Snorkel vest

[concertchick]

Do they have snorkel vests on th PG , That you can use ?

[Talisker92]

You cannot snorkel from the water sports platform of the PG, but on every excursion we have been on, you will be given a vest

[pacaduli]

SJG,

I posted a question about life vests/vests on another link of this site.

So, on the excursions that you have been on, the company provides vests that can be used to assist with flotation????

My DH is not a swimmer and is quite apprehensive about the thought of snorkeling, but would like to ATTEMPT to experience it.

Thanks for a reply on this!

Carol

[Wendy The Wanderer]

You are issued a vest, if you wish one, when you pick up your complimentary snorkel equipment from the dive centre when you board. You keep it, along with everything else, until the last day of the cruise.

[Talisker92]

Dear Pacadul,

I am sorry I forgot you can get them on board. If your DH is not a swimmer, do NOT go on one of the"drift snorkeling" excursions. There is a good one where you feed the stingrays in about 3 feet of water.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I agree, drift snorkels can be challenging, even for good swimmers.

 

She can also do very gentle snorkeling in shallow water on Motu Mahana. They used to give a little lesson as well on the motu day.

[Talisker92]

Dear Wendy,

Below is a description of our "drift snorkeling"

Before going to this private island, we took another drift snorkeling excursion. Again, the emphasis was the word “drift”. The description in the literature is as follows: “You will disembark the boat for a walk across a small uninhabited islet. After reaching the other side, you will commence your snorkeling session. The guide will lead you as the current carries you through the shallow lagoon on the way back to the boat”.

Well, that was the way it was supposed to be. As the water was forced between the two islets, it picked up speed! It was like being shot out of a fire hose! There was a main channel that was mostly free of coral, and some narrower side channels.

I missed the instruction to kick hard and get to the main channel, so I had to negotiate one of the side channels filled with coral. We were moving so fast that taking pictures of anything was out of the question. I managed to negotiate the channel with some minor coral rash, which got treated later on the island. Kathy was in the main channel, but still had to dodge through the gaps in the coral. Finally, she rolled over on her back (she floats like a cork), and let the current carry her back to the boat.

When we got back to the boat, our guide commented that it was the swiftest he had seen the water run in the 10 years he had been doing the tour-Thanks a lot!

Kathy's comments: "Drift Snorkeling.... now doesn't that sound placid and serene? Wrong. For those of us old enough to remember "E ticket" rides, this was it, or a better description might be...white water rafting without the benefit of a boat or paddles. Looking at fish was out of the question because both of us were traveling much too fast, and the fish had the agility I lacked in avoiding the coral with hair splitting decisions. With our senior citizen status, I'm proud we did this and lived to tell the tale....would I ever do it again? Not a chance.