As part of an Australian and South Pacific cruise, I had my first personalized snorkeling lesson. I used an underwater camera to get amazing footage.
First Snorkeling Lesson
As part of my Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas cruise visiting Australia and some South Pacific Islands, I went on a private beach shore excursion in Lautoka that was part of the Fiji Islands.
The excursion included a boat ride to the small island, the opportunity to snorkel, a barbecue lunch, and a glass-bottom boat ride. I knew I wanted to take part in the glass-bottom boat ride, but I was not definite about attempting snorkeling.
Thirty years prior, on a couples only beach resort called Sandals in Jamaica, I had a brief experience attempting to snorkel. They handed me the face mask and flippers. With the briefest of instructions, they had me don this equipment and jump from the boat. I had no clue what I was doing. When salt water repeatedly filled the space between my face and the mask, I freaked. After only ten minutes of this, I gave up in defeat. I decided that snorkeling was not for me.
My sister-in-law, on the other hand, adores snorkeling and snuba, and scuba. She has returned home with the most wonderful pictures on her various cruise adventures. As the years went on, I began to entertain the notion that I might like to try again – if only I could receive personalized instruction.
So, when I revealed to one of our Fiji hosts that I would really like to learn to snorkel, he immediately volunteered to fulfill this wish.
Joe fitted me with a mask. When that one did not work, he found me another. He explained how to use the face mask. We decided that I would simply wear my swim shoes since the flippers did not fit my feet very well. Since I sunburn easily, I wore my capri pants, short-sleeved shirt, and short socks.
He was very kind and extremely patient. He held my hand and led me through the crystal clear blue water. I saw royal blue starfish, many amazing fish, and some beautiful coral.
I had a Comi Tech Underwater Camara with a waterproof, buoyant wrist band. He kindly took the pictures for me as he led me. I began to feel more empowered. Every now and then, water would come in and I would have to clear the mask. But mostly, it was a successful experience.
I found out from some fellow cruise passengers that they actually sell full face masks on Amazon for about $25 US. Realizing that snorkeling could very easily become a new much-loved hobby, I determined that I would buy one upon returning home.
Since the water was so clear and I was so very close to the water surface, my number 50 sunblock quickly washed off. I did get a case of sun-poisoning on the back of my calves and a sunburn on my arms. I decided that I would wear full-length pants and a long-sleeved shirt for my second snorkeling experience that I would attempt on my own a few days later. That new outfit worked extremely well. I was able to snorkel by myself and take pictures of what I saw using that same camera.
The sun poisoning healed with the use of Aloe Vera. I can easily see that snorkeling could become a new hobby. So, all in all, I am quite excited to have future snorkeling adventures. Here are some of the pictures that were taken during this first snorkeling adventure.
The excursion included a boat ride to the small island, the opportunity to snorkel, a barbecue lunch, and a glass-bottom boat ride. I knew I wanted to take part in the glass-bottom boat ride, but I was not definite about attempting snorkeling.
Thirty years prior, on a couples only beach resort called Sandals in Jamaica, I had a brief experience attempting to snorkel. They handed me the face mask and flippers. With the briefest of instructions, they had me don this equipment and jump from the boat. I had no clue what I was doing. When salt water repeatedly filled the space between my face and the mask, I freaked. After only ten minutes of this, I gave up in defeat. I decided that snorkeling was not for me.
My sister-in-law, on the other hand, adores snorkeling and snuba, and scuba. She has returned home with the most wonderful pictures on her various cruise adventures. As the years went on, I began to entertain the notion that I might like to try again – if only I could receive personalized instruction.
So, when I revealed to one of our Fiji hosts that I would really like to learn to snorkel, he immediately volunteered to fulfill this wish.
Joe fitted me with a mask. When that one did not work, he found me another. He explained how to use the face mask. We decided that I would simply wear my swim shoes since the flippers did not fit my feet very well. Since I sunburn easily, I wore my capri pants, short-sleeved shirt, and short socks.
He was very kind and extremely patient. He held my hand and led me through the crystal clear blue water. I saw royal blue starfish, many amazing fish, and some beautiful coral.
I had a Comi Tech Underwater Camara with a waterproof, buoyant wrist band. He kindly took the pictures for me as he led me. I began to feel more empowered. Every now and then, water would come in and I would have to clear the mask. But mostly, it was a successful experience.
I found out from some fellow cruise passengers that they actually sell full face masks on Amazon for about $25 US. Realizing that snorkeling could very easily become a new much-loved hobby, I determined that I would buy one upon returning home.
Since the water was so clear and I was so very close to the water surface, my number 50 sunblock quickly washed off. I did get a case of sun-poisoning on the back of my calves and a sunburn on my arms. I decided that I would wear full-length pants and a long-sleeved shirt for my second snorkeling experience that I would attempt on my own a few days later. That new outfit worked extremely well. I was able to snorkel by myself and take pictures of what I saw using that same camera.
The sun poisoning healed with the use of Aloe Vera. I can easily see that snorkeling could become a new hobby. So, all in all, I am quite excited to have future snorkeling adventures. Here are some of the pictures that were taken during this first snorkeling adventure.
© 2019 all photos by Debbie Dunn using Comi Tech Underwaater Camera
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