Author: Scott
Today was one of the best experiences we have had on the journey to date. We woke up with plans to go with Last Call to swim with the sting rays. We had heard a lot about the experience from other cruisers and from Trevor on Last Call, we also had the experience the other night where we got to feed them from the steps of the restaurant, but today we were going to actually get in the water and swim with the big guys. Trevor and his wife Leslie showed up in their big dinghy along with Trevor’s brother and sister in law. We looked down at the dinghy unsure if we would comfortably fit, but also knowing our dinghy was most likely not up to the challenge of driving around the island to the lagoon. Trevor said we would all fit with no problem, so we piled in, and he was right. Trevor has the biggest dingy we have ridden in yet. We all sped off towards the lagoon, motoring through incredibly clear and beautiful water. It looked like you could just reach down and touch the coral that was really twelve feet down. Trevor drove the dinghy fearlessly; not needing to slow down even when the corral looked like it was just inches below the dinghy. We could see colorful fish darting around the coral heads, and about half way to the lagoon we were all treated to an incredible sight. Just outside of the reef there was a whale jumping high into the air. Normally when something like this happens Pam and I get to watch the sighted people full of excitement relaying the details to us, because it is next to impossible to catch something like a whale doing tricks in a monocular, but as fate would have it, as I put the monocular to my eye and zeroed in the whale broke the surface right in my small field of vision. I was able to see him thrust his body out of the water almost to its tail, then fall back to the water with a huge splash. A second later I caught his tail sticking straight out of the water. I handed the monocular to Pam and she was also able to catch a glimpse of the majestic mammal. What a treat!
As we approached the lagoon the water changed colors until the dinghy was hovering over water bluer than the most pristine swimming pool. As soon as we had the dinghy anchor overboard our visitors started to arrive. The sting rays were beautiful. Imagine creatures that are in pure harmony with the water, fluid movement effortlessly gliding silently. They were splendid examples of elegance and they were right below us waiting for us to come and play with them. Their topsides were a dull gray on curving diamond shaped bodes, with long stringy tales aerodynamically following behind them. They have eyes on the top of their bodies that give you the impression they can see everything above and around them all at once. I was in the water, dawning full frog gear in seconds. This was Trevor’s fourth visit to the rays and he was as delighted as though it was his first experience ever. Trevor grabbed a plastic bag full of raw fish and started handing out snacks for the rays. Now, the rays obviously knew what we were up to, because no sooner did I put my hand under the water than a four foot ray swam up to me, lifted its body out of the water, and came down with its mouth right on top of my hand. With a quick and powerful vacuum slurp, the piece of fish in my hand was transported into the stomach of the ray. This gave me my first chance to feel the velvet soft white underside of these placid animals. We learned we did have to be cautious about where we stepped because although the rays are very calm normally, if we were to accidentally step on their long rat like tails, they would immediately whip them up and sting the backs of our legs, a pain that is supposed to be excruciating. After about ten minutes of swimming with the rays Pam abandoned the camera and tentatively joined us in the water. Pam never quite got to the feeding of the rays, but did muster up the courage to pet them while others fed. While we were feeding the rays a group of black tipped reef sharks were lurking in the deeper water just a few yards away from the dinghy. Apparently the rays manage to keep them away while they are feeding. Once I learned the sharks were harmless to humans I was off in search of my first up close and personal interaction with a shark. I was able to get within a few feet of these serious looking dudes. What a day, whales, sharks and rays at the same time! The experience is up there on my list of most incredible life experiences. After at least an hour of frolicking with sea life we all returned to the dinghy.
Trevor wanted to take us over to walk on the motus and to see the pristine water. Motus are small islands, often making up part of a barrier reef of a larger island. We had two motus in close proximity to the lagoon where we were feeding the rays. We beached the dinghy and all walked ashore and set off on an attempt to circumnavigate the motu. The trip was a little challenging at times, but we had a wonderful walk around the small island. This place was just what I always imagined it to be like if we were marooned on a tropical island, Gilligan and the Skipper would be right at home. We also had an opportunity to take some of the most striking South Pacific pictures thus far.
Our trip back in the dinghy was even faster than our trip in the morning; we were back to Tournesol in a flash. We said goodbye to Trevor and his crew, as they were going to pull up the hook and move on to Huahine. Pam and I decided we would spend the rest of the day exploring land in our new surroundings. We paddled our dinghy to shore, and actually met up with Trevor a final time, as he was also visiting land before his departure. Trevor clued us in on a place to tie our dinghy to a tree, but we opted to roll it ashore with the new dinghy wheels. On shore there was a sunbather who greeted us, we learned her name was Dot from Neliandrah, and she and her husband were soon ending a ten year circumnavigation in Australia (her husband is 76, not sure of her age). Dot gave us the skinny on the area, and we all agreed we should get together on one of our two boats.
Dot gave us directions to the Moorea Sheraton, a hotel we have heard much about, and so we set off down the road in search of the Sheraton and maybe a little lunch. Along the way we had great views of a coconut farm, and the beautiful lagoon. At the Sheraton we walked out to the beach and took a look at their famous over the water bungalows (some with glass floors) and admired the property before settling down for a beachside lunch. Lunch turned out to be less expensive for French Polynesia than I had expected. Although almost everything is exorbitant here, there seems to a smaller difference in price between mediocre food and fine food. Of course I sampled the cheeseburger and Pam had a steak sandwich. After lunch we made our way over to the hotel’s business center for a quick email update, and had to pay $10 for fifteen minutes, ouch!
The rest of the afternoon was spent on Tournesol. We went for a refreshing swim, and enjoyed a clear and lovely evening on the boat.
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