Snorkeling in Coral Island and more

One of the most interesting and enjoyable activity during an island holiday is going for snorkeling and island hopping in real boats, out to the open sea. Scary, yet exciting.

We asked around and get different quotations for the packages we could get. Basically the locals there would tempt you with a whole package of a day out to the islands, and another day land tour which includes exclusivity of boat and 4WD trips. Before paying for the downpayment, whatever we asked for, they sure say boleh, boleh. Everything! But when it comes to the real thing, sorry la, boss, ini rosak, itu tak pakai.

Really! If service is first class, I'm sure the tourist business would flourish more because it has so MUCH potential.

The boat ride to our first stop that day is a 10 min very bumpy ride out in the open sea to the nearby biggest islet (I think) called Coral Island.

The 2 boys in front who had the bumpiest ride! And no fret for them, they just let themselves hang loose. And enjoyed it so much!

But didi was hanging on tight for dear life! Perhaps seated backwards made it worse for him, but nothing we said could convince him to let go and relax himself. He was so worried, the worry on his face made us all worry for him.

Truth be told, I was very worried myself too. I was so afraid of being thrown into the sea. But I tried to relax all my body muscles and it did work! It's so important to just go with the flow when riding in choppy waters!

When we arrived at Coral Island, oh wow! I just felt the sensational ride was just so worth it. The island is a paradise! Awesome fine sand and crystal clear turquoise blue water and gazing into the sea, SO MANY colorful fishes swimming around!

I was so excited to go into the water right there!

Truth be told again, I have a fear with snorkeling gears. Somehow I am not very comfortable breathing into the mouthpiece and so afraid of inhaling water into my poor lungs! Furthermore, meimei was clinging to me like glue and I had to make sure she feels comfortable and secured. It wasn't easy. But then, yeah, I had fun, we had fun.

There's really nothing like swimming with the fishes and everytime I do, it just amaze me.

Whilst I was swimming, oohing aahing at the beautiful and cute fishes, I regretted not getting a disposable underwater camera to capture the scene I saw right before my eyes. I thought well, there should be tons of pro pictures all over the internet as well, but really, there's nothing than looking at your own pictures which you take somehow.

Picture shamelessly taken from the internet... shhh!!!!

That would have been about it though I remember seeing more colors of fishes than that. Gee, I wouldn't want to leave that island, had it not been 5 other stops to complete the whole league.

We went to the 2nd stop near to another tiny islet but no beaches. We were supposed to just jump into the sea from the boat and swim/ snorkel around. But the waves were way too huge and we couldn't manage to see and swim together. The guys said the coral around there looks great, but they can't handle the waves as well, what's more with our kids clinging to us or us holding to them for fear of being washed away by the waves. So, we made a brief stop and told the skipper to move on to the next spot.

He took us back to another part of the main island for lunch break. Lunch wasn't great, but good enough to fill our tummies.

Then we went to the Marine Park where the fish looked like those we could steam with shredded ginger with soya sauce and sink our teeth into. They look pretty big and dangerous as well, and we were all scared for a moment to swim with them. Well, we as in meimei and I lah, I think. The guys wasted no time though. There was a floating platform in the middle and it was great for snorkelers to take a breather or two. More pictures of those later.

We then moved on to the last league of our island hop adventure. This little islet seen from the beach in Berjaya, I forgot its name, is a popular spot for divers. Hearsay, the corals are stunning there, but I didn't see much.

The boat stopped right there where I took that picture above, and soon, everyone were in the water doing their own thing. Korkor and didi followed hub while meimei stayed with me. In just a short while, she was trembling and told me she felt cold. So I had this plan in mind to take her back to the boat, wrapped her up in towel and I would just swim around nearby to snorkel on my own for awhile. I asked her if she's ok with that and she agreed.

So I swam back to the boat.... which was like.... so freaking tough! The current just kept washing us away to the opposite direction and I was so exhausted!

As I made it back, I thought I would just stay around in the water near the boat. But really, the current was very strong and in no time, I was like so far away from her! As I kept my eyes on the boat and meimei, I felt very uneasy with the idea of leaving her alone with a stranger just like that. I asked myself if I am way too paranoid, but really, I think I wouldn't do that if given another chance.

I swam back to her quickly, which took a heave big effort again, and asked her if she wanna come with me into the water again. She said yes and I do feel relieved she was back by my side again, even though I wouldn't be able to see much of whats going on under the water. That, I decided, is of lower priority, compared to having her safe beside me and her having fun just swimming around in the open sea. Nothing else matters that much, eh? My little baby, I have goosebumps just thinking if something bad happens to her and I had been the negligent mom.

Well.

Suddenly, I saw the skipper putting on his flips and swam to the direction of the rest of our group. I think he was getting annoyed we were eating up in his working hours and he wanted to clock out already! Or perhaps he thought that the men were in dangerous water what with the strong current and he would be the hero to save them from harm. Either way, coz that was when he pulled hub and the boys back to the boat with an annoyed black long face. We didn't ask why, but that, I heard is a norm and the service that you will get from Tioman Island. Such a sore thumb from their counterpart, Redang.

Nevertheless, everyone had a great day. When we reached the resort, I suggested them to go to the pool and the kids jumped with joy. I myself stayed in the room to clean up all the stuffs and had a nice good shower myself, without the noise and fuss. So bliss. In perfect silence for just awhile.