Oct 4 – Bora Bora

What a splendid day, absolutely splendid. We went on what was called a a lagoon tour, but it was much more than just that.

The ship sailed into the Bora Bora harbor about 7 am. The volcano was shrouded in fog and there were patches of rain all around. It didn't look like a promising start to a day of snorkeling and beach activity.

We tendered to shore and found Patrick, the tour boat operator. Patrick is a Polynesian – Tattoos from waist to knees, wearing a loin cloth and a “tapa” sarong. In the photos, Patrick is the one in blue. Our boat captain was Tua Tua(sp?). He is the one in red.

We set out to a fairly shallow spot on the reef for snorkeling. It was like Cozumel in the old days – fish everywhere. Really great. The weather improved and then we went to the stingray town. It is always fun to play with the stingrays. If you look closely at the picture of Libby and Tua Tua in the water, you can see the sting rays all around.

Then we went off to swim with the sharks. Open water, no cage. Real sharks: black tip reef sharks and lemon sharks. At one time I had 17 black tips and 5 lemons in view in front of me. I don't know how many more were behind me or off to the sides. They were not the least bit aggressive. One came up to me and we looked at each other for a while. When two black tips and a big lemon shark got a bit too interested in Libby, she decided it was time to get out of the water. Altogether it was a fascinating and unexpected experience.

Next was a boat ride down the lagoon to a beach area where they had been cooking lunch for us. They had barbequed a pig in the ground wrapped up in banana leaves and burlap. They had grilled lobsters, grilled chicken, baked Mahi Mahi, fresh tuna, breadfruit, manioc, pineapple, taro, red banana pudding, and coconut. Also beer, wine, champagne, and soft drinks. It was a fine feast on a sunny beach on Bora Bora. It does not get any better than that.

At the end of the day we were exhausted and very well satisfied. If you are going to Bora Bora, try to go on a lagoon tour with Patrick. It is a marvelous experience.

Bora Bora itself is not as overwhelming as expected. I like it a lot, but I see in it elements of St. Lucia, St. John, Cozumel and Roatan, all of which are a lot closer and a lot cheaper to get to. But Patrick is only on Bora Bora.