As the editor of a diving magazine, it pains me to admit it, but there are times when snorkelling beats scuba-diving hands down. A simple mask, fins and snorkel are often all that are required to get the most from a reef. Some people feel constrained by the bulk of scuba equipment, and the feeling of breathing underwater can be one of claustrophobia rather than freedom. Snorkelling is by no means a “second best” for failed divers — it’s simply a less complicated means of exploration. And, unlike diving, there are no exams involved.
There is another significant advantage. Many sea creatures are intimidated by the noise created by breathing apparatus, but a snorkeller can be a part of what Jacques Cousteau dubbed “the silent world”. Instead of fleeing, the fish get curious and swim closer. And marine mammals such as dolphins and sea lions see bubble-blowing as a threat — a scuba-diver spewing streams of air is viewed in much the same way as a lager-swilling yob on the Costa Brava, and is given a suitably wide berth.
And you’re not just stuck bobbing around at the surface — once you’re out there, take a deep breath, pump those fins and do some duck dives. After a few days, you should be able to swim down to eight metres, holding your breath for a minute or longer. And the whole underwater world will be yours for the discovering.
Unless otherwise stated, all packaged flights are from London. Contact the tour operator for details of regional and Irish departures
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FRENCH POLYNESIA
For all its new- age allure, whale- watching can be a tad dull if all you see are some vague lumps at the surface and a few glimpses of disappearing tails. Swimming with them is a different proposition.
With their huge white pectoral fins and eerie calls, humpbacks are the most beautiful of the great whales. Of the few places where they can be safely approached by swimmers, the Polynesian island of Rurutu offers the closest encounters in the clearest water.
The idea is to jump off the boat some distance away from the whales, then swim quietly towards them. If you’re careful, an adult female will tolerate your presence even when she has a calf with her. Don’t chase the whales if they move away: those fins weigh a ton and a half apiece, and a maternal swipe could be fatal.
On Rurutu, you stay at the homely Pension Temarama — in five days, you should be able to squeeze in eight three-hour whale-watching trips. Then jet across French Polynesia to the luxury of Bora Bora, which offers some first-rate snorkelling. How to do it: July to mid- September is the peak season for humpbacks. Divequest (01254 826322, www.divequest.co.uk) offers tailor-made trips: five nights in Rurutu and seven in Bora Bora start at £2,466pp, including Air New Zealand flights and two transit nights in Tahiti. Or try Tailor Made Travel (0845 456 8006).
SIPADAN, MALAYSIA
This tiny island off northeast Borneo is the best place in the world to swim with turtles. The hundreds of green and hawksbill turtles that live around Sipadan are so used to people that they occasionally swim right up to snorkellers.
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The island is fringed with a shallow reef top where they are seen all the time, along with a variety of coral-grazing reef fish. During the breeding season, the short-sighted turtles can get a little fresh with snorkellers, but usually realise their error before the situation becomes too advanced.
Facilities on Sipadan are basic — you’ll stay in a bamboo hut with a shower and a ceiling fan — and you’ll have had your fill after three or four days. It’s probably best to regard it as part of a general Borneo tour: before you go to Sipadan, stay at the well-appointed Tanjung Aru Shangri-La resort, in Kota Kinabalu, for at least three days. As well as providing a luxurious introduction to Borneo, the resort is the best place from which to choose the various rainforest trips on offer.
How to do it: Divequest (01254 826322, www.divequest.co.uk) offers tailor-made trips to Sipadan and Borneo, flying to Kota Kinabalu, in Malaysian Borneo, via Kuala Lumpur. Three nights, B&B, at the Tanjung Aru resort and four nights, full-board, on Sipadan cost £1,390pp, and it is easy to add extra days. Or try Hayes and Jarvis (0870 903 7737, www.hayesandjarvis.co.uk).
DOLPHIN HOUSE, SOUTHERN EGYPT
Egypt’s Red Sea coastline gets wilder and less developed the further south you go. With the recent opening of a new airport at Marsa Alam, travellers are spared a gruelling six-hour bus ride to the region known to Egyptians as the “deep south”. Dolphin House is one of the most exciting reefs in this area. The site is a 25-minute boat journey from the coast, and consists of an offshore lagoon with scattered blocks of coral. It is home to a pod of 200 or so spinner dolphins, noted for their speed and named after their trademark acrobatic displays.
Don’t try to follow the dolphins — they’re too fast. Instead, get their attention by splashing, diving and singing into your mouthpiece. Anyone looking at you from the boat may presume you have had too much sun, but groups of dolphins will make inquisitive passes, possibly to offer their sympathy. September is an ideal time to travel, as the heat becomes less oppressive and the sea is usually calm.
How to do it: stay at the impressive Kahramana Resort, well placed for Dolphin House. In September, Tony Backhurst Scuba Travel (0800 072 8221) is offering seven-night trips for £530pp, including B&B accommodation and flights. Or try Libra Holidays (0870 2422525, www.libraholidays.co.uk).
MEDAS ISLANDS, SPAIN
Just a mile off the Costa Brava, the Medas Islands support a world-class population of marine life, thanks to strict environmental laws. To snorkel in the Medas Islands is to experience the Mediterranean as it was 50 years ago, before dilapidated sewerage systems and unfettered fishing took their toll. It’s a pristine place where brown groupers guard their lairs and swimmers are mobbed by shoals of sea bream.
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Thanks to the archipelago’s proximity to the shore, it’s easy to find operators in the port of Estartit offering snorkelling trips to the marine park. The port is a little less “bucket and spade” than other parts of the Costa, but this is nevertheless very much a sun-and-sangria holiday, with some of the best snorkelling in the Med nearby.
How to do it: Lunn Poly (0870 165 0076) offers seven nights at the self-catering Festamar Apartments, in Estartit, from about £275pp throughout August, based on four adults sharing and including flights.
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS
The central islands of the Galapagos are famed for their topside wildlife: marine iguanas, giant tortoises and flightless cormorants. They may be wonders of evolution, but they don’t do an awful lot beyond basking, grazing and failing to fly.
The colonies of Galapagos sea lions are far more entertaining, to the extent of their regarding tourists as the local entertainment. There are shoreline rookeries all over the islands, so it’s best to ask your guide to choose the most likely spot. The water in the southern Galapagos is cold, so you’ll need to hire a 7mm wetsuit.
Once you’re in the water, you’ll see the sea lions per-forming remarkable gymnastics, flipping and turning cartwheels right in front of you. Pups and adolescents tend to be more receptive to snorkellers, while the ill-tempered bulls (identifiable by their bulbous heads and sheer size) are best avoided.
How to do it: Magic Globe (0870 011 0270) offers a range of Galapagos cruises that combine snorkelling and land tours; prices start at £2,200 for flights to Ecuador and a seven-day cruise.
WALKER’S CAY, THE BAHAMAS
This Bahamian outpost, famed for its excellent game- fishing, also offers an extraordinary snorkelling experience: the chance to swim with giant bull sharks, regarded by some as the most dangerous species.
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You have to wear a black wetsuit, hood and gloves to cover every inch of pasty skin (to the shark, British skin looks pretty much like fish flesh).
Then you fin slowly out through the milky water, peering through your mask as dark shapes cruise over the sea grass two metres below. The sharks will swim towards you, but always veer away before the encounter becomes too intimate. It’s an edgy but safe insight into the private life of a superpredator. Watch out for the biggest bull shark in the world, a rotund female known as Bahama Momma — being a classy lady, she was named after a rum cocktail.
Walker’s is an informal little island with a pretty marina and a hotel that is comfortable, though a tad ramshackle. The island is owned by Robert H Abplanalp, billionaire nonagenarian and inventor of the aerosol spray valve; he can occasionally be seen at the bar, cigarette in mouth.
How to do it: The shark expert Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch is leading a trip to Walker’s Cay from January 30 to February 8 next year; about £1,500pp, including flights via Miami, transfers and accommodation with breakfast and dinner on the island. Book through Dive Quest (01254 826322, www.divequest.co.uk).
SHARM EL SHEIKH, EGYPT
Every hotel in this popular Egyptian resort town offers snorkelling tours along the Sinai peninsula. The trick is to find one with its own moorings so you don’t have to schlep to the port every morning. Located just up the coast on the Ras Nasrani headland, the Four Seasons has its own pontoon and a vibrant house reef.
Apart from the affordable luxury of the resort, the snorkelling is excellent. The house reef has a resident spotted eagle ray, and it is a fine setting to enjoy what has become a visual archetype of the Red Sea: shoals of golden anthias fish, set against the majestic royal blue of the sea itself.
How to do it: Mosaic Holidays (020 8574 4000, www.mosaicholidays.co.uk) offers seven nights’ B&B at the Four Seasons from £699pp in September, including flights. Or try Kuoni (01306 743000, www.kuoni.co.uk).
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THE LIBERTY, TULAMBEN, BALI
Most shipwrecks lie in deep water, but part of the Liberty’s stern section rises to within three metres of the surface, just a short swim from the beach. In fact, the abandoned cargo ship rested on the shore until 1963, when the nearby volcano, Gunung Agung, exploded, pitching the 6,000-ton ship into the sea and splitting the hull in two.
The wreck attracts a great deal of marine life, including a friendly school of bigeye trevally — streamlined silver fish that group together in impressive twister formations. Visibility is changeable, but is usually adequate to view the tangled topography of the wreck from the surface.
How to do it: in the wake of the Bali bombing and a civil war in west Sumatra, the Foreign Office is still advising against travel to Bali and the rest of Indonesia, but this makes the top 10 for when it’s off the danger list. I made a personal decision to go anyway, booking flights from Heathrow to Bali via Singapore with British Airways through Trailfinders (020 7628 7628, www.trailfinders.com) for £585. I based myself in Sanur, a sleepy resort town in the south of Bali, staying at the Sativa Sanur Cottages (00 62 361 287881), a friendly little hotel, for £44 a night. English-owned AquaMarine Diving (00 62 361 730 107, www.aquamarinediving.com) will pick you up at your hotel and take you to Tulamben and back for £44, including snorkelling and lunch. They can also arrange trips to Bali’s other great snorkelling site, Pulau Menjangan, on the northwest coast.
FILITHEYO, MALDIVES
Armchair experts will tell you all the coral in the Maldives was destroyed by El Niño in 1997-98. Not so. Though much of the stony coral was killed by unusually warm water, branching “gorgonian” corals and sponges still provide colour. And the dead coral has been colonised by algae, creating an explosion in the population of algae-grazing reef fish. Located in a remote atoll an hour’s flight from Mahé, Filitheyo is one of the better Maldivian resort islands — its bungalows are beautifully designed, with open-air bathrooms. It has a healthy fringing reef and supports a wide variety of marine life, including moray eels and lurking scorpionfish (they are poisonous, but don’t attack). It’s like having a private patch of coral reef in your back garden. The resort runs snorkelling trips to outlying islands in the atoll, where giant manta rays often glide in from the blue.
How to do it: Maldives Scuba Tours (01449 780220, www.scubascuba.com) has week-long stays on Filitheyo, from £1,142pp, including flights.
PAPHOS, CYPRUS
North of Paphos, the coastline is defined by a series of sheltered inlets and bays that are ideal for snorkelling. The water is clear, currents are generally benign and there’s plenty of marine life in the shallows, including octopus and barracuda. Local tradition claims that Cyprus is the world’s oldest wine producer, and it’s not uncommon for snorkellers to find amphoras from ancient shipwrecks. Both topside and underwater, this is one of the most rewarding parts of Cyprus, but you will notice that big fish such as snapper and grouper keep their distance. This is the result of decades of spear-fishing, which has left game fish understandably leery of snorkellers.
How to do it: seven nights, half-board, at the Nereus Hotel, in Paphos, cost £503pp, including flights, with Thomas Cook (0870 010 9386, www.tcsignature.com).
Page 2: Equipment and safety
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THE KIT AND THE KNOW-HOW FOR YOUR DROP IN THE OCEAN
Equipment
A snorkeller’s most important tool is the mask. In the shop, try one on, breathe in slightly, remove your hand and lean forwards: the slight suction should keep the mask in place if it makes a good seal with your face.
Snorkels all do pretty much the same thing, but fins come in different shapes and sizes. If you want speed, go for the Mares Plana Avanti Quattro (about £90), widely regarded as the best power fin. For water below 26C, buy a 3mm or 5mm wetsuit and get a snug fit.
Good snorkelling suppliers include Mike’s (0800 018 0151, www.mikesww.com), which has branches nationwide, and the London-based Ocean Leisure (020 7930 5050, www.oceanleisure.co.uk).
Safety
There are plenty of poisonous creatures in the sea, but none of them seeks to attack people. The golden rule is not to touch anything: if an animal is moving so slowly that you could grab it, the likelihood is that it has a formidable defence mechanism.
If you plan to snorkel from the shore, buy fins that can be worn over neoprene booties. Even with protection, it is advisable to shuffle through the sand so that any stinging beasts have the chance to flee. Sharks in the tropics are wary of people and only eat fish. The exception is the tiger shark, which sometimes stalks pods of dolphins. Tigers hunt in the late afternoon, so never swim with dolphins after 6pm. Flailing snorkellers look too much like injured dolphins.
Page 1: Main feature