Bunaken: Snorkeling practice
Gathering the group
The homestay houses are scattered all over the village.
We all gather together at 7 am and head off towards the beach.
Stretching
Stretching exercises before we get in the water.
The masks
Some need a little help with their masks.
On the first day
Getting to know your equipment.
Head protection
Much more so than with diving, your head spends a lot of time out of the water and exposed to the sun.
Smart people cover their heads.
In the water
Dividing into two groups in this case, we now learn how to get wet and use the mask and snorkel under water.
We start in shallow water.
The snorkel
The biggest barrier for the beginner is to get used to the snorkel.
Duck diving
Once the students have learned how to clear their snorkels properly, with luck, by the second day, most can begin practising to duck dive in deep water.
Now they are ready to explore the reef.
Getting up close
Duck diving is essential if you want to see things on the reef up close.
Limiting yourself to just snorkeling on the surface just isn’t the same.
From the shore
Entering the water from shore is the easiest and least intimidating for the beginner.
From a boat
Snorkeling off a boat begins the opposite way: from deep water swimming into shallow.
Panic bags
Currents are sometimes strong in Manado and the groups can begin to drift away.
In 2005 I finally found the perfect solution to keeping a snorkeling group safely under control in the water: these inflatable yellow “panic bags”.
Designated minders in each group swim around holding them as they snorkel. The bags are highly visible and anyone can see how far any participant is getting from safety.
Several people can safely hand onto one bag.
Buddy system
From beginning to the end of the program, we enforce a buddy system.
All participants must stay with their buddies at all times in the water.