The car is nice this morning. Our calves relax while we leave the distorted land of the middle of the southern island. Towards the beach and the Kaikoura peninsula. Talk about it to the whales lovers, they'll know what it is about.
A few kilometers away from the coast, a great fault dips the sounder waves more than 1000m deep. A depth where the abyssal creatures swim in a black and silent world. A dark and unknown world which keeps the greatest legends going.
A boat agency has the monopoly on the cetacean watching and on the price too. Through a sonar, they pinpoint the sea mammals and then, head towards the echo. A spray of water pops out the vast blue expanse and like kids, we dash towards the balustrades to watch the beast. A smooth and shining hump goes beyond the ocean surface. The giant of the sea stores cubic meters of air for half an hour. Then, its powerful tail rises and the animal dives for several hours. We'll see three sperm whales with the same emotion.
On the way back, dolphins swim close to us and play with stem of the boat. Some of them jump off into the air before returning to the pack. Everybody is on the deck and hounds the fleeting appearance of the bottle-snouted animals.
The dolphins swim away and we get in the pier. After this fascinating interlude, we walk again on the terra firma.
Keyword - submarine universe -
Wednesday 21 November 2007
Visual hunt of the sperm whales in Kaikoura
By dorian on Wednesday 21 November 2007, 21:23 - RTW-New Zealand
Thursday 25 October 2007
Paradisiac beaches on the Koh Phi Phi island
By dorian on Thursday 25 October 2007, 22:35 - RTW-Thailand
Steep rocky walls that a green and lush nature trickles over. Strips of sand gnaw the rock to form superb bays. The island of Koh Phi phi is actully composed of 2 islands : Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh.
Phi Phi Don is characterized by 2 crescents of sand linking the two headlands of the island which shape a big "X" within the blue immensity. As for Phi Phi Leh, it's a protected area and it's impossible to stay and sleep on. It harbours some grottoes swallows get in to build their nest, a nest they make with their saliva. Climbing bamboo ladders, a few life-risking villagers go to pick them. These nests are famous for their aphrodisiac powers and are an ingredient of Chinese soups. At 2500 euros a kilo, these nests are considered as national treasure and the grottoes entrances are guarded. Phi Phi Leh is also famous to be the scenery of the movie "the beach" and full of scuba diving and snorkelling spots dot the coastline.
The sea bed gives the gorgeous beaches their cue. Funnel-shaped corals and red gorgones spread out and extend the rock while anemones and giant clams attempt to cling to. Seaweeds and mosses struggle to occupy the last free parcels of rock. Soft corals dance according to the currents and hide throngs of angel- and butterfly-fish. Close to the surface, the trumpet-fish wanders about alone while near the bottom, the struggle is fierce for some crumbs of corals.
The parrot-fish shatters the coral and the clown-fish frantically swims among the anemones. Within the chinks of the rock, porcupine- and box-fish clumsily move about. Turtles, black-tip sharks and lion-fish complete this submarine watercolour.
Everyday, the same ritual which turns into a deep pleasure : fixing the mask and going underwater to discover the submarine kingdom. An intoxicating kingdom we fall in love a little bit more after each dive.
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