Wild at heart

Inspecting a bottle salvaged from Otago Harbour at a Wild Dunedin underwater adventure at Quarantine Island yesterday are (from left) Piere Kawharu-Tapsell (13), Merata Kawharu, Dive Otago short course co-ordinator Emma Young and Freda Kawharu-Tapsel (10).

Dive Otago and Experiencing Marine Reserves spokeswoman Amelia Saxby said 18 people, a mix of children and their parents, attended the trip.

The participants were taken to the island from Back Beach in Port Chalmers on a Dive Otago boat for the snorkelling trip.

Visibility in the harbour ``was not brilliant''.

``But once you got nice and close to the rocks you could see a lot of sea snails, algae and worms and crabs.''

First-time snorkeller Des Karl, of Dunedin, said he had ``an awesome time'' and would snorkel again.

Miss Saxby said Experiencing Marine Reserves would put on more snorkelling trips in different sports around Dunedin ``in an attempt to get people into the water - once it's warmed up a bit''.

Meanwhile, at the Wild Dunedin exhibition at the community gallery in Dunedin yesterday were Xavia Hurring (7) and Zev Burgess-Smith (9), both from Port Chalmers.