.blue, cool indian ocean.

assalamualaikum,

i was so excited for this.
swimming in the indian ocean open water!
as our boat skimmed over the waves
from the jetty to our snorkeling spots,
i got butterflies in my stomach.

will it rain?
will there be sharks?
will i awake the kraken?

firstly, our guide aka the photographer,
brought us to a shallow spot
where we can practice to swim and
familiarize ourselves with the equipment
and temperature of the water.
it was a first time for ibu to snorkel.

.ejal helping ibu to snorkel.

the water was crystal clear.
we can see the white sand of the seabed.
we jumped in from the boat. 
the water was surprisingly cool
despite the hot day.
the wave was a bit rough
compared to our usual swim trip
in perhentian or tioman island.
it was hard swimming with fins
but our guide insisted that we wear them.

then the boat brought us to another spot.
we swam here and there,
enjoying the oceanic view with a few other tourists
from another boat.

later, the guide prompted us to follow him.
he was going to try and find turtles
and if he had found one,
he wanted us to catch up
because turtles are fast!

we swam around him
watching as he dived below and deeper
towards the ocean floor
where turtles camouflaged
among the reef, sand and rocks.

a few minutes passed by
and then boom....a reef moved!
but it was not a reef,
it was a turtle with a moss-covered-shell.
the guide ushered it to swim upward,
closer to us.

.sorry, still no bikini.

i recalled what the guide had said and
swam swiftly that i left my husband behind.
so, peeps...in the photo above,
that's me, chasing a turtle!
i managed to tap its shell lightly
and it was slimy.
awesome, dude!
it turned its head slightly and i froze,
worried that it might bite me or something!
not awesome.

i didn't ask how old he/she was though.

let's go through some photos
while my voice accompanies you
and helps you imagine each scenic view.
if you have heard of my voice before, that is.
if not, then just read the captions lah.
let the photo spam begins!

.ejal doing his thing.

.looks like Gill from Finding Nemo but no.

.Gill maybe, with his companions.

.Patrick's cousin or formally, crown-of-thorns starfish.

.looks like Dory? but no.

.sea anemone and symbiotic relationship with clownfish .

.fish are friends, not food.

there were sharks!
but this photo over here
was taken by the guide
while we were somewhere else.

the depth of the sea was determined by its color.
the deeper it is, the darker the color.
we did swim towards a darker side of the sea
but decided not to venture further.
we might have encountered the sharks if we did.
pheww!

.ibu & ayah, inspired by american gothic. hehehe.

after a couple hours of snorkeling,
they brought us to this small sand bank.
this was where we had our lunch
(included in the package),
had a swim and took more photos.

the skies were blue and clear,
the sea was cool, captivating...

.us in this sea of many shades.

conclusion of snorkeling session:

stupendous!

cost per head:
40 USD - snorkeling

first entry: hulhule, maldives

second entry: exploring maafushi

third entry: velana beach hotel

next entry: adaaran prestige vadoo
.

.
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thank you for reading!