On the other side of the island, there is a huge shallow lagoon with about 15 islands spotted along its edges and chock full of coral reefs. We took a boat tour that allowed us to do tons of snorkeling while still being able to explore the islands. At the first stop, we fed the fish while we were in the water. They swarmed us! Things were going well for Tom as he fed them until one fish mistook his fingers for food! We were then taken to an area of the water that was full of native and Australian giant clams. They were so cool, and it was fun to make them close up by swishing water at them. Next we walked along Honeymoon Island then over to Unfaithful Island. There, we ate lunch on picnic table in the water as fishes nipped at our toes, we learned how to open a coconut (which was rather helpful later on), and Wendy’s hermit crab won in the great hermit crab race of 2009. A quick stop to Volcano Island, more great snorkeling, then off to One Foot Island. One Foot Island is VERY rocky, and I had quite a bit of trouble trying to get around the island barefoot. We finally had to back-track instead of circumnavigating the island because it was too painful. Note to self: next time wear shoes.
Snorkeling here was different than in the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef has much more colorful coral and tons more fish, but when we went it was admittedly colder than Aitutaki Lagoon and they also dropped us out in the middle of the ocean, which was a little disconcerting especially when Mike saw a shark. Here, the water was warm and calm and there was no fear of sharks because they can’t get into the lagoon. In that way, the four of us almost enjoyed this day of snorkeling more than on the Great Barrier Reef. There it is, out there for the world to read. I said it.
When we got back, we got some food and were out by 9:30pm. It was a great day.
No comments:
Post a Comment