Snorkelling in Grand Turk

One of the best things about the Caribbean cruise I was on last week was the chance to visit islands I’d never been to before, including Grand Turk in Turks & Caicos. I joined an excursion to Governor’s Beach, widely reputed to be the best beach in the islands, and it certainly didn’t disappoint: white gold sand, crystal clear aquamarine sea, and as close to perfection as it’s possible to get, in fact (these pictures are not enhanced in ANY WAY).

Now, I may be no good at quad bike or segway riding, but anything underwater is my thing. I learned to snorkel and scuba dive at the same time on holiday in Turkey years ago, and I taught No 1 Son how to snorkel in Hawaii (close to wild dolphins and a turtle doing the backstroke). For me, snorkelling feels as natural as, erm, breathing underwater. I know some of my friends struggle with the vulnerability (and getting the breathing right) but I love the total tranquility of being below the surface of the ocean and discovering all the amazing sea life, a secret world. So I couldn’t wait to get snorkelling in Grand Turk.

At first there weren’t many fish around at all: but eventually we found them by the coral reefs, and there were heaps of them, all colours, including Blue Tang and yellow and black Angelfish. They were completely unperturbed by the giant people swimming in their space.

I didn’t have an underwater camera, but I did manage to get this shot looking into the water which gives you an idea of the wonders of the deep below. Pretty awesome, huh?

And of course I always take only photographs, and leave only footprints.