As Bary and his team on Bodufolhudo in the Maldives will confirm, I'm a shocker for forgetting essential bits of equipment and always seem to have a multitude of camera problems whenever I'm going snorkelling.
So as I was going on my first snorkel trip in the Mafia Island marine park and it was going to be on a boat, I was determined to check, recheck and check again that I had everything I needed.
I don't know if it was sheer excitement or the worry of forgetting something vital that woke me up at the crack of dawn, but try as I might, I just couldn't go back to sleep.
So I decided to make good use of my early start and gather all my stuff together. My trip wasn't for another 8 hours, so I reckoned that should give me plenty of time.
Starting from the top:
Headband - to stop my hair getting trapped inside my mask and floating in front of my face.
Contact lenses - so I can actually see things.
Mask - with prescription reading lenses so I can see and read the dials on the camera
Sea drops - to stop my mask fogging. Most people use spit, but I can never seem to produce enough
Snorkel - breathing would be tricky without one.
Swimsuit - mine is one of those that holds the wobbly bits in.
Rash Guard - a posh name for a lycra short or long sleeved swim top that has built in sun screen and gives you some protection from stingy things.
Cycle shorts/leggings - severe sunburn on the backs of you legs isn't fun and suncream is very harmful to coral.
Olympus Tough Camera - works great underwater without needing a big old heavy housing..
Padded camera strap - comfort is everything.
Fish eye lens - takes much better pictures underwater
Camera Batteries - all fully charged and tested
SD cards - all working and with plenty of space.
Towel - even in a hot climate, a long time in the water can leave you feeling chilly.
Hairbrush - No-one wants to come ashore looking like the wild woman of Borneo.
Cigarettes and lighter - even though I probably wouldn't be able to smoke on the boat, I'd definitely need them as soon as we came ashore.
Waterproof bag - I crocheted this one myself out of plastic bags.
If this had been just a snorkel trip, or the baggage allowance on the internal flights more generous, I would have brought my own fins and boots, but they are big, cumbersome and heavy, and had no place on safari, so I'd left them at home.
This is always a bit of a worry for me as I've mentioned in previous blogs. I find getting fins on and off very tricky, even when just sitting at the waters edge and nigh on impossible when hanging on to a boat ladder. I'm just not as bendy as I used to be and they always seem to be superglued to my feet. No-one wants to yank them hard, only to have them fly out of your hands and sink to the bottom of the ocean.
My own fins have a quick release back strap which makes the whole exercise just a little bit easier. These type of fins are always worn with booties which are great when you have to walk over sharp rocks. When you hire fins, they are nearly always the full feet type and I have found ( the hard way) that if they fit well enough to stay on your feet when kicking, then they will absolutely refuse to come back off again when you are done.
Looking at everything piled up on the bed, I felt relieved that it was just a snorkel trip; imagine how much more gear I'd need for scuba!!
Satisfied that I had thought of everything and comfortable in the knowledge that I had hours in which I could double check again, I headed to the lounge for breakfast.
Over the next few days I would come to realise that if you choose to visit remote non touristy islands, you have to accept that some things don't always work as well as they do at home.
WiFi was one of them and like many remote locations, the lodge was entirely at the mercy of the local infrastructure. When the island was a little busy, the internet connection ground to a halt. So I developed a little strategy for filling my time with or without wifi.
When spending time in the lounge, I would take:
My Mac to edit photos, write my blog, keep up with the news and contact family and friends. My phone to play games if the internet wasn't working.
My Kindle to read when I wanted a break from the games or my phone battery ran out.
For a session on the beach, I would just take the phone and Kindle.
The lack of wifi was a little frustrating at times and I quickly realised the best "blogging" strategy was to write my posts off line and then upload them when the connection was strong. However, it was actually quite nice to be able to relax without my phone and Mac pinging at me all the time.
Most of this technology didn't exist for the first half my life, so it's pretty scary how dependent on it I have become and I suspect I'm not the only one who feels that way.
After a morning of writing and reading, it was nearly time for my snorkelling trip.
Back in my room, I popped my contact lenses in.
Actually that's not strictly true, because I have never, to this day, been able to put them in effortlessly. They either stick firmly to my finger and won't transfer to my eye or don't stick to anything and get lost in the sink.
In fairness, I don't wear them very often, mostly because they are such a bugger to get in. But the other problem with them is they only correct my long vision, so I still have to wear reading glasses on top. Far too much faffing around for my liking.
Anyway, after the usual " contact lens" catastrophe ( I always bring plenty of spares), I put my swim cossie on under my dress, gathered all the rest of my stuff together and set off for the dive centre.
Now you may be wondering why I just don't get fully togged up in my rash guard and swim shorts. It would certainly mean less stuff to cram into my bag and it wasn't as if I had very far to go. The reason is very simple dear reader.........
I'm rather overweight ( ha - who am I kidding - according to the charts I'm clinically obese) and I'm afraid a very clingy rash guard and tight lycra shorts are not the most flattering attire for a woman of my size. As much as I don't really care too much what people think of me, I do have a modicum of pride left.
A nice loose cotton dress over the swimsuit, whipped off at the last possible moment and replaced with the top and shorts- literally as I'm about to enter the water, works much better for me.
The lovely Luke had asked me to be at the centre by 1.00pm ready for fin fitting and a snorkel briefing and as I'm a stickler for being on time, I was there by 12.50. I was greeted by a sea of friendly faces and introduced to another devastatingly handsome man called David.
Having been introduced to Peter, Daniella, Luke and David and spotted a whole host of other rather gorgeous young guys - I was beginning to wonder if being extremely good looking was part of their job description.
In case any of them read this I should state that I'm only kidding (just the job description bit - because they really are all very attractive).
Anyway, as I was a bit early I was offered tea/coffee while I waited and David explained that we were waiting for 3 other people who were joining the trip.
I put on a brave face and smiled, but as you've probably gathered if you have read my other posts, I'm a bit of a loner and much prefer to be in a group of 1 - just me.
I think I was a bit spoiled in the Maldives, as every boat trip I did, was just me, the guide and the boat captain, but then in fairness, Bodufolhudo is a much smaller island.
Still, 4 people wasn't too bad as long as they were considerate.
David said he would hold off doing the briefing until they arrived, so while we waited:-
I filled in my " I absolve you of all responsibility if I do something stupid and drown", form.
I had my fins fitted and joy of joys, they had some with the boots and strap, just like mine.
I helped myself to some coffee
I asked if I could smoke and they said yes because they all smoke as well and
I watched all the divers being kitted up in wet suits and getting the mountain of stuff they need together.
By now it was 1.15, so these people were a quarter of an hour late and David decided to call their hotel to find out if they were still coming.
We waited some more and I got the distinct impression that he was as frustrated as I was; It's just so rude to keep people waiting like that.
At 1.25pm, David said if they weren't there soon, we would go without them and although I know I shouldn't be mean, I had everything crossed that they wouldn't turn up at all.
At that moment, the hotel called back to say they had just left and were on their way.
Bugger!!
Now we were obliged to wait for them even though it was almost 1.30 which was when the boat should be leaving.
I don't know if it's the same for the divers ( I suspect not), but the times of the snorkel trips on Mafia are worked out carefully to fit in with the tides. I can't remember the exact details but there is a window of opportunity each day that gives the optimum snorkelling conditions. At this time, you are close enough to the reef/rocks to see things properly, without the water being so shallow that you risk impaling yourself on a sharp bit of coral. It's also the time when you are not battling with a strong current. There's nothing fun about kicking as hard as you can, only to find yourself going backwards.
Even if this hadn't been explained to these latecomers, watching them strolling up the beach as if they had all the time in the world, was hugely irritating.
David did the briefing in record time and while they were filling in the forms, the rest of the team were rushing around fitting them with fins and masks. Talk about multitasking!
One of the trio kept pausing to chat and in the end David had to very politely ask her to get on with it.
By the time we were ready to go it was nearly 1.45pm and I had a nasty feeling this was going to affect our time in the water.
It takes a good 30 mins to get to the snorkelling sites and the 3 of them did not stop talking, (rather loudly), for a single second. I didn't say much, but would have struggled to get a word in edgeways, even if I had wanted to.
Idris, one of our lovely guides for the day, explained that we were going to "Big rock" and that he would lead the group. He asked us to follow him once we were in the water and Abdallah, who was quite new to the team and still in training, would bring up the rear. We were told that if we had any problems at all, we should wave both our arms in the air and either one of them, or the boat would come to get us. He also reiterated the golden rules of snorkelling.
Don't touch anything: It might sting, cut or bite
Watch where you are going : A lot of the rocks break the surface and some coral stacks are too shallow to swim over.
Don't kick or stand on the coral : Coral is very slow growing and can take years to regenerate.
I hoped for everyone's sake that the other 3 guests had a better approach to following rules than they did to timekeeping.
"Big rock", is a pretty good name for this snorkelling site, because that's exactly what it is. It juts out of the sea and is pretty hard to miss, so as we approached, everyone got all togged up in their gear.. The boat dropped anchor a short distance away and Idris went into the water first.
We all followed and I got my first look at the Mafia Island Marine Park.
Breathtaking is the only word I can use to describe it.
There were fish everywhere - thousands of them. I recognised many of them from my snorkelling adventures in the Maldives, but there were some I hadn't seen before - especially the enormous shoals of small fish, literally all around me.
But what was remarkably different was the coral.
Before the trip I'd read that the reefs in the Mafia Island Marine Park were in pretty good condition and had managed to escape much of the bleaching that had devastated the coral elsewhere in the Indian Ocean.
On Bodufolhudoo, Bary and I had talked at length about the state of the reef around the island and he had told me, he used to free dive regularly, but couldn't bear to go into the water now, because it broke his heart to see what had happened to the coral.
But here, around this small island off the coast of Tanzania, the coral was alive and well and showing off it's incredible array of colours, shapes and forms.
During this and my next 4 snorkelling sessions, I took loads of photos, mostly of the coral and just imagined how thrilled my family and friends would be when I told them I had 3000 pictures of coral for them to look at.
I'm joking of course. No-one wants to sit through a slideshow with that many photos of anything, let alone underwater scenes, but I did get some rather lovely ones that I'm quite proud of.
As I suspected, my 3 fellow snorkelers very much did their own thing once in the water and that suited me just fine. I stayed alongside Idris and as we circled "Big Rock", continued to marvel at the sights before me. The contrast between the rock itself, the reef and the grasses on the sea floor made for a fascinating snorkel and I honestly could have stayed there for hours had the tide not turned.
As we began to circumnavigate the rock for the second time, It suddenly became very difficult to move forward. I was kicking as hard as I could but wasn't going anywhere.
Idris didn't appear to be having too much trouble, but then he's not a 65 year old woman who is overweight, unfit and has dodgy knees!
When you have to work that hard to battle the current, snorkelling stops being fun. It's impossible to stay in one place to take nice photos and even the slightest hesitation will result in you going backwards. I was hoping that once we got round to the other side, the strong current would work in our favour, but these guys know their ocean better than anyone and Idris called a halt.
He said the tide had turned and we had to go back to the boat. I was pleased and disappointed all at the same time. On the one hand, I wasn't coping with the extremely strong current and was getting tired, but on the other hand, I couldn't help feeling that if my fellow snorkelers had turned up on time, we would have had a little bit longer in the water.
My next worry was how on earth was I going to be able to swim to the boat against this ferocious current. It was quite a long way off and I felt sure I was going to need assistance.
During the snorkel, Abdallah, the trainee had been following along pulling a life safety ring for anyone feeling tired to hang on to. Under the circumstances, I thought that might be a good option for me, but I couldn't see him anywhere. Bugger!
"The current is very strong", I said to Idris hoping he would take the hint and offer to pull me.
"Don't worry, we will stay here and the boat will come to us", he replied. Honestly, I could have kissed him. So not only do these amazing guides know their environment incredibly well, they are also able to suss out the strengths and weaknesses of their guests ( in my case more weaknesses than strengths) and adjust the trip accordingly.
The boat arrived and I immediately realised why Abdallah had been missing in action. He'd swum all the way over to the boat ( bless him) to tell them they had to come to us. He was clearly young and fit, but even so, it can't have been easy.
I made my way to the wooden ladder that had been lowered for old fatties like me who can't haul themselves over the side and held on to it for dear life.
I always dread this moment. As I've already mentioned, getting my fins off is always problematic and I live in fear of my "hurty knees", failing me halfway up a ladder, but on this occasion, everything went to plan.
Once I'd found the release catch on the fins, they slid off easily and I passed them up to Abdallah who was waiting on deck.
I also passed up my camera and mask/snorkel, just so I could climb up without any distractions.
I made it onto the deck in one piece and without any embarrassing stumbles, but over the days that followed, I discovered that where they place the ladder, can dramatically alter how easy it is to get back on board.
So let me explain. These boats are sailing dhows, made entirely from wood, as is the ladder, which isn't in a fixed position. Parts of the boat have wooden upright struts to support a canopy, but much of the deck and sides are strut free. So if they put the ladder in a place with no struts nearby, there is nothing to hold on to when you get to the top. As I've already said, I'm not very flexible any more and my sense of balance went missing years ago, so I really really need to grab hold of something as I step from the ladder, over the side and onto the deck. On this occasion, Abdallah was there to provide assistance, and he became my instant hero. I've always said I felt like a 25 year old trapped in a 65 year old body, so when I find such simple things (like climbing a ladder) that difficult, it provides me with a crushing reality check.
Anyway, the team at the dive centre had already mentioned that although the boat would use it's engine to get to the snorkel site, if the wind was in the right direction we would sail back.
Well the tide turning had also brought with it a good wind, so we watched in awe as the boys unfurled the enormous sail, did all the essential stuff with ropes and set off towards Mafia Island with just the sound of the wind and the sail billowing as we sped through the waves.
I was really hoping the others would not spoil this serene moment with a load of loud chatter and thank goodness, the sheer joy of the experience rendered them speechless for once.
On our way back, we were offered chunks of coconut ( to clear the salt from our mouths) and nice hot coffee and tea. Very thoughtful and a pleasant surprise.
Back at the dive centre, Luke asked how it had been. I quickly ran out of positive adjectives to describe the experience, but did say the only wrinkle was that our time had been cut a little short because of the late arrivals. He said he was aware that had happened, and as I had at least 3 or 4 more snorkel trips planned, they would make sure I got the most from every trip. Clearly, it wasn't their fault, so I thought that was a great way to respond.
Luke also promised to check on the "Whale Shark" situation for the following day and let me know later.
After a nice hot shower to get rid of all the salt on me and all my stuff, I grabbed my Mac and my camera, made my way to the lounge, got myself a nice cup of tea and lit a cigarette.
It was at that point I realised I hadn't brought the multi port thingy and the SD card reader I needed, to actually transfer and look at the photos.
As I've said before in previous blogs, Apple's decision to take away all ports in their laptops, except 1 USBC, is in my opinion, one of the worst they've ever made.
When I bought my MacBook, I had a fairly lively discussion with the guy in the Apple store about this latest development. I clearly wasn't the first customer to take issue with the lack of ports and he had ready prepared stock answers.
Him:"It makes it much lighter and more streamlined".
Me: "But when you have to carry round a load of peripherals to connect anything - that rather defeats the object, don't you think?"
Him:"Most new camera's have built in wifi now, so you don't really need the SD card reader.
Me: "But if I owned a very expensive DSLR camera that didn't have wifi because it was a few years old , I would be well pissed off that I couldn't just slot the card in any more".
Me continued ( cos I was on a roll now): "And that's all very well, but even if your camera has that capacity, if you are on tiny remote island with either no or very limited wifi, how is that going to work?"
Him: "Well you can always connect your camera via a cable"
Me: " Oh great, so all my camera cables connect via USB and the new Mac doesn't have that so I'm still need going to need one of those USB to USBC converters. Fantastic - even more stuff to carry around!!
At this point he just shrugged and said "sorry". I bought one anyway ( and all the peripherals), because nothing on earth would ever persuade me to go back to windows.
Once I'd trotted back to my room, to get the converters and settled back into my spot in the lounge, I uploaded the day's photos and was pretty pleased with some of them.
Just before dinner, Luke appeared with some exciting news. That day's Whale Shark trip had been a great success and all the signs were good for the following day. Even better, no-one else was currently booked, so it would be just me going out with some of the interns that work with Kitu Kiblu, the group who run the program. Perfect!!
He told me I would be picked up at 6.00am outside reception and breakfast would be provided ( although he suggested I order a breakfast box from the lodge as well, in case I was back too late for lunch) and he hoped I would have a fantastic trip.
I couldn't wait and as soon as I'd finished dinner, I went straight back to my room to get everything ready and an early night.
Soooooo exciting!!!!!