There is always a few ports that stick with you, and of all the beautiful places I’ve been – Moorea ranks near the top. This place is incredible, the water is so clear that you can’t actually tell how deep it is because you can see straight to the bottom no matter where. And it’s the most incredible shade of blue; something even beyond blue, it’s a colour that you can’t seem to replicate on any artist’s palate.
I keep falling into the same trap with this port, I never go ashore intending to do anything, I always go ashore intending to just wander, window shop and then head back. And yet, for the second year in a row, I found myself on a catamaran cutting across that crystal blue water, past the ruins of what was once Club Med, past the hotels that are truly way too expensive to consider, to the same beach we found ourselves on last season – where sting rays swim right up to you and beg to be fed like puppies, and the water is just warm enough to be comfortable.
Before we all settled down to chips, local beer, fresh coconut and the most mouthwatering fresh pineapple you’ve ever tasted – we had something else to do first.
Hey guys!? Aren’t you gonna come see the sharks?
Last time I did the swim with the sharks outing we went out on a catamaran, a big one, this time there were fewer of us – though it was still all crew (save for one pax, who is our age, and therefore has been sort of granted honorary status) – we went out on an outrigger canoe instead. SO awesome! Especially since I wasn’t going in the water this season, but being on an outrigger? I just sat there on the side with my feet dangling in the water, watching all these black fin sharks swim around and the sting-rays glide under the boat.
I got some really amazing pictures.
Since this is the tropics it does occasionally rain, but the rain here is warm, the kind you want to spin around in. Which I did, unashamedly (er…after I got back to the beach that is). And we its super warm out, so we dried quickly, especially since we were heading back to the ship. Oh, and since they didn’t want us leaving the bottles on the beach, they let us take the beer back with us on the outrigger.
Yeah…this? This was one of those good days…