We finally made it to Bora Bora, often referred as the most beautiful island in the world. It is gorgeous, twin peaks, turquoise water. We did a dinghy ride all around the islands, diving and snorkeling with lemon sharks and Manta rays – Bora has the biggest Manta ray I have ever seen. Good times, although the frequent boat and jetski traffic buzzing right next to Gray Matter is a bit annoying.
Just a brief video of our pass dive at Fakarava a few weeks ago — you literally swim through hunders of sharks…
After a quick check-in and check-out at Tahiti, we waved farewell to the windward islands (Tahiti and Moorea). Our overnight trip to the leeward islands was uneventful – light wind and calm sea. We arrived Huahine on Sat Jun 15.
Another south pacific paradise.
Continue reading
We arrived in Cook’s Bay, Moorea Thursday morning after an all night crossing from Toau in the Tuamotos. The Tuamotu Islands are remote, unspoiled with fantastic diving, but we felt after 5 weeks we were ready to see what many people call the most beautiful islands in the world. We’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.
Finally having enough band width to upload video – back to civilization at Cook’s bay, Moorea – will update soon.
The title of this post comes from one of our favorite songs by Sara Bareilles. This week we crossed 5 months since leaving San Francisco Bay and we reflected on the many places we’ve been and the unique people we’ve met. Three months in the Sea of Cortez with it’s rugged beauty, desert landscapes and the sense it’s always been this way. Crossing to the mountainous Marquesas Islands and our first taste of Polynesia. Now 3 weeks in the Tuamotu Archipelago with beautiful lagoons and incredible diving.
However we continue to be amazed at the people we meet on other boats. With each new introduction, we feel like “beginners.” The Australian couple we shared the pier with in Makemo our first night. 33-foot sailboat from Australia’s west coast, they traveled first to Hong Kong, then onto Japan, across to Alaska, down to Panama, a couple of years in the Caribbean and now 9 years later on their way back to Australia. The anchorage we shared with the Selene 53 Mystic Moon, 7 years since leaving the Bay Area, 2 years in the Northwest and Alaska, 2 years in Mexico, 3 years in the Caribbean now on their way to New Zealand. Their plans? Keep going till we’re tired. Tonight we share an anchorage with a 26-foot sailboat from Sweden.
It goes without saying these people have seen the world and want to keep seeing it; and we’ve just begun.
For us non-geologists, this motu phenomenon is really something to behold. In layman’s terms, when the island sank and left the tropical reef surrounding the lagoon, certain pieces of the remaining coral managed to grow some palm trees (wikipedia has a much more better description). Given the weather at Makemo we decided to run across the lagoon and anchor directly in the lee of a small motu. Imagine sitting behind this little tiny island in calm waters watching the surf break outside the reef and lagoon – not a boat or person in sight.
We finally ventured out side of Makemo and made a trip to Raroia. As mentioned in the last post, we have become good friends with a french couple working here in Makemo, and they proposed a weekend dive trip and exploration to Raroia. We laughed a little to ourselves, as we have not planned around “a weekend” in more than 5 months, so for all those folks with Monday to Friday jobs, we have renewed empathy.
The tides were perfect for leaving Makemo Friday night, and we ran all night at slow speed to cover the 70 miles to Raroia arriving at slack tide and sunrise (5:30am). We took a quick nap and then launched the dinghy for some exploration in the village. It was curious to learn that while Makemo has 600 people and can support a doctor and nurse, Raroia has only 200 people and just has a nurses aid for medical help. As in Europe, healthcare here is provided by the government at no charge.
Entering Raroia at sunrise
Tuamotu is heaven for divers. Colorful corals, numerous fish, unlimited visibility packaged with upper 80F water. Enjoy!
We posted more than a week ago that Makemo was the definition of paradise, after more than a week here (our longest stay of the trip) we can say it has been an amazing experience. When we met the French couple living on the island who sailboat we moored next to, we had no idea we would spend our days diving and exploring with the benefit of local knowledge. We anchored Gray Matter in their front yard, and they were kind of enough to share a few pictures (we are always ready for more boat porn).
View of Gray Matter from our friends’ front yard. 
