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American Spirit II - Day 99; Sail Magazine Video, Day Trip Across the Lagoon, Swimming with Sharks (Again) and 'Visiting' the Aquarium; Saturday, April 12, 2014



Joel's wife, Darlene, sent Joel a link from Sail Magazine Video of Nexus, us and II Audeacious going thru the Panama Canal locks at the end of January. The reporter spent 2 or 3 days (at least?) on Nexus, a large 58 foot catamaran, but his video footage captured American Spirit II and II Audeacious, also. On American Spirit II Paul Fox seems to have had the most footage taken of him, since he spent more time on the foredeck during 'locking.' When we went thru the Panama Canal locks, all three boats were rafted (tied) together, with Nexus providing the primary propulsion and steerage in positioning our boats in the locks.

Up 6:45 AM. Stephen already up. At 7:10 AM I dinghied over to the concrete wharf, tied up and walked to a small grocery store. The wharf was a 15 minute dingy ride away. Why so early? Because the limited number of grocery stores on this atoll start selling their French bread at 7:00 AM; and we didn't want to go hunting for bread later only to find out that it'd already been sold. While in then store, I also bought 3 French breakfast pastries. It'd been about a week since we had real bread. The bread and rolls cost 708 francs, about $9.00.


At 9:08 AM Joel and I were picked up by a motor boat for an all day snorkeling tour. Stephen elected to stay in the anchorage, checking out the dive shop and snorkeling at 'The Aquarium' with Brian and Lauren from Ko Ko. Folie a Deux crew were already on board when we got on. We then proceed to II Audeacious, where Tommy and Marianne joined us. Marianne had arranged the tour, getting the tour outfit's name from a Tahiti travel guide. The eight of us then took off across the lagoon for a 30 kilometer (20 miles), very fast and bumpy ride. Along the way we saw one large shark fin swimming thru the water at 9:40 AM. At 9:58 AM we arrived on the other side of the large lagoon, where we were dropped off by the boat with a guide, and spent the next couple of hours snorkeling and hiking the motus we were at. Since the current was flowing into the lagoon, we either had to swim against a 1 to 2 knot current, or put our sandals on and walk a quarter mile up current, then hop in the water and drift snorkel down to where our bags were. The snorkeling was in water crystal clear and only 5 feet deep at most. Though most people would have considered this a fantastic drift snorkel excursion, since we had drift snorkeled Ahe pass two days before, we were already spoiled with the view and fish that we'd seen. Once done snorkeling, Joel had wandered off to the windward side of the motus and discovered a wall of elevated coral that was otherworldly in appearance. We all ended up walking to this area, where with great care and caution we either waded out amongst these giant coral formations to get a better view of the waves breaking on the lagoon outer reef; or climbed thru and over the coral to get where we could see the outer reef. The coral outcropping's were so sharp that to fall onto a vertical spire would have been medically a serious matter, requiring many stitches and perhaps a medical evacuation once we got back to the anchorage. Joel's exploring and finding this great location enhanced the trip by 50%.

Once our guide decided that our snorkeling and viewing of the windward side of the lagoon was over, we picked up our bags for a long trek thru and across multiple channels and motus's to an island where Leon, our boat driver/excursion owner was waiting with lunch prepared. This trek was thru water up to chest high and with current flowing at up to 3 knots. Due to the rocks and coral, you had to wear your sandals or rubber snorkeling shoes. Walking thru a mile of water with adverse current was equivalent to walking 3 miles on land. And yes, the sun was intense. Surprisingly, we saw no shark fins in this water borne trek.

Leon was cooking and preparing lunch, which consisted of Mahi Mahi, grilled chicken, fried rice, coconut bread and some sort of sweet coconut topped dessert. Accompanying this feast was ample water and Tahitian Hinano beer. Marianne had brought some cheese and bread from II Audeacious to share. Leon cooked the meal in a cook house that has been owned by his family for generations. Also nearby were elevated cottages that could be rented. The lunch feast itself was set up on a large picnic table that seated all 8 of us comfortably.

However, let me regress. As we walked up to the lunch area, we noticed 20, 3 to 5 foot black tipped sharks swimming in 18 inches to 24 inches of water at the shore by our picnic table. Multiple black tipped shark fins were sticking out of the water. Immediately, I grabbed my Go Pro camera and entered the water. Brian from Follie a Deux joined me with his camera. As we pulled ourselves along the shallow water, the sharks swam back and forth in front of us, and behind us. Since they were so small, we didn't have any apprehensions about doing this.

After our 'shark swim,' we all ate the lunch that I described above. When we were told before the tour that lunch would be provide, we had no idea that it would be a memorable feast. I thought it would be a 'box lunch' of satisfactory but not exceptional value. We were wrong.

After lunch Leon conducted a basket weaving class, whereby Lucy, Tracy and Marianne all made wicker baskets from scratch.

After this, Leon threw the meal's scraps into the water where the black tipped sharks were. There were now at least 3 dozen sharks in the water. The sharks went absolutely nuts feeding on the scraps. Once all the scraps were done, Brian and I got back in the water for one final 'shark swim.' Now we knew why the sharks were there. Because they had gotten used to Leon dumping the meal scraps there on a regular basis, and they came there every day waiting for their meal of fish, chicken and rice. Because the water was so shallow, the size of the sharks was limited to no more than 5 feet in length.

Why are black tipped sharks called 'black tipped sharks?' Because their dorsal fin and all other fins or appendages and their tail all have tips that are black. There are 9 black tips on these sharks. Similarly, another species of shark that we've seen, are called 'white tipped sharks,' because their dorsal fin and other appendages have white tips. Both of these type of sharks are sand colored or light tan colored.

As we headed back across the lagoon, Leon drove the boat at about 30 miles per hour. It was a rough ride. We really needed straps or seat belts to stay put. The seating arrangement on the boat was different in that there was a long bench the length of most of the boat, so that 4 of us sat on each side facing out, not forward or backward. As on the way to our snorkel site, another large shark fin was spotted above the water.

Before returning to our anchorage, we motored out the pass that we had entered a couple days before. It was turbulent with an incoming tide. Like running rapids. Three or four dive shop boats or dinghies were just past a line of breakers doing snorkel or tank dives with the current into the lagoon. We then proceed to a motus just inside of the pass. This motus had two concrete range markers on it that we had used in lining up our entrance into the lagoon. Tying up to a mooring buoy there, we then got back in the water for a last snorkel. The area is called 'The Aquarium.' I didn't know why until I got into the water. I was immediately surrounded by hundreds of fish, so close that they were touching my body. Apparently one of our guides had thrown in some food for the fish so they all swam around us like frenzied piranhas. It was interesting in that there were a dozen different types of fish, all in the same school, swimming together, all trying to get some food. Some would even jump out of the water as they propelled themselves upward to get the food.

While on the snorkel we saw two moray eels. One was gigantic. About 8 to 10 inches wide. Not sure how long it was because I only saw 3 or 4 feet of his body. The other moray eel we saw was much smaller. Both of these eels were only in about 12 feet of water.

I saw one other type of fish that I had never seen before. It was black in color, and had a tail fin arrangement that was dissimilar to anything I've seen before. And the snout of the fish was quite different also. Its mouth was actually on the lower part of its snout, protruding outward. I'll have to get a local 'fish card' to see what type of fish that is. I saw 4 of them.

Once back in the boat we were driven a short distance to our respective boats. Before leaving we paid our fee of 7,500 francs, or about $93.00. As is customary in French Polynesia, there is no tipping. It is frowned upon. The French here believe that it creates too much mental turmoil, so tipping is taboo. It was now 4:00 PM.

Stephen was already back on the boat, after having snorkeled at 'The Aquarium' earlier. He said when he was there that he'd seen a black tipped shark.

Dinner at 7:00 PM consisted one Sweet and Sour Pork. Only one freeze dried because Joel and I had had a large meal for lunch. Plus French bread and chilled pear halves.

For entertainment tonight we watched an awful BBC production called To the Ends of the Earth. A movie about an 1800's sailing vessel transitting from England to Australia.

Lights out at 9:30 PM for Joel and Stephen. I stayed up a half hour more cutting up two large grapefruit for breakfast.

Brian Fox

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