A SNORKELING SPLENDOR!

“Beti, yeh darne wali koi baat nahi...Bas apna haath mere haath se bandh lo aur paani mein sirf float karo...Is duniya ki jaadoo main dikhaongi aapko!” These were the last words I heard from my guide before fastening the clasp of the snorkeling equipment on my head. His assurance of our safety during the next hour and the promise to show me the magical world of underwater life sent waves of excitement coursing through me. I glanced back at the shore and saw my mom with a grim smile on her face, dad with an encouraging smile and my brother, still dripping wet from his trip, grinning from ear to ear and mouthing, ‘Its awesome!’ I took in that vital deep breath as instructed, grasped my guide’s hand firmly and sank below the surface of the waves, eager to start upon the exploration of the seabed…

It was the winter of 2009 and our family was on a vacation to the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. This captivating archipelago sitting snugly at the merging point of the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean is a mélange of exotic terrestrial and marine flora and fauna, not to mention the queer tribal colonies that have inhabited these islands from time immemorial and to this day, remain unacquainted and hostile with the modern world still wearing only clothes handmade from animal skins! We were currently at one of the most beautiful islands in the group, Havelock Island, which is world renowned for its exquisite coral reef formation around the island that has made it the one-stop destination for activities like SCUBA diving and Snorkeling. Of course, SCUBA diving just for 3 hours would cost you a King’s ransom worth of bucks so like the vast majority of tourists we opted for Snorkeling as our means to experience the beauty of the famed coral reefs.

As I sank below the surface of the water, a world I had hitherto not known to exist in reality unfolded before my eyes. Peering through the goggles of the diving mask, one could see schools of variegated fish darting around playfully undisturbed by the presence of two beings from the above world observing them. Crabs and shellfish adorned the seafloor and seaweeds spread out their abundant foliage which bent obediently everytime a current of water passed by. Shafts of sunlight pierced its way through the aquamarine water, falling on the seabed and illuminating the coral reefs that thrived at the bottom making it all look exactly like the numerous programmes we see in the NatGeo channel in our living rooms!

An eerie quiet descended upon us, the only sounds being the steady paddling made by our feet and the bubbling of our exhaled air making it serpentine way towards the surface. The deliciously warm water flowed gently past one’s face and tugged at the weird diving fins one is forced to wear during this swim. A riot of colours hit the eye from time to time when we glide over the reefs that take up exquisite shapes like the WindPipe coral, SeaFan coral, Mushroom coral, Lettuce coral and many more. The most fascinating shape of them all was the Brain coral – named so for the obvious reason of its uncanny resemblance to the human brain with its grooves and ridges. The long slender tentacles of some corals floated lazily in the water looking like deer’s antlers, waiting patiently to ambush its prey when it passes within its reach.

My guide gave my hand a gentle pressure indicating me to wait and left me floating static above a particularly breathtaking reef. He dived down, did some poking around and came up with something in his hand which he handed over to me. It was a tiny sea anemone with translucent covering, slimy to the touch. He left it back where he had found it and we resumed our float around the island.

Many a brightly coloured fish flitted in and out of the field of vision. Any attempt to touch them was foiled by their superior sense of approaching danger and they scurried out of the way leaving just my extended hands groping about in vain. Towards deeper waters we encountered some large fish that regarded us with a bored glance and swam past, still remaining evasive to touch. At times, I fancied seeing some macabre shadows that instantly drove in the insane thought of predator beings like sharks through my mind. But of course my fears turned out to be baseless as they were merely some innocuous fish themselves or large clumps of seaweeds! The underwater sceneries drifting past gave me a surrealistic feel of being in a trance I never wished to wake up from!

I noticed the reefs thinning out and the populations of fish gradually dwindling in number and with a bittersweet feeling, realized that my glorious one hour was drawing to a sure end. Soon we were back at the shoreline where I saw my family basking in the equatorial sun waiting for my return. Returning all the snorkeling equipment I had borrowed, I thanked my guide profusely in whatever Hindi I could muster at that moment for delivering his promise of showing me the ‘jaadoo’ of the Seas!

Indeed, the experience of snorkeling through the warm waters of the Andaman was exhilarating to the very word. The abundance of life Nature has endowed our planet with is mind-blowing and one develops a newfound respect towards every living being around us. The enticing world of Nimo’s still lies in wait for the next traveler, ready to showcase its exotic flora and fauna luring him to discover its innumerable enigmas. So good fellas, what are you waiting for???