JAG Journeys: Snorkeling in Nha Trang

Vietnam Trip ~ Day 4

July 16, 2012

The morning after we arrived in Nha Trang, we inquired at our hotel's front desk about a snorkeling trip. The manager called around and found us one leaving later that morning. Once we found out the time that the tour operator would pick us up, we headed out onto the streets to find some breakfast. We wandered along the road, glancing at the restaurant menus on stands by the front doors, but nothing piqued our interest. Then we spotted another white tourist going up to a roadside vendor and asking for a breakfast sandwich. We watched as the vendor cooked an egg on a small charcoal stove and added in cut up, fresh veggies, then scooped it all into a long French-style roll that looked like a small baguette. This looked delicious to us and when the other tourist's meal was finished and paid for, we approached the vendor and asked for two sandwiches. Then we sat at an empty table along the road and ate our breakfast as we watched pedestrians and motorcycles hurrying along the street. With our bellies full and happy, we continued our walk around the neighbourhood. We stopped at a couple stores that had flip flops for sale and Jonathan tried on many pairs before finally finding one that was about the right size. He was happy to have found them so he wouldn't have to wear his sneakers for the rest of the trip, but was still missing his Tevas. His new flip flops were stiffer and a lot less comfortable. Then it was time to head back to the hotel. We changed into swimsuits in our room and gathered up towels, goggles, sunscreen, and water bottles, then went down to wait in the lobby. A few other hotel patrons were also waiting for the same snorkeling tour as us, and after a few minutes of waiting, our driver arrived to take us to the wharf where we'd catch our boat.

Locals hanging out on the street

Preferred mode of transportation in Vietnam - in the U.S. a V8 4x4 pickup would be needed for this load!

At the wharf, we were herded to a waiting area made up of lots of wooden benches and told to all sit in one area to stay together. Our tour guide left to figure out which boat we would board and came back a few minutes later to show us the way to the gangplank. We found out that our group was too large to go on one boat, so we were split into two groups and boarded boats side by side. Our captain backed the boat away from the dock and we were off on our snorkeling adventure! We cruised across the ocean, our eyes drinking in the gorgeous views of the blue water and rocky beaches.

Canal boat

Gondola to an island which had a resort and theme park

Island village

Prime real estate

Beautiful water

During the ride out from shore we were given snorkels, masks, and flippers. After about half an hour we arrived at the first snorkeling site and were very ready to jump into the water. After a few instructions and tips from our tour guide, we hopped into the ocean and dove under the surface to explore the sea floor. We were so happy to have our underwater camera to capture all the interesting sea life. We had a long time at the first snorkel spot and saw lots of really beautiful fish.

Our first snorkel spot

Jonathan readies his equipment

Great scenery

Trumpetfish, we believe

Diving

Sea star

Blue fish

Coral

Clearing the nostrils

Another brightly-colored fish

Island retreat

After a while (it seemed like a good long time) we were encouraged to swim back to the boat and were given towels to dry off with as we moved to another area. We had a shorter snorkeling time at the second spot, and saw a few different sea creatures: sea urchins, a sea slug (which scared Ali a little, until she realized it wasn't a snake and wasn't going to be moving very fast), and a giant clam.

Ali takes a dive

Sea urchins

Sea slug

(Small) giant clam

When we were called back to the boat after our second snorkel experience, we climbed back on to find the middle benches folded down to make a table. Many dishes were being laid out and soon the whole table was covered with a large variety of foods. Our guide told us about the different foods and what was in them, so we knew which dishes were fine for vegetarians to eat and which to stay away from. Although we were floating on the ocean just a little ways off shore from a seaside city, we were pleasantly surprised by the wide variety of vegetarian dishes. All the food we tried was delicious, but we especially enjoyed the Vietnamese noddles.

Waiting for the meal to be laid out

It was pretty good!

At the bow

After lunch and a short drive to our third and final snorkeling spot, we jumped back into the water to see some more underwater life.

Waves

Deep blue

Parrotfish and sea urchin

Giant brain coral - looks kinda like a manatee!

Mysterious mounds on the sea floor

The elusive Alifish!

All too soon we were called back to the boat for our trip back to shore. Upon climbing back into the boat we found a refreshing snack of pineapple, watermelon, and bananas. Mmmm, all the fruit tasted so good after all our swimming that day! As we headed back to Nha Trang, we discovered that despite slathering on a good bunch of sunscreen, our backs were a bit burned. The burns definitely could have been worse (unfortunately, both of us have skin that is easily susceptible to burns), but we decided that we weren't too impressed with the sunscreen we had stocked up on before leaving Korea. We later found out that it was just water resistant instead of waterproof, but that kind of thing is rather hard to know when you mostly see Korean writing on the packaging... Despite the burns, we had an amazing day out on - and in - the water and having the opportunity to see such interesting and diverse underwater creatures! We would definitely recommend a snorkeling trip in Nha Trang to anyone visiting Vietnam. Once back in Nha Trang, we relaxed for a bit in our hotel room and waited for the sun to set before venturing back out onto the streets to find some supper. We settled on a quiet Italian restaurant not too far from our hotel and had a yummy "Western" meal. Then we walked around the neighbourhood, popped into a few stores to look at souvenirs, and then made our way back to our hotel for a good night's rest.