It is a tender port 8-4:30

29 C….82% humidity… possible rain

3372 population.  Bug spray and sunscreen.  Less than 1 km walk from pier to town. Tourism, copra (coconut fibre) and rum are main sources of income.   To right….Nakama mud pots are not for enjoying in but for cooking…too hot at close to 100 C.

Rainforest reserve; Domo village.10$.  Flora Tropica Gardens, “Split Rock” for snorkeling….take taxi.

Excursion is Snorkelling with Cousteau

Gorgeous waterfront with sailboats, beautiful hillsides and nicer homes.  I think I could live here.

We took a short boat ride to Coral Garden Waterfront Reserve.  Oh my goodness….the coral was spectacular as were all the fishes.  I so wish I could take pictures.  I have asked others if they would share some of their pictures. 

I did notice that the seabed had a a grey covering that I asked about.  It was the dead coral from the cyclone that hit here 6-7 years ago.  I was told that the coral that we saw growing was only growing there since that cyclone.  Apparently the coral is started in a water farm close by.  Who knew!  The whole area is a reserve that no one is allowed to fish in, including spear fishing.

While there at Coral Garden snorkelling for quite sometime, my left wrist area began feeling prickly.  I would rub it so as to brush off whatever  was causing it.  I could not see anything.  It just kept on “stinging” my lower arm. And so I returned to the boat.  I asked if there were tiny jellyfish but they said no but there were sea lice.  Within a few minutes I smallish hive-like lumps on my skin.  When I could I asked “Mr. Google” about sea lice.  Turns out that they are in fact the larvae of the tiny jellyfish or anemone.  There were no long lasting effects thanks to a fellow snorkeler that had Benadryl spray.

We left that area to go to another spot called “Split Rock”.  As you are probably aware there is a section on the Malahat Highway that is called by the same name.  This spot like the previous was really quite awesome.