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| Drop table scraps at your own risk (sharks) |
We stayed in Rangiroa for three weeks. As our provisions were running out, we figured out how to order food online for delivery by the weekly supply ship that keeps "Rangi's" small population from starving. Surprisingly, it worked like clockwork.......small freighter arrives at daybreak, crew brings the boxes marked "L'ORIENT" ashore, and they even used a forklift to move the boxes closer to our dinghy. As the mostly local crowd gathered, there was very little confusion on the small dock as to who ordered what......we sheepishly gathered our Bordeaux and Cabernet and made off. OK, we ordered real food as well. Easier than Whole Foods! We are now big fans and shop ONLY by freighter.
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| Our tramp steamer delivers the goods- the once a week lifeline for Rangiroa |
Most days included a dive in the conveniently located pass just across from our anchorage. The current runs either in or out of the atoll at speeds of 3-4 knots. That's faster than middle aged people can swim, according to people who know these things. You need a tide table to plan a dive, as the nightmare scenario involves diving at the wrong time, getting swept out into the open ocean where your chewed up corpse washes up in Fiji about 2 months from now. That vision gets your attention. Every dive is different and collectively they make the days fly by. Suddenly your three to four day stop has become almost a month. It's ironic that Kirstin, who fears all dogs except white fluffy ones, will swim with large sharks for as long as they're game.
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| A bunch of bait fish make way for a Moray eel (center), hopefully not a hungry one |
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| Coral field where Titan Triggerfish make nests- don't get too close or they bite |
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| One second after this pic, every black fish disappeared into this small coral patch- they're not stupid |
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| White tip shark- the grouper ahead of him is unconcerned because the sharks eat small fish only |
A place named "The Blue Lagoon" beckoned in Rangiroa. It's sort of a lagoon within a lagoon; turquoise water, perfect palm trees.....everything you could dream of save for a 17-year old Brooke Shields (Hollywood knowledge required for that reference). The only caveat to visiting this idyllic spot is its location. It's at the far end of an East to West bowling lane shaped area, where a small wave from the East travels 19 miles and if there's any wind, becomes a big wave at this very same Blue Lagoon.
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| The all important swimming hole; in this case several square miles of it |
The forecast called for no wind (the only conditions you can visit this place in) so we picked up anchor and moved the boat. All six weather models we watch were wrong and we ended up with twelve knots of wind and the boat pitching up and down like a bucking bronco. But now that we were here we put down the dinghy with great difficulty and jumped in. The Blue Lagoon did not disappoint and was possibly the most beautiful spot we have seen in all of French Polynesia - and that is saying something, although we say that about nearly every place we see here.
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| Blue lagoon- not bad ! |
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| More blue lagoon scenes- we have it to ourselves |
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| Testing a new swimming hole- sandy bottom and clear water are essential for shark spotting |
Getting back onto L'ORIENT involved synchronizing the rising and falling of our stern with that of the dinghy.......both moving up and down about 4-5 feet and not in sequence. With great difficulty we got back on the boat and hoisted a tired and relieved Crabby (dinghies have feelings too).
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| Blue lagoon visit- you can walk much of it |
We stayed overnight and had a very uncomfortable night of sleep - by the morning the wind speed was at 18 knots and we threw in the towel and headed back to a more comfortable anchorage.
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| E-bikes are big here- toured most of Rangiroa without peddling |
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| Pearl farm tech (not Jay Bilas)- he removes pearls from oysters and inserts a new core.....all in about 15 seconds |
But alas, the next destination was calling us.......the mysterious island of Toau (pronounced Toe - we think... after hearing about 10 different options). Since we planned on diving there, we wondered aloud if there would be an under-Toau. Ha-ha-ha. Anyway, as in all places in the Tuamotus.....the diving was fabulous. Sharks seem to know their place in the food chain. Near swimming holes in shallow water, they tend to be small. The closer you get to the open ocean, the bigger and more diverse the sharks become. One of our final dives was in quite bad visibility. We didn't think much of it as we assumed sharks have some kind of super-neural sensor stuff in their nose....you know, millions of years of evolution? The perfect killing machine? Well, they actually can't see either so we had a few curious reef sharks blundering a bit too close for comfort.......nevertheless all innocent fun.
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| View off the stern- there are no bad vistas in this place |
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| You're statistically more likely to be killed by your safety equipment vs. a shark |
Next, the delightful island of Fakarava. We'd been saying "Holy Fakarava" for some time now, especially when our diesel mechanic, Dominique gave us his invoice. And now we could put a place with a name. Fakarava also has three tiny magasins (a kind of mini-mart), a few restaurants, and only 1,000 residents. Locals with kids have to send them away to high school.........and forget about siting a college here. Imagine the marketing challenge of trying to lure students to "Fak U". Forget it. Never going to happen.
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| Pearl farm floats are everywhere and used as home decor in Fakarava |
Our initial anchorage in Fakarava was delightful. A swimming hole presented itself just in front of the boat.......turqoise waters, sand, and a perfect 3 foot depth to allow for sitting in the water. Entertainment was provided by "Stewart", an 8-ft reef shark who seemed to prefer our company to all others. He visited almost hourly. It's a weird situation when talking to Kirstin in the water and having it be normal to see dorsal fins popping up all around.
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| Streets don't have names here (or pavement, lights, etc); a gentle hint is all you need to find something |
Fakarava is normally visited by a small supply ship weekly, but there hasn't been one for three weeks. The small shops are pretty picked over at this point. A sad, lonely onion over here......a dusty can of sliced tomatoes of dubious provenance over there. We are eating through our supplies pretty quickly. We're pretty sure that this has something to do with a supply ship which caught fire at the dock in Tahiti. Whatever.
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| When is the last time you used a pay phone ? |
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| The boats keep arriving as the date of the delivery boat draws closer |
Diving has paused as we are slowly making our way south inside the atoll for some diving fun at the famous "South Pass". Apparently there will be the opportunity to see hundreds of sharks there, which I'm not sure we're quite ready for. Anyway, the road to nowhere continues.
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| Some chill-out places in Fakarava- to gather your thoughts and continue to do nothing |
