Part 23: 12th April – Blue Safari, Capt Nemo, Bois Cheri, etc

First of all, apologies for getting rather behind with the updates! Still, better late than never.

Wednesday 12^th April

Part of the reef, as viewed from the Blue Safari Submarine

Today we are to embark upon separate trips: Caroline will visit the Bois Chéri tea estate, St Aubin vanilla & Anthurium nursery etc, while Pete & I will make for “The Blue Safari” submarine ride and “Captain Nemo’s Undersea Walk”.

We were at “Casa Pizza” for the allotted time of 9.00 am, and were promptly met by Gervais, who had taken me to Bois Chéri the previous week. I was pleased because I knew he would be the perfect host for Caroline – and also because it would give him the opportunity to sample a few more cuppas! He had the Range Rover, which would also ensure a comfortable ride.

Pete & I are not due at the submarine place (in Mont Choisy) until 11.30, so our driver will pick us up at 10.00 am. That gives us time for a stroll on the beach, followed by a drink back at CP, served by Monsieur Hanu, who has now taken to referring to me as “Boss”.

Our driver is named Sanjay, and again is very amenable. His is an independent taxi firm subcontracted by Phillipe Lamothe’s tour company.

Arriving at Blue Safari we are made very welcome by the efficient staff, and given a drink while we wait for the rest of the party to arrive. There will be around 15 of us altogether, split between the two submarines. (One seats 10, the other five). The first part of the experience consists of a short (~ 10 minutes) boat ride out to the moored vessel which houses the subs. This gives us yet more spectacular views of Mauritius and the coast. Regrettably I can’t show you any pics owing to the fact that we have brought only the camcorder with us today. But I did get some great video which some of you might want to see when we have the chance.

On board the mother boat we are given a short briefing. Pete & I will be in the larger sub, and we will be diving to a depth of 35 metres. As we enter the hatch we pose for photographs. OK, I know it’s the usual sales pitch, but as we are highly unlikely to be doing this trip again we decide we will buy them. The sub has two rows of seats, each with a round port-hole through which we should get a good view. Before we set off our pilot, Sebastian, explains how to raise the sub should anything happen to him (!!). Fortunately, he is young and in fine health. We motor across the surface for a few hundred metres to a buoy which marks our diving point.

As we descend the light changes, moving towards the blue end of the spectrum because red is filtered out preferentially. At 35 metres it is still quite light; and this is all natural daylight, which says something about the clarity of the ocean here. Sebastian tells us that if we were to go to 80 metres it would be practically dark.

Occasionally we catch sight of the other, smaller, sub. It is a different world down here. We see small outcrops of reef on which are feeding many colourful fish. We also spot two moray eels, some sea anemones, an octopus (eventually) and a number of other life-forms.

He takes us around several wrecks. These are not ancient vessels but large fishing boats deliberately scuppered as a means of providing a habitat for the sea-life. One of them is Japanese, sunk around eight years previously. It is quite eerie drifting around them.

We stayed down for about 40 minutes after which it began to feel somewhat claustrophobic and clammy. There being no direct connection to the surface, we had to return at this stage.

Back on the mother-boat we were plied with “Sprite” before being transported back to shore to purchase our photos and be presented with our specially-prepared diving certificates! All in all, a fascinating experience which I can thoroughly recommend.

We had lunch at a shopping complex in Grand Baie. I had a very nice four-cheese brochetta – not particularly Mauritian perhaps, but a pleasant alternative. Then it was time to face the biggest challenge of the day – possibly the entire trip: “Captain Nemo’s Undersea Walk”. I freely admit to being somewhat nervous at the prospect of plunging to the sea-bed, weighted down by a leaden belt and with just a glorified goldfish bowl between me and certain death from drowning! However, the advertising blurb stresses how safe it is, and there are pictures of smiling children happily feeding bread to shoals of inquisitive fish. I can’t chicken out, can I?

Well, while I was anxious about the dive, I hadn’t reckoned with what was to precede it: a 10-minute trip in an outboard-powered speed-launch. “Exhilarating” is one word to describe it. I can safely say that I have never travelled that fast on water. Ever. And with little to hang on to, and the boat being frequently airborne as it skipped across the waves, this was real adrenaline-pumping stuff. The sort of thing to have you saying: “again! again!” once your initial panic had subsided.

We are making for a moored platform so far out in the bay that it surely must be too deep to dive without specialist equipment. Still, they know what they are doing. Turns out there are only Peter & me for this session. On board there are four or five staff - young lads all; maybe late teens/early twenties. Very laid back and “hip”; but obviously also very experienced. We are given clear instructions on how to prepare for the dive, including the hand signals to use for “I’m OK” and “Get me to the surface quick!”

We put on rubber shoes to protect our feet from sharp stones – possibly also poisonous sea-urchins - and are fitted out with the leaded belts. We are then required to step onto a ladder and descent until just our head and shoulders are above water. Floating on the surface adjacent to the raft is a spaghetti-junction of yellow ventilation tubes. One end of each of these is connected to a compressor. The other ends of two of them are next attached to our helmets, which are simply popped over our heads and we are to let go and sink to the bottom. I was told by someone that it is about 10 metres. It isn’t. It’s about three. Still, it was quite nerve-racking to begin with. But once we get used to the idea of actually breating under water, we can start to enjoy being down here. Our guide is similarly-attired to ourselves, but with bare feet, and above us another guy is snorkelling to keep an eye on us.

Guide No.1 has a disposable camera, and snaps us in various silly poses. We will later buy the roll of film (digital cameras are not much use down here!) to be developed on our return to the UK.

There are plenty of fish. We are not too sure about the idea of feeding them, but the guides produce great clumps of bread and we don’t have much choice! The fish are very curious. It is amusing to think of us as being effectively in the “aquarium” whilst they swim up to peer at us through the glass; quite a role reversal.

Down among the fishes!

We were down there for about 20 minutes, and I must say that we both enjoyed it immensely. Back on board the raft we dry off a bit, say our farewells, and it’s back to shore on the speed-launch (YESSS!).

So then we made our (damp!) way back to Flic en Flac with Sanjay.

Meanwhile, Caroline had been having a great day visiting the Bois Chéri tea estate and the St Aubin vanilla & anthurium nursery.

View across the lake at Bois Chéri

View accross to the southern mountain range from the pavilion

Gervais had been very keen to go back because it meant he could sample more tea, and they discussed many of the things he and I had discussed the previous week. Apparently he was concerned about Pete & I doing the undersea walk – but Caroline told him not to worry - we’d be OK (?)

Anthuriums growing at St Aubin

Outside the colonial house at St Aubin

They also went to the National History Museum in Mahébourg, as we had done, and C enjoyed that too. One thing they saw which I hadn’t was a place where people still do their washing by hand outside:

By the time we returned to the bungalow Caroline was already there. After a swim in the pool we were all looking forward to dinner, back at the “Casa Pizza”, where I once again had the upmarket fish ‘n’ chips! Pete had tagliatelli and Caroline I believe had the fish curry.

Hanu, the waiter, has a little business with a few friends, running dolphin-watching trips. It is very tempting. He is able to offer a two-hour session, including a light breakfast, between 7.30 am and 9.30 am. This would fit very well for Friday, when we want to go to "La Vanille Crocodile Park". If we set off for there at 11.00 am it should give us plenty of time, so we arrange this with Hanu and Mme.