Wow oh wow, what an absolute disaster of day and lucky people did not drown. It’s hard to find the words to accurately describe the shambles that unfolded throughout the day and the complete lack of organisation and safety. But I will have a go. First, pick up from our hotel was chaotic and they couldn’t find our hotel (admittedly, an incredibly minor blemish in the broader scheme of the day ahead). Second, when we got to the boat, we sat there for 1.5 hours while different men walked around to collect “extra fees” payable for some guests to their surprise (thankfully, not us but a significant delay for all on the boat). Third, the tour was pitched as a “snorkel tour” with “max 20 people”. It turned out to be a predominately scuba dive trip with a few snorkelers on board. Total passengers were 35 (almost double what was described). Fourth, we went to a dive site way off the coast in heavy seas (50km/h winds) where only the scuba divers could get to the reef as the waves were too large - swell of at least 1.5 metres. Snorkelers spent about 5 minutes in crazy choppy water off the back of the boat looking at a few small fish but nowhere near the coral reef (which was the main reason for visiting this location) because it was too choppy to safely explore the reef. Fifth, the tour was advertised as “all equipment provided”. But there were a handful of old masks, most of which had broken snorkel clips so you had to physically hold your snorkel up out of the water with your hand as you would otherwise drown. They also only seemed to have three life jackets for the whole group and only a handful of buoys. So there was no chance of getting near the reef in the hugely choppy seas which was genuinely dangerous. Sixth, after the 5 minutes of utterly unenjoyable (and dangerous) snorkelling, we then spent about 3 hours on the rocky windy boat waiting around for the divers to finish. Feeling more and more queasy with each minute that passed due to the very rough seas. Seventh, when we sought to get information from any of the crew about how much longer we would be stranded here and when was lunch, no one could be found that was in charge. Literal chaos. Eighth, there were around 6-8 boats who also had moored near this diving site. However, their crews had the common sense to leave the site after no more than 30 minutes due to the atrocious conditions. We were the only boat silly enough to stay in this unsafe location. A literal sole boat all lost at sea. Ninth, the day was advertised as “two snorkel sites of 45 minutes each”. This did not transpire. We stayed at the same inaccessible and dangerous dive site where only the scuba divers could enter the water for more than 5 minutes. Seems to me a fundamental misrepresentation of the advertised “snorkelling tour”. Finally, we were abandoned on Orange Island for 2 hours which is actually a desolate wasteland with little protection from the wind and almost no amenities. We were assured the coral reef was good here but 80% of the coral was dead and there was loads of rubbish in the water. One of the boats had also laid a fish trap which seems a little out of step with the fact you had to pay USD 5 per person to visit this island as it was a “national park”. Not sure what most countries are like, but national parks should be pristine and protected. Not somewhere to fish. Snorkelling was hugely uninspiring compared to other places we’ve been - eg Barrier Reef, Aqaba, Galápagos Islands, Costa Rica, Hawaii, etc. Hugely disappointing and we counted down the cold windswept minutes until our boat came to collect us from this desert island prison. Then back to the hotel in the random car we were collected in. We were so grateful to be back on dry land and safe at our hotel.
In sum, a day characterised by a complete lack of communication, organisation, common sense and safety. Where greed was prioritised above all else. A true lowlight of the holiday. I would recommend grabbing a snorkel and jumping in your hotel pool. It would have to be more enjoyable and better organised than this circus on the sea. If you couldn’t tell from this thoroughly cathartic rant, which I typed in real time during the unfolding disaster, this was a 0/10 experience.