We arrived in Raiatea ready for our next French Polynesian adventure. This was the first port other than Papeete where our ship docked at a pier versus having to take small tender boats to shore. Once again, we had a pre-arranged an independent tour for our group of 17. Two boats were ready for us when we got off the ship. They took us on a nice boat ride along the coast of Raiatea over to one of the surrounding motus (small islands on the perimeter of the atoll). From this area we had a great view of Bora Bora where you could see Mount Otemanu rising tall from the center of the island. We were to visit Bora Bora the next day, one of our favorite places in the world to snorkel.
Our guides took us to a single snorkeling spot that they called the “aquarium”. There seem to be a lot of aquariums in the French Polynesian islands, but it really is an apt description of these snorkeling areas. It is absolutely like you are swimming in a fishbowl with fish swimming all around you in crystal clear water. The boat drove up to the motu as close as it could get in the shallow water and then we waded to shore in knee deep water. We walked a short way on land to the spot where our snorkeling trip was to begin. This snorkeling area was unique because there was a narrow gap between two coral walls where you could snorkel between and watch all the sea life on the coral walls on each side of you. There was a constant current helping to push you along as you observed all the colorful fish and coral. It only took 45 minutes or so to snorkel down this narrow channel between the corals, but our group took their time in amazement at everything they were seeing. We were supposed to take two passes down this channel, but we took an extra hour at the end of the channel just observing the schools of fish and pretty coral.
Sharon had bought a special underwater dive case for her iPhone before we came on this trip. We had used plastic waterproof pouches in the past, but they tended not to allow you to actuate the buttons on your phone when you were underwater. Sharon’s case was much more substantially built and had a membrane type surface over the phone display that allowed the key presses to work. Although she had used it a few times on our previous port stops on this trip, this snorkeling trip was its first true test and it worked great. She was able to get much better pictures of the fish and coral than anyone else in our group except maybe the people who had GoPros. We had given our GoPro to our daughter-in-law Kat who was with us. She has not sent us her pictures yet, but we are sure she got some great pictures also. Several people in our group plan to buy this same underwater dive case when they get back home.
It was another great snorkeling trip and a nice boat ride back to the ship. When back on shore we had time to do a little shopping at some of the local shops in the port area. They were cute shops with thatched roofs. We also went to the pharmacy and food store there to get a few supplies before getting back on ship to go to our next destination.
Sharon and Greg
Our guides took us to a single snorkeling spot that they called the “aquarium”. There seem to be a lot of aquariums in the French Polynesian islands, but it really is an apt description of these snorkeling areas. It is absolutely like you are swimming in a fishbowl with fish swimming all around you in crystal clear water. The boat drove up to the motu as close as it could get in the shallow water and then we waded to shore in knee deep water. We walked a short way on land to the spot where our snorkeling trip was to begin. This snorkeling area was unique because there was a narrow gap between two coral walls where you could snorkel between and watch all the sea life on the coral walls on each side of you. There was a constant current helping to push you along as you observed all the colorful fish and coral. It only took 45 minutes or so to snorkel down this narrow channel between the corals, but our group took their time in amazement at everything they were seeing. We were supposed to take two passes down this channel, but we took an extra hour at the end of the channel just observing the schools of fish and pretty coral.
Sharon had bought a special underwater dive case for her iPhone before we came on this trip. We had used plastic waterproof pouches in the past, but they tended not to allow you to actuate the buttons on your phone when you were underwater. Sharon’s case was much more substantially built and had a membrane type surface over the phone display that allowed the key presses to work. Although she had used it a few times on our previous port stops on this trip, this snorkeling trip was its first true test and it worked great. She was able to get much better pictures of the fish and coral than anyone else in our group except maybe the people who had GoPros. We had given our GoPro to our daughter-in-law Kat who was with us. She has not sent us her pictures yet, but we are sure she got some great pictures also. Several people in our group plan to buy this same underwater dive case when they get back home.
It was another great snorkeling trip and a nice boat ride back to the ship. When back on shore we had time to do a little shopping at some of the local shops in the port area. They were cute shops with thatched roofs. We also went to the pharmacy and food store there to get a few supplies before getting back on ship to go to our next destination.
Sharon and Greg
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