Diving, Polynesian Dinner and Dance, Sailing, Snorkeling

So now we know what it is to be in paradise! Michelle has arrived and we have been out diving and snorkeling. A few wreck dives ... three boats, two planes; and lots of fish, coral and the usual suspects that hang around the reef. A couple of highlights were the amazing huge Titan Triggerfish that kept following us around, a sea cucumber that looked more like an alien life form, large snails, octopus and the icing on the cakes (cause there were two cakes) were the lemon sharks and the rays.

We had seen pretty much every species of shark that live in these waters except for the lemon sharks. These babies grow to be 10 feet long and I am sure these guys had been taking steroids cause they sure looked big. My new book, Reef Fish Identification, hand delivered by my sis, indicates they are 'solitary and considered dangerous'. Oh, yeah. I guess I should have read that before the dive. But being innocent and naive, we spent almost an hour cavorting with them together with a few black tip reef sharks. What an excellent dive.

Then there was the snorkeling expedition to see the Tahitian Stingray. They can be as big as 3 1/2 feet (100 cm) and are so graceful in the water as they fly along with their magnificent wings and long tails. They are a real treat to watch. There is nice sandbar just off shore opposite the Intercontinental resort on Mo'orea where the rays like to rest in the sand. Well, the tour operators have gotten them used to being fed and so now every time they hear a motor boat, they come by expecting some free nibbles. It was quite intimidating to see so many around the dinghy and we were a little reluctant to jump in. But as soon as they realized we hadn't brought the feed bag, the quickly ignored us and went about their business. There must have been 20 or more together with the ever present black tip reef sharks hovering around.

Before we left the island of Tahiti we took in a show at the Intercontinental Resort. They put on a Polynesian night with a sumptuous buffet of local foods followed by a traditional dance show with drums and singing. It was nice to get a little of the island culture even if it is solely designed for the tourists.

We have since sailed to Mo'orea and then to Huahine. We hope to visit Ra'iatea and Bora Bora before we have to say good bye to Michelle.

The underwater photos below are courtesy of Michelle.