahs melt away as you hit the gas on a snowmobile and blast along ancient mountain ridges or wander through pristine woodlands in Newfoundland and Labrador.

A vast network of trails sprawls across more than 5,000 kilometres of natural beauty. It spans the former Canadian National Railway route, follows the foothills of the Long Range Mountains to a glacier-cut fjord in Gros Morne National Park, and crisscrosses Labrador's rolling tundra.

The perception most of us have of Newfoundland is of a scenic wonder filled with rocky cliffs, green terrain and quaint seaside villages. It is not known as a haven for winter activity, but a visit to Western Newfoundland will obliterate any notion that Newfoundlanders are not just as much fun in the cold as in the sun. Even the province’s jewel, Gros Morne National Park, offers visitors spectacular beauty when the temperature falls below freezing.

I heard the couple from Alberta grumbling about the Green Garden Trail a minute or two before I saw them.

“This is kind of rough going, isn’t it,” the man was saying to his significant other.

The woman agreed, but their voices trailed off suddenly as they saw me limping along with both knees heavily wrapped and leaning with determination on two walking poles.

Moose, mountains and mankind. I recently experienced all that and more as my wife and I explored the wonders of Newfoundland. We began our journey with a six-hour ride on the Marine Atlantic, a modern multi-level people/car ferry. It has bright, modern seating areas, restaurants, and cabins with comfortable small beds and clean, well-equipped bathrooms for overnight travel. We embarked at North Sydney, and arrived at Port aux Basques on Newfoundland's southwest tip.

Lawrence Hill, author of the award-winning Book of Negroes, writes about being bewitched by majestic Gros Morne National Park - and tracing the history of the incomparable Viking settlement L'Anse aux Meadows.

If you find yourself near Gros Morne National Park over the next couple of weeks, or if you’re simply in need of some creative inspiration, be sure to check out the Trails, Tales and Tunes Festival, May 14th to 28th.

Dark clouds unleashed a fury of rain that pelted our bodies and swelled the volume of water cascading down the precipitous cliffs. We were on the deck of a tour boat with some 40 other passengers taking in the scenery of Western Brook Pond.