After a full day travel an 8.30 start was not welcome!

Alarm was set and after a very tasty breakfast in the Veranda Restaurant we grabbed a towel and set off for the snorkel adventure 

Chakanaab National Park didn’t quite live up to its name, the park was beautiful but it incorporates Dolphin Discovery and I’m opposed to keeping and training Dolphins in captivity, however it was a very safe place for a first snorkel

Sue got up close & personal with a sea lion – there’s no photos allowed, you have to buy theirs, but I managed a pretty cool ninja pic

We then walked round the ruins in the park, all brought in from other places and ate some traditional snacks

Last stop was a walk through the crocodile park before getting ready to snorkel

I was in Team Daniel, a great snorkel instructor who kept us all together even though we had several experienced snorkellers alongside complete novices like me!

I was so afraid that I wouldn’t be able to do it, worried about how far I’d have to swim in deep water & that I couldn’t breathe through my tube properly, but once I got in, Rob, another solo on our trip said ‘look down, look down, there’s a parrot fish’ and that was it, I was enthralled watching the under water life!

We saw lots & lots of multi coloured fish, coral reefs and under water statues and I was amazed when in no time at all Daniel told us we’d made it and could swim over to the beach in our own time – I was all pleased with myself for doing it!

I was definitely ready for my lunch eaten outside in the sun

A seagull helped itself to some leftovers on the table beside us

And I picked up a parrot on my way out!

I really enjoyed my snorkel, with divers in the water and safety aids with us I felt very safe.  But Chakanaab was just too touristy and not real enough for me plus it incorporates Dolphin Discovery so I wouldn’t go back, but a great place to start snorkelling