Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Under the Sea
The uplifted coral island resembles a Pacific atoll that has been hoisted high and dry one
hundred feet above sea level. One of Niue's principal drawing cards is its fascinating un-
derwater world, where visibility seems limitless. Checking the mooring is a question of
glancing from your deck through crystal-clear water, even to one hundred foot depths. Ni-
ue's pitted coral bulk extends underwater in a series of slopes and deeply etched gullies,
making for snorkel and dive experiences like nowhere else. SCUBA divers can explore un-
derwater caves where the sea glows with shafts of intense blue light or ascend an enclosed
underwater “chimney” from depths of sixty to twenty feet. The friendly folks at Niue Dive
run guided trips to various locations and fill bottles for cruisers with their own gear.
It's not just the ringed sea snakes that make Niue's sea life interesting. Whales are frequent
visitors during the July to October calving season, as are dolphins. At the call of a whale
sighting near the mooring field, I geared up in record time to snorkel beside an adult hump-
back. Observing the magnificent creature splash its black body and white fins on the sur-
face was a humbling experience, topped only when the whale dove effortlessly out of view
into its private realm far, far below. At times, it's even possible to hear humpback songs
resonating through the water and into the cozy quarters of your own hull. On rare occa-
sions, the cetaceans get closer, closer - too close! In 2012, a passing whale entangled itself
in a mooring line, seriously damaging one sailboat's bow roller in its efforts to pull free. In
true community fashion, locals and boaters pitched in with materials and expertise to patch
the vessel so that it could safely continue to Australia. That said, this was an unprecedented
and hopefully one-of-a-kind encounter - for both sailors and whales!
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