MONTHLY CHALLENGE

It’s Another World Down There

Snorkelling coral reefs in the Pacific Ocean

If you’ve read “I’m a Water Baby,” you’ll know how much I love being in the water, specifically swimming.

There are some other activities I love doing on or in the water: sailing, tunnel diving, whitewater rafting, and most of all, snorkelling. I can’t exactly remember when I first snorkelled but I quickly became addicted. The Great Barrier Reef was on my doorstep growing up so what can I say — I’m lucky.

I learned to scuba

I remember learning to scuba in Guam, USA but didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted. Our friends were accomplished divers and watching their underwater videos entranced me. I wanted to be down there with them. They dived wrecks; the President Coolidge in Vanuatu was, and still is, one of their favourites. They bought land and built a beach house on Santo Espiritu, in Vanuatu.

But even though I’m a confident swimmer, I didn’t like my mask filling with water and not being able to clear it, so that was as far as my scuba diving went. But I discovered I could have almost as much fun snorkelling.

My husband, kids and I went on a sailing trip in the Whitsundays, Great Barrier Reef on the Gretel, an America’s Cup contender in 1962. We sailed from Shute Harbour to a deserted island and were dropped off on the beach by a dinghy. There were rocks and sharp coral pieces to walk over to get to the living reef. We all snorkelled over the beautiful coral reef. Keeley was the youngest. She was almost 6 years old. The snorkelling gear was provided by the boat as part of the tour. So was lunch — a seafood buffet. The Gretel was anchored a few hundred metres offshore.

I swam back to the boat

After snorkelling for an hour or so, I started to get hungry. Maybe it was seeing all those beautiful fish — no, just joking — so I put my head above water and looked where I was. I didn’t relish walking back over those sharp rocks so decided I’d swim back to the boat. The kids were back on the beach with their dad by this time waiting for the dinghy to bring them back to the Gretel, so I took off at a leisurely pace swimming to the yacht. The fins really helped my speed as I have a strong kick.

Three young guys saw me swimming and decided to follow me back to the yacht. I climbed up Gretel’s ladder and took off my snorkelling gear. The three guys arrived puffing and panting shortly after saying how the hell did you swim so fast. I answered, “Fins.” They looked at me incredulously. I’m sure they were thinking how could an old duck like me not be puffed. I have to admit I was showing off — a little bit.

My husband and kids finally arrived and the first thing my husband said was, “She only swam back so fast because she thought she’d miss out on lunch.” The kids laughed. I laughed too but said nothing. He loved trying to embarrass me. It was one of his favourite pastimes. It got to be like water off a duck’s back to me. It’s amazing I can remember these little barbs 30 years later. Maybe I was more hurt than I was letting on. Anyway, the seafood lunch was magnificent, but that was the last time we used hired snorkelling gear. My mask didn’t fit properly and the fins cut my feet badly.

Christmas time — snorkelling gear for the whole family.

Snorkelling is the sort of activity it’s all or nothing. It’s no good a couple of you getting gear and leaving the others sitting on the beach. Another year we all got bikes for Christmas but that’s another story.

Fiji

Now that we had our own gear, we went snorkelling more often. Every time we went to Fiji or Vanuatu, our masks and fins came too. I’ve had beach holidays and island holidays and snorkelled every day. The reef out along Fiji’s Coral Coast is spectacular snorkelling along the drop to the ocean floor on the outer edge of the reef. The reef to the north of Viti Levu on Nananu-i-Ra Island is amazing for both its coral beauty and its amazing variety of marine life.

And we were lucky enough to stay on the exclusive Matamanoa Island during the Fijian Coup at reduced rates which is where I had the scariest experience whilst snorkelling — I got tangled up with a school of barracuda. I’ve swum with reef sharks which didn’t overly concern me but the teeth on those barracuda were sharp and there were so many of them! I couldn’t get back to the beach fast enough. But even that scare didn’t stop me from going snorkelling the next day.

Vanuatu

Every time we went to Vanuatu, we snorkelled off Erakor Island or in the Lagoon at Port Vila. One of the most special places I’ve snorkelled is the lagoon at Eton Blue Hole on Efate, Vanuatu. I’ve written about that experience here.

Closer to home, we spent a family holiday at Daydream Island on the Great Barrier Reef. Despite being very commercialised, the snorkelling just off the western beach was unbelievably good — gorgeous corals not ruined by humans and fish galore.

Amédée Island Marine Reserve

This was a special trip. On a cruise, I booked a day tour to Amédée Island to see the lighthouse. I love lighthouses and have climbed many including the one on Amédée. And what else can you do in Noumea — it’s a bit of a hole, but that’s just my opinion. The rest of New Caledonia is quite beautiful.

In this marine reserve I snorkelled with dozens, maybe hundreds, of coral banded sea snakes — highly poisonous — one bite and you’re dead. Most people were scaredy cats but you only live once so I did it. The only place they can really get their fangs into you is the piece of skin between your thumb and your first finger. I kept my fingers tightly together, but the snorkelling was out of this world. I was so pleased I faced my fears and did it.

I saw a giant clam and I mean giant. I reckon it was about the size of my queen bed. I did not swim too close to it! The snakes stayed away from me — they are not aggressive at all — there were hundreds of them all over the island — you had to be careful not to step on them. But what an experience!

And the coral… here’s an example below…don’t ask me what that creature is though.

Have you snorkelled? Do you agree with my assertion that it’s another world down there?

If you haven’t snorkelled, I can highly recommend it. Having your own gear is so much better than hiring it. A well-fitting mask and comfortable fins can make all the difference to your enjoyment.

Here are some more stories from fellow snorkellers.