They Call Him Flipper…
I’m of two minds regarding writing about snorkeling. On the one hand, swimming with the fishes is objectively amazing. It’s as close to visiting another planet as we’ll get. Maybe not you. You’re young. But we’re definitely not going to another planet. Say hi to Elon for us.
On the other hand, it’s not a very interesting topic. Other than “It was pretty and here’s what it looked like,” there isn’t really much you can say about it. There’s no particular cultural relevance, no bigger story to be illuminated by its details, no moral to be teased out of its ambiguities.
So I guess this post is for Dorothy and I, using the blog as outboard memory for when we’re old and forget shit. It’s just pretty pictures, so feel free to pass. But they’ll keep us warm in our dotage, allowing us to remember back in the day, when we could move.
We rented a boat and guide, even though we were staying pretty close to shore. We wanted hands held and a comfort level with the water before we ventured out on our own from the beach. Our morning tour had a catamaran pulling up to the beach in front of Rasta Bar and taking us on three stops.
I refer to our boat as a catamaran, but it was more like a kayak with bamboo pontoons. It was wide enough for one person across, and everything had to be stowed at your feet. Here’s what it looked like from the water.
Dive One
Our first stop was the furthest away, a place we definitely couldn’t walk to, and it was all about coral.
Except for the turtle.
This spot was interesting, as there was little or no sand, and you could clearly see how the black sand beach got that way. That’s hardened lava on the sea floor.
Dive Two
Our second spot was right off the beach in Jemulek Bay, a small harbor. It was definitely close enough to shore to swim to, which was extra meaningful, because it was also the highlight of the day’s locations, no question.
This location had it all: interesting coral formations, a superabundance of fish, and even a submerged temple. It’s not a real temple. It was sunk as an art project, but that doesn’t keep it from being pretty fucking cool. The only downside is that it’s so close to the beach it attracts quite a crowd. When we were there it had the most people I’d ever seen in one place in the water outside a pool. But that truthfully did not detract at all from the experience.
But still photos can only tell so much of the story. We also got video. Here’s a look at the coral formations.
A turtle in flight.
The underwater temple, and all those fish.
And here’s the absolute highlight. Of this location, of the day, possibly of Dorothy’s life. This whole experience was like swimming in an aquarium, and feeding the fish by hand was the pinnacle of what was already a peak experience.
Years ago, on our first trip to Guatemala, we spent four days on Ambergris Cay in Belize before coming home. The barrier reef there is right off the Cay, only a short boat ride away. Swimming on the lee side of the reef, in water that was probably only six feet deep, was the epitome of the swimming-in-an-aquarium experience, and we’ve been chasing that high every time we’ve snorkeled since. Unsuccessfully.
There was always something. The coral was damaged, there weren’t many fish, the water was murky… Any kind of snorkeling is beautiful, but we hadn’t managed to recreate that Belize experience until now. Jemeluk Bay was superb.
Dive Three
Our third location was specifically for turtles. Neither fish nor coral to be seen. We did see a couple of turtles, but they were munching on the sea floor, and the pictures weren’t nearly as good as what we’d captured earlier. So, no pictures for you.
It was totally worth the entire trip to snorkel the underwater temple in Jemeluk, and figure out that we’re up to the trip undocented. The beach entry is only a 30 minute walk from our homestay, so we’ll be going back to that spot on our own as often as we can while we’re here. It was magic, and I don’t think it will be diminished in any way by repetition.
Bonus Content!
As promised, we went back to Jemeluk Bay, Dive 2 above, for a beach entry, and it was even easier than expected. We found a place that rented equipment and even had lockers and showers right at the entry point. It’s a couple of kilometers from us, so we took a cab out and walked back. Total cost, with equipment and taxi, was 200,000 Rupiah, about $12. We wound up going on solo snorkel tours four more times.
It was also an opportunity to spend some quality time with my camera rig. At first I didn’t think it would zoom. Then I figured out how to toggle the zoom on, but this happened:
Then I figured out how to use the zoom properly, and this happened:
And this:
Much better.
Then we swam in the aquarium.
As swell as they were in quantity, we also captured excellent individual fish. Don’t worry, just their souls.
More coral, please.
And here’s the panoramic view.
We cannot believe our good fortune. This is top shelf snorkeling, perfect for beginners, only a five minute swim from the beach. It doesn’t get any better.