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Today’s Pictures (Day 11, October 28, 2003)

Editor’s Note: With it being yet another new year, I thought it was about time I got back to finishing these entries. Only two more days to go…

It was time to move on to the next island on this morning. We rose with the sun and quickly finished packing up the room. After a small breakfast, we climbed back on the hotel’s water shuttle to the airport and smiled on the island paradise of Bora Bora once last time.

We departed for our next stop on the trip, Rangiroa. Rangiroa is very different in geography from Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora Bora. The later three belong to the Society Islands. Rangiroa is a member of the Tuamotu Archipelago. And unlike it Society Island cousins, it is an atoll. Since the island is on top of the reef, it is flat – incredibly flat. Kansas in the South Pacific flat….

We arrived on Rangiroa in the early afternoon. The flight into the Tuamotus was amazing. Seeing the atolls scattered in a huge group among the vast Pacific Ocean was a wondrous thing. One of these days, I’ll have to dump the video I took from the flight to a digital movie format and post them on the site. It is something everyone should see.

As soon as we stepped off the plane, it was apparent that we’d entered an even more remote part of the world than the Society Islands. It also seemed much hotter than any of the other islands we’d visited. We’d learn while we stayed there our initial impression was correct. We spent more time in the pool on Rangiroa than any other island. It was an infinity pool and the perfect cure for the flesh-searing, intense sun.

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Today’s Pictures (Day 10, October 27, 2003)

If day 9 in Paradise was my day to explore the water around the island, day 10 was our day to explore Bora Bora itself. Shortly after breakfast, we met the guide from Tupuna Mountain Safari in the hotel lobby. As seemed to always be the case with the locals, he was in great mood and seemed excited for another chance to talk about his beautiful island. It must be hard to find a reason to frown when living someplace as gorgeous as Bora Bora.

Only one other couple sat in the Land Rover with us that day. They were an older couple from Germany. We learned that they were going to be in the South Pacific for a while longer and were just getting their trip started. Most of our stops on this island tour were at sites built by the Seabees during World War II. Our tour guide explained although there was never any active combat here, it served as an important refueling station and favorite port for servicemen located in the area during the 40′s.

Learn more about the Seabees:
• The First Seabees
• The Amazing Seabees of WW2
• Seabee History: Formation of the Seabees and World War II

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Today’s Pictures (Day 9, October 26, 2003)

After five months without a single French Polynesia post, I figured it was about time that I get back on top of it. I’ve only got a few more days to go, so maybe by the end of the year…

Dive Log for Day 9:

1st Dive Info:

Location: Tapu, Bora Bora

Time In: 9:41a – 3000 psi Time Out: 10:30a 750 psi

Max Depth: 84 ft Bottom Time: 49 minutes (3 minute safety stop)

Temps – Air: 80 F Surface: 80F Bottom: 79F

Visibility: 40 ft

2nd Dive Info:

Location: Muri Muri, Bora Bora

Time In: 2:36p – 3000 psi Time Out: 3:21p 750 psi

Max Depth: 97 ft Bottom Time: 45 minutes (3 minutes safety stop)

Temps – Air: 81 F Surface: 80F Bottom: 78F

Visibility: 45 ft

This day was the kind of day that swims around diver’s dreams. Mao is the Tahitian word for shark. It would turn out to be today’s theme.

The driver for Bora Dive picked me up at the hotel at 8:30 in the morning. Michel Condesse, one of the owners of the shop, was driving the van this morning. We stopped at a couple of other hotels and condos to pick up other divers before arriving at their shack on the beach. As is typical with the dive operators in French Polynesia, the smallest of their boats is probably worth 10 times their building.

In typical island style, we took our time in loading the equipment and heading out from the dive shop. We needed to compare stories, comment on each other’s equipment, and get a bit more acquainted. Most of the divers were fascinated with my computer since it uses PSI and Feet instead of Bar and Meters. It also acted as a conversation starter. After getting thoroughly prepared, the boat began to cut across the lagoon. After a one more hotel stop, we made our way to Tapu.

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