When it is calm, at high tide, it is a delight to snorkel in the calm lagoon waters of Ilot Maitre Marine Reserve. The white sand and turtle grass beds to the south of l’Escapade Island Resort offer an amazing variety of sea creatures.

There are clusters of sea stars and every single one has it’s own kaleidoscope of colors, red, blue, yellow, orange, purple, green, and each decorated with tiny mountain ranges of harmless spires. Most of them are Pentaceraster alveolatus, reaching 13cm in diameter, but there is also another starfish, without spines along the edge of its arms and with brown spines, called Protoreaster nodosus.

Three different species of sea turtles graze on the lush grass beds in the reserve. They don’t seem to mind spectators but move away if you move towards them. Like most sea creatures they are curious so, if you are quietly moving around looking at the starfish and sea shells (which you must not disturb because this is a protected marine reserve), the turtles might drift over to see what you have found.

More panoramas of Noumea, New Caledonia can be seen in Arounder New Caledonia and Arounder Noumea.