Walk on the seabed in Vietnam’s Nha Trang, why not?

The service allows tourists to walk on the seabed in Nha Trang Bay, located in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa, and behold richly-colored coral reefs and schools of fish through the glass of the astronaut-like helmets.

Trip takers will have the chance to gently touch the swimming fish without spooking or scaring them off.

All these delights are incorporated in a service which is being run by Holiday Diving Co. on a 90-day pilot basis, starting mid-March.

Thanawat Thitirattasak, general director and founder of the company, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that he decided to launch the service in Nha Trang following its hearty embrace in Phuket, Thailand.

“I found Nha Trang a gorgeous resort city, but it lacks adornments to make it even more astounding. I therefore decided to introduce seawalking here hopefully to woo greater tourist influxes,” he explained.

Thanawat founded his diving company in Phuket in 1987.

The rafts on which the service is provided are positioned on Hon Mot Islet in Nha Trang Bay.

What seawalkers need for such a trip, which lasts some 15 minutes, is an oxygen tank and a specially-designed helmet.

The helmet weighs up to 40 kilograms but gives the seawalkers the feeling of bearing the weight of merely four kilograms while walking underwater.

Seawalking helmets are cleaned on a daily basis. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Guides will accompany tourists on their trip, which brings them a rare chance to admire and feed schools of fish and coral in close proximity, and pose for photos in a sea expanse of around 50 square meters.

Elderly people, kids, and those who cannot swim are all welcome to enjoy the experience.

Such seawalking strolls cost VND800,000 (US$37.3) each.

Truong Kinh, director of the Nha Trang Bay Management, found seawalking a highly compelling, ecologically-friendly tourist activity.

The service adds a perfect delight to tourism in Nha Trang Bay, which is endowed with crystal-clear sea water and stunning coral, Kinh remarked.

The service is offered on Hon Mot Islet in Nha Trang Bay. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A diving specialist (right) is seen demonstrating to tourists basic maneuvers before allowing them to take their seawalking strolls. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Wearing a 40-kilogram helmet underwater initially gives seawalkers an eerie sensation, which they will gradually get used to.
Photo: Tuoi Tre

A tourist from the southernmost province of Ca Mau expressed her wish that she could go seawalking forever. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Progress is sluggish on the seabed due to high underwater pressure, and seawalkers need diving specialists to accompany them to take the strolls. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A diving specialist took photos of some seawalkers to help capture the moments of their special experience. Photo: Tuoi Tre