"Jellyfish are really just coral with a sense of adventure," says one of the on-board marine biologists during a snorkel briefing as the congested capital of the Philippines disappears in our wake in the vast South China Sea
Everyone puts up their hand to borrow gear, including a couple of people who travel with walking sticks. Snorkellers, it seems, are really just cruise passengers with a sense of adventure.
Snorkel spots seem to get increasingly remote, vivid, mesmerising.
The expedition leader says she's "never had such a big group of snorkellers", though much of her small ship experience has been in the Antarctic. On this Equator-crossing route south from Manila between Malaysian and Indonesian Borneo towards East Timor, the average water temperature in June is an inviting 26C.
Some passengers admit they haven't snorkelled since the kids left home in the '90s, but the expedition team's Grab a Noodle and Kick 101 covers fundamentals as basic as how to breathe. Everyone gets a string bag of fins, mask and snorkel to keep for the the journey and a chance to get back in the saddle a few days into the trip when MS Caledonian Sky reaches Indonesia's Kakaban Island.
Local caretakers watch us motor in over the reef in Zodiacs. The word Kakaban means "hug" in the local dialect because the island is cuddling the coconuts out of a central mangrove-trimmed lake, only 10 minutes walk on rickety steps from the jetty. Within its brackish water live four different species of jellyfish – moon, lagoon, upside-down and box – that have all evolved to be stingless, because there are no predators. Or so we're told. It's tough to undo a lifetime of believing blobs like that should never be allowed to touch you, but it's kinda fun trying.
"I don't like it," someone says, submersed within a cloud of encroaching jellyfish and unaware snorkels amplify inner monologue.
Back at the seashore, we snorkel straight off the beach or from the end of the jetty. The sea floor drops away at a long reef shelf where I see my first green turtle.
From then on, for the next couple of weeks, masks take the place of glasses, fins fit where shoes were, rash vests replace shirts and horizontal becomes the new vertical sometimes twice in a day. A core group of passengers never seems to tire of leaving the comfort of their cabins or the ship's lounges to take another plunge and glimpse the subaquatic world of these seven seas – the South China, Sulu, Celebes, Banda, Java, Flores and Timor seas.
Snorkel safety is a serious business for Caledonian Sky expedition crew. Patrolling Zodiacs mean everyone is always in sight and within seconds of horse-powered reach. Getting up a ladder from the water into a Zodiac isn't easy or even possible for some, but there are plenty of opportunities to snorkel off beaches. Swimming noodles are very popular for their supportive buoyancy.
The fetching fluoro of the noodle, however, is entirely overshadowed by the rich colours of the fish and coral in the region's underwater gardens, which are significantly more intact and unspoiled than I expected in such a populated part of the world. Snorkel spots seem to get increasingly remote, vivid, mesmerising. There are always turtles to see if you're first in or get away from the pack and wait, and someone briefly spots a reef shark off Sabalana Island.
Lectures and debriefings keep us informed about what we're seeing or may see, from the high-speed humpback dolphins and flying fish to the more sedentary giant clams and soft coral. So many tropical sea creatures are commonly named after animals, birds and insects: rabbitfish, parrotfish, butterflyfish, catfish, goatfish, sea snake, seahorse, the prey-pouncing frogfish and the deathly glamorous lionfish.
Some suggest human qualities: Moorish idol, damselfish, clownfish, surgeonfish, soldierfish, cardinalfish. Particular fish are known by their freaky features: trunkfish and jawfish. Others bear unfortunate names, things like groper and grunt.
Every snorkel experience feels naturally meditative because it's so quiet, my body goes into slo-mo and I lose track of time and place. Resurfacing, I often gasp, marvelling at where I am, taking in some coral island coated in coconut palms or kids kicking a ball on their local beach in the afternoon light or hearing the call to prayer from a nearby village. With snorkel still in place, this takes the notion of drinking in the surroundings way too far.
See aptouring.com.au
APT sails many of the world's seas and rivers. The company owns and operates three small ships for expedition-style trips in Asia, Northern Europe and the Kimberley. Fares for the Seven Seas Odyssey, called 17-day South-East Asia Adventure in 2016, are from $11,995 per person, twin share. APT has an all-inclusive pricing policy, which includes the snorkel gear. Phone 1300 196 420; see aptouring.com.au.
