Cocos (Keeling) Islands - Canoe Tour.
On the morning of my 30th birthday we got up super early for a special sunrise canoe tour to some of the islands and snorkel spots here in Cocos. With a little mini bus we drove 10 min from the main settlement on West Island down to the southern tip where the canoes are kept. Our lovely tour guide Scarlet from Cocosday got our canoes ready and right as the sun started rising we all got to jump in and start our short journey to South Island, the first stop of the day.
We pulled up, made sure the canoes were anchored securely and Scarlet gave us short history lesson on Cocos and how it eventually ended up becoming an external territory of Australia in 1955. She also gave a great demonstration of how to best open coconuts and what to look out for when trying to find a good one.
(This was very helpful for the rest of our holiday here and it became my daily snack!)
From South Island we motored our way over to Pulu Blan Madar for a breakfast stop and to enjoy the calm and crystal clear water. The beach was named one of Australia’s most beautiful beaches in 2024 and I can only agree. Turquoise water, a white sandy beach, palm trees, some hermit crabs, turtles in the water and no one else around - it’s the definition of tropical paradise.
The next stop was the neighbouring island Pulu Blan to see some of its special residents. The Christmas Island blue-tailed skink (Cryptoblepharus egeriae) was discover on Christmas Island (and only there) in 1888. Through settlers predators (like snakes) got introduced to Christmas Island, by 2006 the blue-tailed skink was on the endangered list and by 2010 it had gone extinct in the wild. Through a breeding program of Parks Australia & Toronga Zoo (in Sydney) the numbers started to increase again and Pulu Blan was chosen to be the perfect habitat for their reintroduction into the wild. The island has a similar climate to Christmas Island and most importantly there are no predators on the small island. Today the blue-tailed skinks are thriving on Pulu Blan and also stared to get recolonised on Christmas Island.
The last stop on our island hopping tour was Pulu Maraya (the island closest to the southern tip of West Island) and its beautiful snorkelling spot where to current drifts you around half of the island. From butterfly fish, octopus, clams, parrot fish to reef sharks, turtles, moray eels and so many corals, you can see it all on this very shallow and easy snorkel. Due to its shallow depth you don’t even need to dive down and can simply float on the surface observing while drifting with the current.
At the beginning you get a good practise run on how to operate your canoe, so no need to worry if you’ve never been in a motorised canoe before. A good thing to know is that the tours don’t take place every day and the actual time of the tours is heavily dependant on tides. Participant numbers are also limited and can fill up fast, so if you know you are coming to Cocos, make sure to book a tour early to not miss out.
Things to bring along
sunscreen
water bottle
sunglasses, hat & long sleeved rash vest
mask & snorkel (no need to bring fins)
reef shoes
(underwater) camera or phone
waterproof bag for belongings
We had the best time and can highly recommend the canoe tour to anyone coming to Cocos!
P.S.: to book a tour with Cocosday, message them on instagram (@cocosday.au) or book it via the Cocos (Keeling) Islands tourism office on their website.
captured with:
Sony a7iii
Sony FE 40mm f/2.5 G
Aquatech Underwater Housing
Cocos (Keeling) Islands, WA, Australia
