Snorkeling Fun

Tuesday, we went on an all-day snorkeling trip to 4 small islands. I love the initial feeling of swimming with flippers on your feet. Even though it wasn't my first time, I was still amazed to see the bright neon colors and alien shapes of coral and anemone. You have to surrender everything you are sure of on land as you are completely immersed in a different world. I kept diving down deeper and deeper until I could peer into the dark recesses, scared but thrilled by what I might see. I was overcome by a HUGE school of medium-sized fish. Each one had a neon yellow stripe down its side. I would dive down until the only thing I could see were the fish around me. Looking up, I would part the school until I reached the surface. It was exhilarating.
I loitered so long that I was the last one back to the boat!

On the last island, Koh Wai, there were sharks under the pier contained in nets. The fishermen lifted up the boards of the pier and threw down fish as the sharks hungrily fought over them. We went onto the island and decided to swim over near the nets to see the sharks close up. As I was swimming over, the sand turned to rocks and coral. I put my foot down for leverage and caught it on a piece of coral. There was no way I was going to swim over to sharks with a bleeding foot so I limped back to shore. Luckily a Macguyver-like Swede rushed in and made a "jungle bandage" out of a leaf and a piece of a vine. It worked wonderfully until I got back to Koh Chang for a proper bandage. No worries...it's healed already.

Snorkeling is good fun but next time, I hope to go scuba diving.