Favourite snorkelling spots in the South Pacific

One of the perks of working on a sailing ship was having access to incredible reefs.  While a few spots were disappointing, having major damage from storms or human inference, others blew my fragile mind to pieces. Here's a countdown of my four favourite destinations.

In 4th place is Aitutaki, Cook islands.  A honeymooner's haven, Aitutaki had great coral and sea life close to shore. The clear water meant we had great visibility for snorkelling.  Much better than what I saw in Rarotonga.

In 3rd place we have Hide away resort in Efate, Vanuatu.  This resort has plenty of marine life (one of my friend's saw an octopus).  However the underwater post office was the kicker!  There are a lot of people about, but this is compensated with having a bar right there after your snorkel (or before, I won't judge...).

In 2nd we have The Coral Gardens, Vavau, Tonga.  This place is so incredibly awesome that in my mind, it should be under international protection.  The coral was so beautiful that during our first visit, I don't think I paid much attention to the fish.  Which there are also there. Lots.

But in 1st place I've crowned Anchorage Island, Suwarrow atoll, Cook Islands.  As one of the most secluded spots on the planet, Suwarrow has had the luxury of little human interference.  When swimming to the coral's shelf, that's when things got interesting. The abundance of Sharks really puts this place on the map.
And here is an important disclaimer: There are not only reef sharks (the harmless guys) but aggressive bigger boys.  At one point me and Zim sighted a pack of sharks, including a brown big'un and moved quick sharp. Snorkelling at this spot is not recommended and only done by silly people like me. But wow, what a place!

Where are your favourite places to snorkel?

* First picture courtesy of Mr J. Biddlecombe.

Swimming with whales

Best. Day. Ever. 

In my life time, there have been few moments where I can pin point a life changing moment. These are usually heartbreaking moments, but I'm happy to say, this time around, I experienced nothing but joy.

There are a lot of places around the globe where you can whale watch but Tonga is the only one, to my knowledge, that offers whale swimming.  with this in mind, we decided to use our day off in Neiaufu doing something a little different.

Booking with a reputable company, our guides were quick not to give too much hope of getting into the water with the whales. It was early in the migration season, the whales may not be interested and it was a good idea to make the most of the day (accepting it as a whale watching expedition, a great way to see the landscape and also a snorkel at a reef) .  Our guide went through the rules and regulations (only four people in the water at a time,  whate the safe distance etc) and we left on a small boat in search of some very big animals.

We were not left disappointed.  After about an hour sailing about and sighting whales, we were in the water ready for our first encounter.  Being so close to these huge mammals was one of the most humbling experiences of my life - yes, I can hear myself, and yes I sound like a new age hippy,  but never mind.  Still I cannot get over the size of the humpback whale. 

The first whale was sleeping upside down when we snuck up on her.  When she woke up she swam alongside us before diving down into the depths.  

Three encounters later and I feel hooked. 

I want to swim with whales everyday.

* Thank you for Mr M.C for taking these awesome pics.

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The Coral Gardens

I had the opportunity to visit this place twice within our time in Tonga.  If I thought the snorkeling was amazing in the cook islands, the Coral Gardens knocked it down to size.  Named so due to it coral resembling a well maintain garden, not only was this place teaming with fish, but also had an abundance of coral I'd never seen before. I spent along time following fish, diving down, taking pictures on a friends camera (why didn't I get one of these?) and all the while singing songs from 'the little mermaid.'

However, it was at this beautiful spot I also saw a sobering sight: local spear fishers with hi-tech gear killing little fish.  not even big enough to be worth eating, I couldn't understand it.

 Snorkeling from the beach its a little tricky getting out in and out (reef, rocks and crazy waves do not mix) but thankfully I didn't lose a leg.  If I had it would have been worth it.

* Thanks to Mr Biddlecombe, for the use of his underwater camera and for the first picture taken.

Mariner's Cave

In Samoa there were the Uptula freshwater cave pools. In Tonga there was Mariner's cave.  Guided by charts and the memories of previous crew, we found this under water cave on the side of a Tongan island.  Jumping off the tender into the pacific waters, I spent a lot of time staring at the pitch black hole they called an 'entrance'.   It gave no indication of what would greet us on the other side. So I kept staring at this hole  in a rock. Yep, a big black hole going into a rock which I was planning to swim through. any time.... at any moment I was  going through to who knows what.... Still, my fins didn't move.

Then,  a little reassurance. Our 'Scout' went in (or Mitch the engineer as he is also known) to check all was good. And yes, he did return, memories were correct and it was a 3 metre dive down through the hole.
 Some advise was given; don't come up too quick or you'll hit your head.

Finally I went down, using my hands to pull myself deeper and then along. Into the darkness I kept swimming thinking 'I better come up soon, my breath won't hole much longer.'  Thankfully a friendly face popped down to show me I've made it (otherwise I would've kept swimming!).  Perhaps I took the advise too far.

After the feeling of relief that I'd made it, it was then time to take in Mariner's cave.  With a domed roof, the cave had stella mites, a resident sea snake (which someone nearly stood on), and light pouring from the underwater entrance.  However, my favourite thing was the mist.  As the tide came in, mist would fill the cave and then disappear when the water came out.

 Leaving into the light was a hell of a lot easier than going into the darkness.

* picture by JB

Airbourne Fish

On a quiet beach in Vavau, Tonga, a hundred flying fish caught my eye. I got my camera ready and then, this big fish flew through the air, bouncing once before plunging under again. 

And throughout all of this he kept hold of his dinner.

Tongan Dancing

The night of the tongan feast came to its climax with tongan dancing.   Though there was no glitz, no glamour and was very much a family affair, the energy and fun the performers put into it brought it all together.  from young children to the elderly all got involved. However, I think everybodies eyes were on the older girl's hips.

Blondie and friends

At the Tongan feast we also got to meet some of the locals and this girl in particular was just a beaut.  The people of Tonga seemed so trusting, even leaving this baby on a voyage crew's care for half an hour.

Carva ceremony

After a day or two cruising the vavau group in Tonga, The soren crew had a night a shore at a Tongan feast. As part of the night, we also took part in  a Carva ceremony.  Carva tastes and looks like dirty dish water which may not sound so fun.  However, as the root drink makes you feel happy, clever and relaxed, it's become pretty popular in this part of the world.  Sitting on the floor in a circle, it is custom to clap your hands three times to be served.  The sever is usually an unmarried woman (but in this instance we can call Hannah) and one bowl is passed among the group.

We also had a local musicians to serenade us.

With my three bowls, along with feeling happy and giddy, mostly i had numb lips. however, i think my camera may have been seeing things...

Emil's birthday

How do you give some one a great birthday even when they have to work? You anchor off a topical island, play him happy birthday on the guitar, bake him a cake and put a long legged blond on his knee....

and then at night, you blow up balloons, bring out the party hats and give him a card covered with his favourite things.  

For our only danish boy aboard, I hope it was a good one.

From Samoa to Tonga

The beginning of this voyage included the swing rope and cave pools, and therefore, it rocked even before we started the crossing to Tonga.  I also went aloft for the first time when out in choppy sea, which was one of the scariest experiences of my life. It isn't the height, its the feeling the ship is trying to shake you off.  I also  started a new routine while at sea., doing the 4-8 watch a long with my cooking. 

After a couple of days out at sea we reached 'new potato.' well that's how the captain pronounced it...and its sister island 'new tomato.' Have to say 'new tomatoe' was definitely my favourite shaped islands so far.

 The plan was to clear through the authorities, spend a couple of days here and then head on to the Vavau group of Tongan Islands. However, the couple who deal with visiting ship were away retrieving an adoptive baby and so after a rather rolly anchor, we headed a couple of days sail to vavau. On the way we had our first proper glimpse of Whales.

As the dawn began to rise, Vavua greeted us with calm dead seas and a hundred islands.  

And when we anchored in Neafu  and cleared customs we were free to explore the islands...