Marion taking over from Nigel: Well what a day! We awoke on a beautiful morning to see the beautiful sight of the hills of Timor Leste rising through the mist and the sea sparkling and shimmering. After breakfast we took a Zodiac ride round the bays and stopped on Cristol Beach where Nigel joined a short hike uphill to the miniature Christ of the Andes-type statue, which overlooks the bay. I flopped under the shade of a tree for a while and when Nigel got back we both tried our hand at snorkelling. The Ventures team from the ship were so encouraging and I found it a joy to be in the wonderfully warm, clear water and eventually, with the help of one ventures team members, felt able to snorkel round the coral reef. It was great to see the many varieties of coral, some still, some moving gently with the movement of the sea. They were less brightly coloured than I had imagined but there was a huge variety. My mentor was diving around and under me, photographing the different corals and an eel that we saw. She also took a snap of me snorkelling to prove that I did it!! Sadly, Nigel missed this experience because without his glasses he just couldn’t see the coral and tiny fish.
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