It was the giant clams that got me most excited about snorkeling in the Cook Islands.
I always thought that giant clams fell into the Captain Nemo, killer squid, and sexy mermaid school of non-existent
sea legends. And yet, there they were, just 15 yards off the beach, all pink and fleshy, gaping open, about the
size of an enormous truck tire.
Snorkeling off the Cook Islands proved to be some of the best I’ve ever experienced. The fish were not
as varied as I’ve seen in Thailand, but the water never got deeper than five feet so everything was within easy
reach – including Parrot, Butterfly, Trigger fish, and even some octopus. Check out some photos and
information about diving these waters at cookislandsdivers.com.
Although there are places to snorkel throughout the island of Rarotonga, I stuck to the waters just off the Rarotongan Resort – which happens to be a marine
sanctuary. The waters were crystal clear and chock full of fish and giant clams. A word of warning,
however. While using a snorkel borrowed from the resort, I felt a little tickle in the back of my throat. A
few days later, just as I got home, I came down with full-blown tonsillitis that wiped me out for almost two
weeks. Ugh. There is nothing like warm, tropic weather to incubate someone else’s germs in a snorkel
test tube. Needless to say, I’m bringing my own next time.