Maamalni - Maamalni - In Port #1 - Bora Bora… The Center of Paradise.

What a beautiful place! A dramatic center island surrounded by an expansive lagoon and coral motu's and reefs. MaaMa visited a number of different anchorages including one on the east side of the island (while trying to find a weather hole to ride out a small storm passing through). Traversing the 'East Channel' was a challenge as there are coral heads lurking at every turn and the Coast Pilot advises that boats with a depth greater than 2.5 meters do not attempt. Well MaaMa is just 2.49 meters
so we went for it? and the comfort of the anchorage during the storm was our reward. The other boats in the fleet complained about rough seas through the night. We on the other hand went to the bar at the St. Regis where we were anchored for the night.

The next day we jumped into the dinghy and motored over to the edge of the reef, which separated this lovely lagoon from the Pacific. The reef itself extends out about 100 feet beyond the motu (or raised reef a.k.a. land) and then drops precipitously off thousands of feet. The Pacific is quiet out there but for the small band 100 to 200 feet out beyond the reef where a massive swell appears magically and then crashes onto the reef. The surf can rise up a good 15 feet and then break and disappear
in an instant. Watching the rhythm of the waves is almost magical and then you realize how awesome the protection of the reef really is. Heading back to the boat we spotted stingrays circling us in the 3 feet of water below but we think that they were just curious about what entered their little cove and with the water so clear you could see anything coming.

I did have an opportunity to go scuba diving with a local operator. We began with a dive in the north side of the island outside the barrier reef just beyond the airport motu. The local authorities have place moorings in the popular locations so to minimize damage to the coral reef? and these usually can accommodate about 10 dive boats or even boats the size of MaaMa at the same. The reef is massive and fascinating. While I have gone diving in many exotic locations, the extent and diversity of
this coral was amazing? and was solid! Unlike many places in the world where there are coral 'heads', the reef is nearly continuous. The first location was inhabited with about a dozen black-tip sharks. The dive master secretly held some food in his clenched hand so as to attract the fish in the area. When the fish swarmed, the sharks would follow, but as they were only 30 to 40 inches in length they weren't menacing to the divers. Its was quite thrilling.

At the second site, larger lemon and gray sharks prevail (5 to 6 feet in length). When looking directly into the eyes of a lemon shark their mouth is shaped in such a way to seem as though they are smiling at you with a crude set of sharp teeth protruding from their mouth. The dive master explained that these were not attacking sharks but just don't do anything stupid like go after one of them. One of the other divers from the Rally boat Graptolite happened to be taking some video. He says that
has film of one of the larger sharks streaming after my fins in curiosity. Hhhmmm, glad they don't like to bite cause I really didn't want to be lunch. Speaking of lunch, there were wonderfully colored lobster, shrimps, crabs and every assortment of fish, but the authorities frown upon divers depleting their cash cow, beside with the invasion of the dreaded ciguateria disease that infects the reefs. Only the locals know which fish can be eaten so we will stick to our "Fish of Opportunity" caught
off the back end of MaaMa when at sea.