I arrive in Nha Trang after a 45 minute flight on a Vietnam Airlines ATR 72 aircraft, which bounced and hopped down the long runway upon landing like an impatient dragonfly
It's still early, as we took off at 6.30, and early February: Tet has just finished around the country, leaving red banners, yellow leaved branches and a relaxed, festive air in the town. People are still enjoying their vacation time off they relish for a whole year at Tet, and as the taxi drives down the main waterfront street, Tran Phu, cafes and local restaurants are packed with young and old just sitting around chatting and laughing that is so typical of Vietnamese cities.
It's not my first time to Nha Trang: I ventured here for the first time in 1993 when the town was a sleepy backwater and independent travelers still resulted in intense stares and pointing. Taking a look at the 5 star resorts that line the beach now, and the billboards and furiously busy construction sites, its clear Nha Trang is well on it's way to becoming a top beach center of South East Asia.
Vietnam is growing as a dive destination, and although it does not boast the diversity of Indonesia or Thailand, increasing numbers of people are practicing the sport, especially in Nha Trang, and increasingly, Phu Quoc.
What has changed since my last visit is the presence of Dive operators, and as a keen diver, I was looking forward to ducking under Vietnam's emerald green waters for a deeper look at the marine life and creatures found here. On my last visit, all you could do was snorkel, and for a Jacques Cousteau fan, that was torture: seahorses, electric blue pipefish, and large lionfish loomed, tantalizingly, and frustratingly, out of reach.
Up before dawn on my diving day, it was the usual 6 am start, (late sleepers are not usually dedicated divers!) and we powered out though the moderate swells, having departed as most boats do in Nha Trang, from the Stone Wharf (Cau Da). We motored out past traditional fishing boats, and in the shadow of the Bao Dai villas that are now used as hotel facilities for upmarket tour groups. The sun was shining, and the water looked clear as we suited up and got ready to plunge beneath the waves.
We are headed for Hon Mun Island, a Marine Preserve in the Bay that was set up to protect the rich biodiversity of Central Vietnam's coast.
The sensation of falling off a boat, trailing 25 kilos of gear, and entering the near weightless world of the ocean is a feeling that brings a smile to most divers lips. It's a truly magical feeling, shedding all that weight at once, and all the anticipation of what creatures and animals lie down below.
As we gather at the anchor rope, checking and cross checking gear, we give anxious looks between our scuba fins, trying to make out the reef below. Its just a darkish, fuzzy outline, not in focus and hard to gauge, so we turn to each other, give the signal and drop down'. eagerly awaiting the ocean world beneath the boat.
There are a few moments of disembodied sinking as we descend, when the clarity of the surface slips away and the ocean floor is still not clear; then, gradually the reef sharpens as if in a camera lens, and we gently settle on a sandy bottom, looking around us.
With just 4 divers, aside from the dive master, we head off in a southward direction, along a rock wall covered in corals, anemones, and gorgonians; beautifully colored fish swarm around us as we cruise over the reef, following a moderately strong current.
The dive master points out electric blue starfish that scramble over the rocks, looking for food. Clownfish dart in and out of the anemones they call home, and often nip divers fingers harmlessly for getting too close!
As we continue along, a quick look in the crevasses and holes reveal lionfish and other reef dwellers hiding and taking shelter from predators. The sandy bottom is littered with black sea cucumbers, whose lazy cleaning of the sand goes on as we pass by.
For the next twenty minutes we drift along in our own thoughts taking in the animals and creatures that some have only seen in a documentary or in an aquarium. Here, beneath the sea in Vietnam, live many species that are rare and endangered elsewhere. It was a fantastic way to spend the day diving beneath the blue waters of Nha Trang.
It's still early, as we took off at 6.30, and early February: Tet has just finished around the country, leaving red banners, yellow leaved branches and a relaxed, festive air in the town. People are still enjoying their vacation time off they relish for a whole year at Tet, and as the taxi drives down the main waterfront street, Tran Phu, cafes and local restaurants are packed with young and old just sitting around chatting and laughing that is so typical of Vietnamese cities.
It's not my first time to Nha Trang: I ventured here for the first time in 1993 when the town was a sleepy backwater and independent travelers still resulted in intense stares and pointing. Taking a look at the 5 star resorts that line the beach now, and the billboards and furiously busy construction sites, its clear Nha Trang is well on it's way to becoming a top beach center of South East Asia.
Vietnam is growing as a dive destination, and although it does not boast the diversity of Indonesia or Thailand, increasing numbers of people are practicing the sport, especially in Nha Trang, and increasingly, Phu Quoc.
What has changed since my last visit is the presence of Dive operators, and as a keen diver, I was looking forward to ducking under Vietnam's emerald green waters for a deeper look at the marine life and creatures found here. On my last visit, all you could do was snorkel, and for a Jacques Cousteau fan, that was torture: seahorses, electric blue pipefish, and large lionfish loomed, tantalizingly, and frustratingly, out of reach.
Up before dawn on my diving day, it was the usual 6 am start, (late sleepers are not usually dedicated divers!) and we powered out though the moderate swells, having departed as most boats do in Nha Trang, from the Stone Wharf (Cau Da). We motored out past traditional fishing boats, and in the shadow of the Bao Dai villas that are now used as hotel facilities for upmarket tour groups. The sun was shining, and the water looked clear as we suited up and got ready to plunge beneath the waves.
We are headed for Hon Mun Island, a Marine Preserve in the Bay that was set up to protect the rich biodiversity of Central Vietnam's coast.
The sensation of falling off a boat, trailing 25 kilos of gear, and entering the near weightless world of the ocean is a feeling that brings a smile to most divers lips. It's a truly magical feeling, shedding all that weight at once, and all the anticipation of what creatures and animals lie down below.
As we gather at the anchor rope, checking and cross checking gear, we give anxious looks between our scuba fins, trying to make out the reef below. Its just a darkish, fuzzy outline, not in focus and hard to gauge, so we turn to each other, give the signal and drop down'. eagerly awaiting the ocean world beneath the boat.
There are a few moments of disembodied sinking as we descend, when the clarity of the surface slips away and the ocean floor is still not clear; then, gradually the reef sharpens as if in a camera lens, and we gently settle on a sandy bottom, looking around us.
With just 4 divers, aside from the dive master, we head off in a southward direction, along a rock wall covered in corals, anemones, and gorgonians; beautifully colored fish swarm around us as we cruise over the reef, following a moderately strong current.
The dive master points out electric blue starfish that scramble over the rocks, looking for food. Clownfish dart in and out of the anemones they call home, and often nip divers fingers harmlessly for getting too close!
As we continue along, a quick look in the crevasses and holes reveal lionfish and other reef dwellers hiding and taking shelter from predators. The sandy bottom is littered with black sea cucumbers, whose lazy cleaning of the sand goes on as we pass by.
For the next twenty minutes we drift along in our own thoughts taking in the animals and creatures that some have only seen in a documentary or in an aquarium. Here, beneath the sea in Vietnam, live many species that are rare and endangered elsewhere. It was a fantastic way to spend the day diving beneath the blue waters of Nha Trang.
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