Christmas Eve

Tues 24 Dec 2013

Our super budget snorkelling trip didn't include any food, so we spent a frantic 45 minutes biking up and down trying to find somewhere to buy breakfast or a take-away lunch or both. Fortunately, in the nick of time, we found aloo paratha with curd, my favourite Indian morning snack... kind of like a garlic pizza bread but with potato in the middle and super spicy tangy pickle.

Wolfing this down and drowning in 'wake-me-up' coffee, we made it just in time to hear about the sea snakes.

Apparently, one of the stops on our underwater adventure would be close to Viper Island. As the name suggests, it’s full of snakes—snakes that are deadly. But don't worry, our guide said, although if it bites your life span drops to minutes, and they have no anti-venom, the snakes are not aggressive ("even if they come towards you very fast") and their mouths are very small... brilliant!

Filled with terror (Suzie, by the way, was as per usual calm and collected), we set off toward the boat. Joining us were an Aussie of about 50, her 21-year-old daughter who was about to embark on a 2-month trip around the south of India, a Ukrainian (who only brought dollars and couldn't understand why he couldn't pay 20 rupees with a $50 note on an island with no bank where the average wage is under $1 a day), and a Swiss-French lady in her early 30s (who made me feel very old when referencing people of 'our age').

The first stop was a shallow reef just off an island called John Lawrence. I've only been snorkelling once properly, with Harry, Tom, Bea, and Patty, and I was rubbish—kept panicking when the water was too deep or my mask filled up with water, and didn't swim so much as drowned slowly. So I was determined that today I'd become proficient enough to snorkel comfortably for a long time and, if I achieved that, to dive down... without drowning.

Suzie, being a natural with all things water, jumped in immediately, and I cautiously followed her lead. The mask fit, the crystal-clear water was warm, and the fish were magnificent, like nothing I've ever seen. These three things put me at ease instantly, and within a couple of minutes, I was like a dolphin (sort of).

Suzie beckoned me over to where she had spied something unusual.

"Come check out this fish," she said excitedly. "It looks kind of like a lizard."

Intrigued and full of confidence, I flippered over. She pointed and then quickly came back up.

"Ah... I think it's a snake!"

"For fuck's sake!" I gargled with a mouth full of salt water, and we both swam back to the boat without looking back.

Exhausted, we climbed back onto the boat, relishing the safety and keen to move on.

The next reef off of Henry Lawrence was even better. We heard shouts from our guides to check out the clownfish, or Nemo fish as everyone now calls them, playing about in the coral. Suzie doubled over and kicked hard to get a closer look. Not able to dive the 3 or so meters, we handed our handy underwater cam to our guides, who took this beautiful snap.

The next shout we heard was for an octopus, a big octopus hiding under a rock. Suzie went down again and exclaimed that it was massive, and still unable to dive under to get a look myself, we again gave the camera to our observant guides, who confirmed just how big it was.

Back on the boat, they told us how dangerous the big ones are. Apparently, they grab hold of you and drag you under... luckily this time I was enjoying it too much to have my confidence knocked.

After a lunch stop and a deserted island beach, we headed to the lighthouse. Here it was much deeper, and the fish were much bigger. All the colours of the spectrum glistened in the deep blue, and as we swam towards the lighthouse, the shallower water meant we could get closer.

I took one big deep breath and kicked my legs. Immediately, my snorkel filled up with water (which I stupidly didn't expect). Spluttering what seemed like miles away from the boat, I was undeterred and took another go. Although more successful, the sensation of a mouth half-filled with water was disorientating. Suzie suggested I take the snorkel out and just hold my breath.

Success!! I spent the next ten minutes or so trying to dive deeper and stay down longer. My Christ, was it worth it. Chasing schools of fish and catching glimpses of flashing colours was amazing, and I felt like I'd accomplished my goal.

Absolutely brilliant, memorable day, but we still had the evening's party to go.

Our new snorkel friends met us for a glass or two of champagne, and we headed to the party.

A dive school had set up a very Christmassy-looking outdoor area, complete with a BBQ and bring-your-own beer. It had little fairy lights all up the palm trees, and we met Peter and Robbie. Peter, stone-cold sober, was waiting for his meal, and Robbie... well, he'd had a fair few.

The music started to pick up, and we had our BBQ food in hand. Pork and chips!! Not too shabby.

About 15 minutes after our dinner, Suzie got up without saying a word and headed towards the toilets. I knew instantly that she wasn't right. She came back and said she'd felt faint and thought she was going to be sick, but it had passed, and she was okay.

Instantly, I also started to feel queasy—a result of a full, booze-filled belly and a bad case of hypochondria. Again, Suzie went white and a bit wobbly. We decided it was time to leave (for the record, we were both pretty much stone-cold sober).

We turned in for an early-ish night, which was probably a good move as Xmas was to be filled with beach fun and rum, and hangovers may have distracted us from our early start.

As we nodded off to sleep, luckily Suzie started to feel better, and we were confident it wouldn't hamper a sound sleep or our Christmas plans.