I bought myself Paul Kelly's autobiography, "How To Make Gravy" at one of his A-Z shows earlier this year. I have resisted reading it, keeping it as a treat to relax with this week. So as I start reading it and in line with past blogs, daily entries shall now be named after a PK song.





Today's highlight was not the glowing sunrise, the extensive buffet breakfast or the relocation to a new room. It was the snorkeling.

Sure, we are thrilled with the Island Villa. It's technically a downgrade, since the more expensive over-water Club Villa last night was a manager's treat. However, this is one large, open area that cools more efficiency, has a more islander feel and opens directly onto the pristine white sandy beach. It has jungle vegetation around it and is much closer to the restaurant.

But nothing came close to today's snorkeling. There are a couple of large outcrops of coral straight in front of our villa and this afternoon they were teeming with fish... More so than yesterday's location. Angela snapped away until the battery went flat. See below. She claims to have seen a shark about 3 feet long, but I can't confirm!



The whole experience left me thinking I'd watched Nemo with my children a few too many times. Schools of silvery-white fish about 30cm long headed through highways between coral walls. Other schools of maybe 300 yellow tiddlers about 5cm each would suddenly split in unison like a mob of threatened sheep. I floated over about 50 black striped fish as they cruised and grazed. Tropical fish of all colours picked amongst the coral which also varied in size and shape. Here there were blue and purple corals as well as yesterday's dusty pinks. All of this was in water 5-10 feet deep.

We ventured into deeper water towards a mooring buoy, but the coral petered out, the visibility dropped and I had visions of Bruce the shark sneaking up from behind. The coral was much more engrossing closer in. And what was that weathered plate in the depths? Angela duck-dived in pursuit of buried treasure. It was plastic...

The only letdown for the day.