Mystery Island

“Mystery Island" is the cruise industry name for Inyeug, a tiny islet lying off the shore of Aneityum, one of the islands that make up Vanuatu. There are no permanent inhabitants on Inyeug, but people come over from Aneityum to provide some services for visitors.

Our original plan for the day was to simply hit a good-looking beach and snorkel. But with all the cancellations and itinerary changes we had an excursion slot to fill so we picked a glass-bottomed kayak and snorkel excursion. We should have stayed with the original plan. The weather was cloudy and windy and threatened rain, but we pressed on to see how much we could get done ahead of the weather. We were on the tender at 9:00 for what was supposed to be a 10:20 meetup for the tour. Figured we’d rather spend the time on the island than the ship. Well the tour didn’t really get going until 10:45, at which time we walked over to the kayaks. We were on the side of the island facing the wind, and it was very choppy in the water. Nevertheless we put in, with DJ and I in one kayak and Thomas and Liz in another. It wasn’t awful in the water, but we definitely spent more time trying to stay positioned and make headway than we did looking down through the bottom of the boat. One couple in our group literally sank, with their kayak full of water and only their heads above the surface. It was rather comical.

We only kayaked for about 15 minutes, after which we grabbed snorkel equipment and did a brief drift snorkel back down to where we’d started. There were some fish, but again it was rough and choppy and not the best experience. We were overall quite disappointed with the excursion and felt that it should have either been cancelled or changed due to the weather conditions. I think the operators get a lot of pressure from Oceania or other cruise lines to provide the tour that is described. But if it’s going to be a mess it’d be better to give them some flexibility.

We carried on and decided to just walk around the island. That was the best decision of the day, as we ran into Patty and Jerry who told us a beach we’d come upon was great for snorkeling. So we made camp and using the masks and snorkels we’d brought with us jumped in. It was really excellent snorkeling! The beach was well behind the reef break, so the water was calm and clear and had lots of life to observe. We really enjoyed it and the experience frankly saved the day. One more reason to always press on and keep at it.

We were back to the ship a little before 2:00 and had lunch at Waves. Just in time, too, as the skies opened up and we had a true tropical downpour. It rained for the rest of the afternoon. Our weather luck held up again!Read more