Cliche blue waters

Giving love to the turtles

Sailing away

It’s not often that I see lunch as an unwanted distraction, particularly when it is as appetizing as the buffet offered on Vanuatu's Coongoola day trip. But on a day filled with blue skies, bluer waters, and sometimes blue fish (in said water, and thankfully not on our plates), I find myself constantly glancing not at my meal, but past the white sand towards the spectacular waters off Moso Island, Vanuatu.

Hitting the sea here is akin to slipping into a warm embrace.  For some it is comforting, for others exciting. But like any good hug, it’s what’s underneath that makes it special. And there are few things more special than floating in 25-degree plus tropical water and observing the coral reefs that reside below.

As I watch these underwater ‘cities’, I can’t help but be reminded of our own busy metropolises: there are homes, restaurants, traffic jams, arguments, romances, characters of all shapes and sizes playing out lives in a variety of liveries. The only thing missing is the pollution. And in these pristine waters, there is definitely none of that.

Home for the ‘abovewater’ crowd today is an uncrowded, exclusive white cove beach. And although the snorkelling here is rewarding, with enough marine life to keep you going until the skin on your fingers turns all wrinkly, the real fun is to be had further out to sea.

It is at sea where you will find the magnificent coral reefs, the more diverse aquatic life and of course, the deeper waters. On this occasion we are blessed with a crystal clear day, affording excellent visibility and warm surface water. And this is supposed to be Vanuatu’s cyclone season.          

Much to our envy (but not surprise), our guides prove to be particularly adept at negotiating the water, one diving as far as 10 metres straight down, past two huge manta rays, to investigate something on the ocean’s floor. It is a testament to the diversity of the surroundings that they are still able to find things that intrigue them after so many visits.

As we head back to the mainland aboard the “Coongoola”, our 23-metre timber sailing ketch described as “Vanuatu’s Lady of the Sea”, we stop to feed the fish. And start to think about that lunch.