snorkelling beginners

my fiance and i are going to veligandu in july 09. i was just wondering what the snorkelling was like for a beginner whose new to it. i%26#39;m not a beginner but she IS and after all my reassurance is still a bit apprehensive. can anyone help me assure her its so worth the effort.

snorkelling beginners

Hello

Never been to Veligandu but have been to the Maldives 8 times before. I was very apprehensive snorkelling at 1st but I have a very patient husband and he held my hand and he never took me out of my depth. The fish are absolutely amazing, in fact to start you can just walk in and put your head under.

I now have no problem going on snorkelling trips or going along the drop off (house reef) just let your Fiance learn gradually and don%26#39;t push her to go too far out or anything like that otherwise she may get spooked. There are very few dangers in the water in the Maldives and there has never been a shark attack.

Regards Turquiose

snorkelling beginners

Hi jrandsw

We went to Veligandu in 2005 )before the recent refurb), and I had never snorkelled before we went there. We stayed on the side of the island where the land villas are now, and snorkelled from there. The lagoon area is quite shallow, and the reef drop off a fair way out. The shallow lagoon is ideal for practising and getting a bit of confidence. There is decent snorkelling at the end of the sand bank, by what used to be the seaplane jetty (don%26#39;t know if its still the same). It gets quite deep there, and I have heard it said currents can be quite strong but it was ok when we were there (fins definitely recommended).

The dive centre were very helpful and will give you guidance. They also did snorkelling trips, but we didn%26#39;t go on these.

If your fiance is nervous you could always hire an inflatable snorkel vest which may help (assuming they still have them).

One other thing I%26#39;d recommend, which I%26#39;m sure you will appreciate if you%26#39;re more experienced, is to make sure you get a decent mask which fits well. There%26#39;s nothing worse as a novice snorkeller than having your mask fill up every few seconds..(as mine did!!).

regards

Ian

We were on Veligandu lasy May, the snorkelling from the seaplane jetty was very good (as was the diving). I would suggest your fiance uses a snorkelling vest (available from the dive school) in the deeper water there but the other side of the island is perfect for practicing. Fins and a mask that fits correctly are essential, a good fitting mask will dramatically increase confidence. Have fun and don%26#39;t worry about the sharks :).

My suggestion for what its worth is that you break down and buy a good mask and snorkel before you go and spend some time at a pool getting use to the thing in an environment where your fiance can feel comfortable ... ie where she can stand up if she starts to choke. You probably dont need to buy the fins (rentals are usually adequate at the dive center) but a properly fitting mask and a snorkel that doesn%26#39;t have a leaky purge valve can make all the difference between a fun and not so fun snorkel experience.

couldn%26#39;t agree more with skibum. your own non-leaky mask and a snorkel she is comfortable with will make a huge difference . trying it in a pool without waves and distractions until she is comfortable with her equipment is absolutely the way to go

Hi

MrsD and I had never snorkelled until we first came to the Maldives. Neither of us are particular good swimmers. But we hired snorkels, masks and flippers and set off.

It turns out that the island we first went to didn%26#39;t have great snorkelling but we didn%26#39;t know this. Having never done it before we were amazed at the amount of marine life that is there but which you just don%26#39;t see until you put your head underwater.

For beginners, we found the first immersion to be the hardest part. Once we got the hang of rembering to breath normally through the snorkel, we were hooked! now we are like a couple of seasoned ';professionals'; and we happily spend hours just snorkelling round the reefs. Every time you do it, you see different things.

I would suggest your fiance uses flippers if she is not a strong swimmer. They provide a bit of security.

OD

Hi there - we were at Veli last summer. Suggest you follow all the good advice about equipment. Regarding Veli itself, on the east side there is a very calm lagoon with a wall. As Ian said, it is quite shallow and you can comfortably stand in the water close to the sea wall at low tide (it%26#39;s a little deep to stand at high tide in some places). It%26#39;s perfect for building confidence and on the island side of the wall there are some nice clumps of coral and plenty of fish to look at until she%26#39;s confident to go through the wall. Even then, it%26#39;s quite a long way to the drop off. Once you%26#39;ve built up confidence, the snorkelling off the sand spit on this side is good with loads of sweetlips and resident turtles but there can be a current here so fins are needed.

TM

... and don%26#39;t do what I did when I wanted to cool down, and floated on back with snorkel on, promptly sucking in water not air ... on second thoughts I cannot imagine anyone else being that stupid!?

Ogh come on OD you have been on the Forum and to the MALDIVES enough times, they are called get it right---Fins, not flippers, Seals have flippers. lol

Rumps

Remember to put sunscreen around the elastic on bikini bottoms and shoulder blades! As you float around admiring everything below water, the sun is lapping up the little bits of skin that a bobbing around above water, and can burn quite badly! Yep...i speak from silly experience!

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