16:26.682 S
148:57.224 W
4/7/08 09:15
We left the anchorage at
7:45 with the bright idea to cross
the atoll to the Northern
Pass. The sun was behind us when we left and
too low to really see the reefs, so
Steve set up camp on the first spreader for the first hour and was relieved by
Lucy and then by Demetri. It turns
out there are dozens and dozens of reefs here and it’s a bit dodgy so we travel
slowly. The Frenchman on Banana Split had said the passage was ok but of course
he was in a Catamaran which draws much less than we do. Were doing this on a falling
tide. The tidal range here is about
40cm so those coral heads which are just above the water would be just below the
water at high tide. You can be in 35 meters of water and only 10 meters away
from a coral head on the surface.
12:00
We arrive at midday just after
low water. We are rewarded with one of the most beautiful anchorages we’ve seen
so far.
We will spend the afternoon swimming and
leave about 18:00 at high water just before
dark.
The young people
go with the dinghy to explore the beach.
Steve has a rest and I go for a long snorkel to inspect the anchor and
the reef which is absolutely full of fish and interesting coral. Shortly after I return Steve goes off
for a snorkel but returns almost immediately complaining that there is
a large grey shark hanging about the anchor chain.