Bobbing along

Bang Bao pier is the main set off point for boat trips around the smaller Islands. There are a number of different  companies to choose from but most of the boats look similar and offer the same type of trip (you eventually learn this despite being assured by each company that "we offer best trip for sure"). I booked one of these tours which included snorkelling, secluded beaches, lunch, water and "life jacket no extra" (not sure why this is considered a selling point?)

I wandered to the pier around 08:45 the following day and was ushered onto a blue coloured double story boat and made my way to the top deck to sit at the front. I had a very good view of the rest of the pier from my vantage point and I watched as tourists boarded other boats while the crew ran round stocking up on water and food. I was particularly intrigued watching a rather jolly Thai man walk round his boat handing out mini plastic vomit bags complete with sound effects (in case the intention was unclear).  I felt this may not be the best sign for the trip ahead if he was predicting that amount of vomit!

It took quite a while for the rest of the passengers to board and after what seemed like ages the engines eventually sprang to life and we eased away from the pier. The breeze was amazing and the sea was choppy enough to make the motion of the boat exhilarating rather than too bad thus running the risk of sea sickness. Being out in the vast expanse of sea made me feel peaceful yet invigorated all at once and I sat back listening to the hum of the engines and the sound of the waves as the sun shone down on my face.

We were soon heading for our first stop and one of the crew brought round a huge box of snorkelling masks and handed me one. The first though that sprung to mind was 'do they take the time after each trip to thoroughly disinfect these?' to which I gave the likely answer of NO and proceeded to manically scrub it with antibacterial wipes. The mask felt very strange on as it was very tightly fitted and it took a while to get used to the positioning of the mouthpiece. Once this was mastered a whole underwater world awaited.

What struck me first was the lack of noise (except the somewhat creepy Darth Vader sound of my breathing) and this quietness gave a serene quality to the environment. Having taken away one sense you could fully focus on the sights all around you. It felt like I was swimming through large shoals of fish as they darted all around me and swam inches in front of my googles. The predominant fish appeared to have a zebra striped patterning although nearer the coral I also saw tiny electric blue fish and an amazing fish that appeared to shimmer with a kaleidoscope of iridescent colours.

The coral was also beautiful and the environment was very diverse. I saw large groupings of black spiny sea urchins which had anchored themselves to the top of the coral creating a spiky fortress. They have the most amazing tiny blue lights surrounding a yellow eye (I have since discovered this is not the eye but the anus!). The colours of the coral were also amazing; especially the bright purple. In the deeper crevices I was almost expecting to see the beady eyes of a hiding moray eel or shark but in reality I think the biggest danger was in the form of wayward limbs of fellow snorkelers.

While the snorkelling and swimming were great, climbing back up into the boat was not. The ladder was steep and slippery and as I heaved my carcass upwards I silently cursed myself for my recent banana pancake addiction! The deck had also become very wet and slippery (I noticed a distinct lack of bright yellow 'slip hazard' signs) and so I plodded carefully around looking like a constipated penguin.

The small beaches we moored close too were very picturesque and as an added element of fun the boat slide was set up. Everyone gathered to watch the brave few launch themselves from the top of the slide and see them fly through the air before hitting the water below. Then salt air must have gone to my head because I lined up and before I realised what I was doing I rocketed off the end of the slide and hit the water (great fun).

The entire trip was around 7 hours and it was a wonderful day full of great experiences and lots of smiles and laughter.