You actually get sorta used to seeing this.

Hard to add to Ann’s post of yesterday, but I’ll try. We went snorkeling in the pass through the reef again today. So beautiful and so much fun. Basically you motor in the dinghy out the pass into the ocean at slack tide and jump in the water. Slack water doesn’t last very long and very soon the flood tide starts to pull you gently into the atoll’s lagoon. I say gently, it only does this for about an hour before it becomes a torrent and you have to be either very close to shore or out of the water completely or you’ll get swept somewhere inside the lagoon. Actually even that is no big deal since you just get in the dinghy, start the engine and go back to your boat. You only do this on a flood tide. On the ebb, or outgoing tide you’ll get swept out to sea never to be seen from again. This is right on the ocean. 100 yards or so off the entrance it’s 4000 feet deep.

Anyway, as we came in we saw great assortments of tropical fish. It’s like looking at an aquarium except you are part of it. We also saw a big barracuda and of course the sharks that are curious and come over to say “hello”. Ho, hum, just another day.

I guess not all the sharks are friendly. We’ve learned the three signs of aggression. They arch their back, lower their pectoral fins and “rush” you. If a big one does that, it’s time to get out.

As if to punctuate that these sharks are far from tame, the Spaniards in the boat anchored next to us paddled by on their kayak and we asked them why they didn’t join us for pizza last night at the Pensione. They told us their dinghy got bit by a shark, and one side lost all it’s air so they couldn’t make it in. After they continued on their way, we were scoffing at the story saying they probably ran over some coral. On our way back to our boat we stopped by theirs. They were working on the dinghy and we asked to see the “shark bite”. They lifted it up and sure enough, there was a hole about 10 inches across with serrated edges. This was no coral scrape. Soooo….we don’t get to lackadaisical about swimming with these guys. It’s fun and exciting, but we keep a healthy respect for what they can do and stay out of deep and/or murky water where you can’t see what they are up to.

We’re staying here a couple more days, then probably on to Tahiti. There’s a “reunion” of many of the boats that set sail from the US a couple months ago. Probably about 20-25 boats will show up and there’s a couple days of fun-Tahitian music, dancing, feasts and everyone sails over to Moorea for a final day or so of Tahitian games including an outrigger canoe race. The three day party is sponsored by Tahitian tourism and Lattitude 38, so you’ll see a story and photos in the magazine later this summer. Orcinius is leaving tomorrow morning for the north pass of Fakarava. It’s a ten mile or so trip inside the atoll. Fairly well marked but with occasional coral so you have to keep a watch. So, tonight we’re cooking some steaks we’ve had frozen and they’re bringing some baked potatoes of some sort. Ann’s making rum balls for dessert.

Tomorrow we’re doing one last pass dive but this time it will be with tanks! There’s a little dive shop on the edge of the reef (literally, it’s on stilts over the water) that will do a “resort dive” where they give you a quick lesson on the key things you need to know and then you do a half hour 20 foot dive and drift along watching the coral, fish and sharks. They have a small boat that picks you up after you drift a half mile or so. With us in the water will be a Master Diver. He’s our instructor and safety diver. Just us and him. Should be fun!