Question: What could ever top the incredible Aitutaki lagoon tour?

Answer: Jumping into the cerulean water to explore undersea life.

I’m still blown away by how clear this water is. I’ve taken snorkeling photos all over the world (Galapagos, Hawaii, Thailand) and these came out by FAR the clearest. The water is so pure.

At first I wonder if these starfish have been planted for the tourists. How can such a perfect thing exist? But that’s just nature, blowing my mind one wildlife creature at a time.

Here’s what I dub yellow brain coral.

Tiny iridescent fish huddle around this coral. Each time I come close by they dive into the plant.

See what I mean:

I end up seeing these big, bright starfish maybe four times. I photograph them all without fail because I’m just so impressed by them.

This is a pufferfish. Check out the little spikes on his back.

I see you!

The vivid colors in these clam shells rank right up there with the starfish.

This is a HUGE bank of purple coral. It makes me wonder if more of these reefs were brightly colored decades ago, and now due to environmental changes and human activity there are less of them? I don’t have the facts to back this up, but it’s suspicious how so many of the reefs are dead-looking and then there’s just a handful of brightly colored ones. Or maybe they go through life cycles? I’ll do some investigating and get back to you.

Our second snorkel spot is to visit giant clam shells. Which are exactly what they sound like.

I don’t know how rare these are or where else in the world you can find them, but it feels special to see them up close.

Some of them are empty (like in the photo above) and some of them are pulsing with life and deep colors (like the photo below).

This one has bright green iridescent dots all over it.

It’s such a joy to play Ariel and swim with undersea life for a few hours. Definitely a memorable experience from my time in the Cook Islands.