Snorkeling in the Maldives
Baa-Atoll from the sea plane
I have a profound respect for people who take to the water like fish, snorkeling without fear of getting water into their eyes through ill-fitting masks or snorkels, or into their lungs when waves hit .. For me, snorkeling so far had always been a test of courage. But what else to do in the Maldives?
Drifting over a colourful reef in warm flat waters is fine, preferably in a safety swim vest, but getting there through turbulent surf swimming out from the beach, meeting all sorts of unknown creatures or jelly fish on the way ... uuugh. We had had a nasty experience with high waves crashing over our heads and into the snorkels in the Great Barrier Reef, where waves were so high and currents so strong, that we had to hold on to a rope to not get swept away. The rope with ten people hanging on to it for dear life was obviously never on the water's surface, so the snorkels, eyes and mouths were always full of salt water and I had decided never to go snorkeling again under such conditions.
In addition, seeing fish from above only, with their slender backs towards me, dashing out of sight, hiding underneath broad tables of corals, gives rather boring photographs.
Therefore, I was dreaming of going deeper into the water, getting below waves' troubles, spitting out the snorkel and being able to simply dive deeper, join the fish, if I saw something interesting. Well ....
The Amilla Fushi resort, where we stayed, had invited a Free Diving Instructor, a rather crazy Austrian, who holds 9 world records in disciplines like long distance diving under ice or deep diving in caves , to give instruction in free diving. He seemed very trustworthy in a calm and reassuring way, so I took that course together with two professional scuba instructors, who were not familiar with diving without gear either. I felt completely safe :)!
We practised holding our breath first with rather simple relaxation and breathing techniques.. - I beat my oldest son, who is a scuba diver and the rest of the family did not even try: I managed three minutes and ten seconds !! How is that, Tom Cruise? I could have saved you in your latest Mission Impossible ...
Getting deep down and staying there, though, proved to be more difficult than just holding my breath, because I always seemed to float up, but that's another matter. I am working on my fin technique for the next vacation ... Maybe I will turn into a mermaid...
This is the crop I brought back with my watertight Nikon 1 AW1, which has proven very reliable and dependable for my needs.
Drifting over a colourful reef in warm flat waters is fine, preferably in a safety swim vest, but getting there through turbulent surf swimming out from the beach, meeting all sorts of unknown creatures or jelly fish on the way ... uuugh. We had had a nasty experience with high waves crashing over our heads and into the snorkels in the Great Barrier Reef, where waves were so high and currents so strong, that we had to hold on to a rope to not get swept away. The rope with ten people hanging on to it for dear life was obviously never on the water's surface, so the snorkels, eyes and mouths were always full of salt water and I had decided never to go snorkeling again under such conditions.
me in calm waters
turtle in the distance
The Amilla Fushi resort, where we stayed, had invited a Free Diving Instructor, a rather crazy Austrian, who holds 9 world records in disciplines like long distance diving under ice or deep diving in caves , to give instruction in free diving. He seemed very trustworthy in a calm and reassuring way, so I took that course together with two professional scuba instructors, who were not familiar with diving without gear either. I felt completely safe :)!
the "professionals" went down to over 19 m
We practised holding our breath first with rather simple relaxation and breathing techniques.. - I beat my oldest son, who is a scuba diver and the rest of the family did not even try: I managed three minutes and ten seconds !! How is that, Tom Cruise? I could have saved you in your latest Mission Impossible ...
Getting deep down and staying there, though, proved to be more difficult than just holding my breath, because I always seemed to float up, but that's another matter. I am working on my fin technique for the next vacation ... Maybe I will turn into a mermaid...
me (with the wrong finning technique)
Hawksbill turtle
a school of Goldspot seabreams with yellowfin goat fish
Oriental Sweet Lips (the big one with stripes) - Plectorinchus vittatus
Amilla Fushi through the rotors of our sea plane
Isn't it tempting ?
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