TRAVELSPECIAL |
Snorkelling on a lagoon reef |
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shape breaks the surface : “ Sailie ! Sailie Sailie !” Hearts racing with adrenaline , the group snaps into emergency snorkel mode and , on the signal , hits the water . At first , it ’ s pandemonium , but as the propeller wash clears you see these living torpedoes striking furiously at the squid-like artificial bait , cast repeatedly by a guide back on the boat .
The sailfish come hurtling up the water column with sickening speed – the fastest things I ’ ve seen underwater . Sometimes they can bring up multiple sailfish ; the action unfolds for a few rapid minutes , then the fish gives up the hunt and retreats to its watching zone , 50-60 metres below . On one occasion the commotion got the attention of a young silvertip shark , which came barrelling up the water column , only to back off – reassuringly – when it saw the snorkellers .
I bobbed at the surface , heart pounding . Thanks to the expert casting of fishing lures at the surface , the sailfish had stayed long enough for us to appreciate the iridescence of its sail , the power contained
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Ascending sailfish
in its silver body . I can fully understand why they are so prized by the sport fishing community , but to see them underwater is to witness nature in the raw . An atoll tale to treasure . �
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PHOTOS : MILES ESCOW PHOTOS : MILES ESCOW |
Essentials GETTING THERE : Qatar has flights from London Heathrow to Mahé , Seychelles via Doha from about £ 600 return , qatarairways . com . You will spend at least one night in the main island , Mahé ; we stayed at a boutique hotel , lescaleresort . com , close to the airport . Then it ’ s a question of hooking up with the one-hour chartered flight to Alphonse . You and your bags will be weighed prior to boarding , so keep to the limits – 15kg in the hold , 5kg hand luggage .
BOOKING : Reefscape Travel www . reefscapetravel . com info @ reefscapetravel . com 0203 307 8676 are offering a seven-night stay to Alphonse Island from £ 9,450 per person . Price includes seven nights ’ accommodation in a beach bungalow for two people sharing on a full board basis , a 10-dive package , return economy flights with Qatar Airways from London , return domestic flights from Mahé to Alphonse Island , a one night stay at L ’ Escale on Mahé with transfers on arrival .
EATS AND TREATS : Alphonse offers a menu based primarily around fresh fish , with meat and chicken options available and fresh vegetables from the island ’ s remarkable organic farm . The food is of a very high quality , with plenty of Creole and South African influence . Make sure you join at least one ‘ flats lunch ’, a lavish barbeque served out on the sand flats of the neighbouring atoll .
WHEN TO GO : The season at Alphonse runs from August to May , when the weather is hot but settled . Expect air temperatures to rise to 35 ° C in the afternoons , with water temperatures of 26-28 ° C . Thorough sun protection is essential .
FURTHER INFORMATION : To find out more , check out the resort ’ s website alphonse-island . com
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