Travel and Personal

Malindi Day 3: Snorkeling

By Dweep Chanana ⋅ December 18, 2005 ⋅  Email this post ⋅ Post a comment

The flight back to Nairobi is short. 45 minutes. To my left, outside the window, Kilimanjaro is barely visible. It towers around the clouds below me, but a blanket of puffy cotton covers all but a small part of the cone.

I cannot complain. 3 hours ago I was snorkeling among starfish, swordfish, zebra fish, and a hunderd other creatures I did not, nor cared to know about. My first time on a coral reef, I understand the enthusiasm of many for the sea. Discovering the wonders of life hidden below would enthuse even the most unethusiastic.

They don’t tell you the coral is sharp and the water shallow. Within 10 minutes I had scratched my feet raw and bloody. Little did I notice, for I revelled in the freedom of the sea, of swimming without restraint, without running out of breath. The fish swarmed around and ahead of me. I was afraid to move, that I may scare or touch them - but they scatter perfectly, little noticing my presence.

The coral in Malindi Marine Park is not the best. The 30 minutes I got in the water was short, and there was precious little sun to illumniate the reef. Yet, this was possible because my Kenyan friend and host accomodated to my flight schedule. Though I have nothing to compare this experience with, without that effort I would not have had these 30 minutes either.

Sitting here on my flight - I have the seabed half an hour behind me, the highest mountain in Africa 30 minutes to my left, the arid Masai Mara 1 hour in front, and massive Lake Victoria another 30 minutes by air. I will still want to ski this winter, but in a country as fascinating as this, I am fast running out of superlatives.