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| The Secret of Saint Brandon |
| 16 February 2012, 13:02 |
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We lead our respective lives. Some work at desks, stand and teach, raise families; others save lives, put their lives at risk, etc.
But we‘ve all shared that feeling when the background noise is silenced as we descend into the depths. The sound of our breathing replaces all thoughts and we just exist.
Diving is a meditative sport; whether you want to admit it or not. You breathe deeper and become fully present and aware. If not for the safety of being so, then due to the tranquility of being suspended in water examining some of life’s most fascinating species.
Imagine experiencing this in unchartered and barely discovered territory. A place so untouched by man that the birds drop their eggs where they please, the fish are plentiful and as big as small cars, and sharks make up 40% of the traffic.
Divesite was recently invited on a trip to Mauritius hosted by DiveSailTravel. DiveSailTravel is a Mauritian-based tour operator that charters dive trips in and around Mauritius as well as other African destinations. They asked us to join them on a pioneer dive expedition and share our story.
I am a Canadian-born Indian photojournalist living in South Africa and recently hired as a full-time journalist for Divesite. Not to mention, extremely lucky to have been chosen to represent the magazine on this trip!
Saint Brandon is a diver’s ultimate paradise. It is a group of more than thirty islands approximately 300 kilometers north of Mauritius. They are atolls completely isolated and surrounded by the warm Indian Ocean. Seychelles lies far north and Madagascar to the west.
We sailed from Mauritius on a 50-foot luxury catamaran sponsored by Harmony Travel; a journey that took more than thirty hours. We were blessed with calm seas and a full moon. We fished when we were hungry, swam when we were hot. We uncovered shells as if we were important archeologists, and dived when our tanks were filled. Each day was governed by the elements and we had no choice but to respect them. Nature thrived here and we tiptoed around it, careful not to cause any disturbance.
It was such a thrill to see that such unspoiled beauty still exists, and we all left wholesomely nourished by it all; it was indeed, a trip of a lifetime.
Join me on the adventure as I describe it in this summer's issue of Divesite magazine.
by
Shalini Tewari
For trips with DiveSailTravel:
Stephane De Senneville: +230 254 0102 or Coraline Cadet: +230 254 4017
email: divesail@intnet.mu, web: www.divesailtravel.com
For trips with Harmony Travel:
Yulia Piskun: +2309429605, +2309429607
email: yulia@harmonytravel.mu
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