Wow!   What a place.  Aldabra is absolutely spectacular.   We have two whole days here and we are making the most of it in this incredible place.   From sunrise to sunset and beyond, we are trying to capture as much of the magic of Aldabra as possible.   Above and below, from high tide to low, we are attempting to really get to know this World Heritage Site.

As we approached the island early this morning seabirds were streaming out of the crimson rising sun.   We quickly took to the water to enjoy an outer reef snorkel.  Sea turtles swam amongst us, having finished laying their eggs on the beach last night.   The entire island and one kilometer offshore is off limits to fishing, and it really shows.  Big fish were everywhere, darting amongst the healthy coral.  This is paradise for snorkelers and divers.

Next, we took advantage of the incoming tide to explore the main channel.   The massive lagoon at Aldabra drains and fills daily with the tides, and most of that water goes in and out through this main channel.   We used the current to do drift snorkeling and drift diving.  And what a ride it was!   I dropped down on SCUBA and quickly was flying along at a few knots.   The coral here is incredible, with not only great diversity but wonderful health as well.   Mixed in with this were clouds of fish, including many species that are fished out of areas that are not protected.   Schools of humphead parrotfish, massive groupers, shoals of snappers, and big sweetlips were all abundant and at times curious.  Sharks and rays were also enjoyed by most.   I could do this dive over and over, and see new things every time.

Later in the afternoon it was time to take to our fleet of Zodiacs to explore the mangroves of the inner lagoon.  We again entered the main channel, but this time detoured into the side channels.  Here, boobies and frigatebirds lined the trees with many juveniles in view in their nests.   The scenery was spectacular with many mushroom shaped islets scattered amongst the turquoise water.  As the sun dipped, the seabirds returned to roost for the evening, bringing our day nearly back to where it began.

We were not finished, however.   During dinner, we dropped our ROV submarine to explore the depths around Aldabra.   We touched bottom at 200 meters and were rewarded with urchins, anemones, squid, ctenophores, wire corals and many fish.   We even had silvertip sharks come in to investigate!  All of this was enjoyed live in the lounge, drinks in hand.