TRAVEL: An underwater wonderland

It’s exciting to jump into a local dhow anchored at Shimoni pier in the morning. From where we are, the Kenya-Tanzania border is 50 kilometres south at Lunga Lunga. PHOTO| RUPI MANGAT

What you need to know:

  • Jumping off the dhow, Omar Khamisi Kopa, one of the crew on the dhow, leads the snorkel expedition in the coral gardens.
  • He knows the current. I follow across the sandbar to where we slip into a magical world of colour, shapes and life.
  • It’s dazzling. In this underwater world, a shoal of fish lit gold by the filtering sunlight swim in symphony, swirling and twirling.
  • I let the current move me over the fan-shaped, mushroom-shaped, leaf-shaped and coral –– all beautiful living invertebrates of the ocean.

It’s exciting to jump into a local dhow anchored at Shimoni pier in the morning. From where we are, the Kenya-Tanzania border is 50 kilometres south at Lunga Lunga. The narrow Wasini Channel separates mainland Africa from the island of Wasini and we set sail, hoping to see dolphins and snorkel in the coral gardens of Kisite-Mpunguti.

The ocean’s is a tantalising blue. The tide is at ebb. We sail past Wasini, the main village on the island, then a forest of baobab trees and the fishing village of Mkwiro. Below the jagged cliff, local women search the exposed beach for octopus as the fishermen in simple dugout canoes fish in deeper waters.

Then we’re in the open ocean, entering the Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park and Reserve. The ocean touches the horizon with a 360-degree panorama of the orb. In the deep blue water, two svelte graceful grey figures slip in and out of the waves. It’s a pair of bottlenose dolphins. Everyone’s enchanted.

The dolphins disappear and a spotless white sandbar appears by the coral rag islets of the park. It’s picture-perfect – aqua-blue water lapping the dazzling white sandbar that will submerge at high tide.

Jumping off the dhow, Omar Khamisi Kopa, one of the crew on the dhow, leads the snorkel expedition in the coral gardens. He knows the current. I follow across the sandbar to where we slip into a magical world of colour, shapes and life.

It’s dazzling. In this underwater world, a shoal of fish lit gold by the filtering sunlight swim in symphony, swirling and twirling. I let the current move me over the fan-shaped, mushroom-shaped, leaf-shaped and coral –– all beautiful living invertebrates of the ocean.

Colour-splashed parrot fish nibble on the sponges keeping them from suffocating the reef-building corals. Hefty-sized groupers search for prey to swallow. Delightful triggerfish search for shells to crush with their strong- jawed mouths. When alarmed, a triggerfish triggers its spine erect, hence the name. Yellow Moorish idols with the long dorsal fin slip in and out. Below, on the sandy white seabed, lies a huge black sea cucumber whose job is to chew the debris from the fish and keep the sand nice and clean. And just to show you how healthy things are, I see no sea-urchins which have a nasty habit of over-feeding on the corals.

Suddenly my eye nearly pop-out of my mask. Below me, two figures come into view close to the seabed. They look like a pair of turtles and I freeze, waiting to see the ancient mariner of the seas that has outlived the dinosaur. Unfortunately, there are no turtles. It’s a dive-master and his student. The student gives the thumbs-up sign to surface and I move away.

The park is important as a migratory and nesting site for five of the world’s seven species of turtles – all threatened. It was here that I saw a turtle come up for air many years ago – and the only time I’ve ever seen a live turtle in the wild.

Back on the sandbar, the sand is deliciously warm on the soles of the feet. A flock of noddies is gathered on the sand searching for sea worms to gobble. A seagull flies over the waves and on board the dhow, the crew puts on an entertaining show of song and music with empty debes and glass bottles as we head to Wasini for a sumptuous sea-laden lunch.

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