Going on a snorkelling trip with a marine biologist makes the experience all the more fascinating. "You're standing on a living animal," shouted Tina across the water to one of the men in the group snorkelling for the first time. "Sorry, please don't stand on the coral," she bellowed again when he hadn't heard her. He apologised.
While I knew that corals are living organisms, I never gave much thought to what that meant. I immersed my face once again and observed these striking shapes, the round and oval brain coral, then one that looked like a mushroom, others leaf-shaped, and those which looked like interconnected branches of ginger; some were a luminous blue, others shades of white and grey. I slowed down to observe the textures and surfaces of the coral swaying blithely in the undercurrent. Within and around them swam a plethora of exquisitely patterned fish, from yellow and blue to pearl, pink with sparkles, and others swathed in stripes — swimming, turning, then ducking and diving into the coral.
It was only when someone mentioned afterwards that all she could hear in the water was her own breathing that I realised I had no recollection of being aware of any sound, including my own breathing. Submerged in such breathtaking silence evokes a meditative, otherworldly state. I'm sure this is an experience many of you have had — I've previously gone snorkelling and wasn't even keen on it this time — yet it is a process of discovery each time, and the awe never subsides, especially in the Maldives, where snorkelling brings to life an entire world of sea life right near the shore, making diving unnecessary. In fact, the coral was in such shallow water that I even scraped my knee on it as I tried to keep afloat and dodge the higher corals.
After half an hour of engaging in this voyeuristic activity — as one person mentioned, it is rather like watching a high-definition television in the showroom, where everything looks immaculate — I sat with Tina Buchegger by the shore eating fresh coconut flesh and discussing what it is that interested her about this field of study. "My father was a vet and taught me all about it," said Buchegger, a marine biologist. She also mentioned that since more than 70 per cent of the world's surface is covered in water, it is a vast, endless study. She works for both Huvafen Fushi and their newest resort, Niyama, where I was staying; she is responsible for the Marine Biology Lab in Niyama, developed to support the recovery of the coral reefs. She educated me about their need for sunlight, how slowly they grow and that standing on corals can damage them. Journeying to study the oceans of the world and understanding underwater life is an altogether different way of experiencing our planet and of appreciating the world.
Another fact that I was entirely ignorant of is that the islands in the Maldives are made from coral, hence the speculation that these islands are slowly sinking, as the growth rate of the coral cannot keep up with the rate at which the sea level is rising. However, according to Buchegger, the global rise in carbon dioxide, which is increasing ocean acidity and thus killing the coral, is far more harmful than the rising sea level. An article in The National Geographic last year asserts that "the world's oceans may be turning acidic faster today from human carbon emissions than they did during four major extinctions in the past 300 million years". By educating international guests about the imminent dangers of carbon dioxide, resorts in the Maldives are helping create awareness and change.
Back to the island on the speedboat, we suddenly came to a halt as we spotted a dolphin in the distance. We sped towards it and caught another glimpse elsewhere. Tsunami warnings recently had triggered a slight alarm, but only lasted a few hours. I'm glad I decided to continue with my trip to Niyama, to attend a beautiful wedding as the Sun descended into the ocean, a spectacular but simple setting, adorned with candles and white roses. And so ended a perfect weekend ... The perfect dose of relaxation, dressing, eating and dancing … with a bonus of the underwater.
— Follow Meera Ashish on www.talefourcities.com and @meeraashish and @talefourcities
