Fai Tira Blog Friday 8th May

Fai Tira in the Archipel des Touamotu,  Tahanea 16:51.04S 144:41.50W

Well it is hard to describe how beautiful the anchorage was at Tahanea.  As John said in the last Blog we had to move to a more peaceful location protected from the swell by the reef.  We slowly negotiated our way between the coral heads to enable us to drop our anchor in a depth of four metres, precisely into a patch of sand, trying not to damage any of the wonderful coral structures beneath Fai Tira.  Fai Tira just blended into the aquatic blue that her hull colour is painted.  The water was so clear we could see the fish swimming about on the bottom.  We quickly got the boat sorted and us ready for snorkelling.  As soon as we entered  the water we saw a wondrous underwater world.  I have never swam in an aquarium before, but this is what it what I imagine it must feel like the visibility being so clear.  After only a couple of minutes a large Black Tipped Shark swam underneath me, and then another and another, Wow. I headed into the shallower depths to be confronted by a three foot conger eel who swam straight towards me bared its teeth and then swam into a hole in the coral.  The shallower depths saw smaller White Tipped Sharks swimming about us. I have loads of photos and video of the sharks and other amazing fish and will post them when we get to WiFi.  We got back to the boat overwhelmed at this incredible place we had found ourselves in.  That evening we sat on Fai Tira drinking sundowners listening to the sounds of a deserted atoll, marvellous.

The next morning arrived bright and sunny and still a perfect place to anchor the boat was not even moving.  We decided to have a chill out day just lazing around reading; listening to music and watching the Sharks swim by but the water was just to inviting and we all made a couple of excursions into the crystal clear warm water.  We all commented on the fact that we didn’t ever think we would have the nerve to jump in the sea with four to five foot sharks swimming just feet away from you.  Are we MAD!!!  Not in the least.  I only felt threatened once, when all three of the BIG ones came to take a closer look.  I pointed my camera at them and they glided away, such sleek wonderful creatures.  

The next morning saw us exploring the Atoll on foot.  We strolled along the seaward side of the Atoll inspecting all the Flotsam and Jetsam that had washed up on the beach.  I was quite surprised that we only found three flip flops, but there were still lots of plastic bottles and the like.   We were followed along the beach by three beautiful white birds that were so inquisitive of us they flew along just above our heads.  I think they were a species of Turn. Also on this Atoll is the rare Touamutu Sand Piper with less than only one hundred in existence.  We think we may have spotted a pair.  Does that make us Twitchers?  We returned to the tender via the inside beach of the Atoll.  What a contrast, no rubbish of any kind and the astounding turquoise sea with Fai Tira still doing its upmost to blending in.  I think it’s time for another snorkel.  The evening saw us on the beach for Sundowners, we lit a big fire made up of drift wood and we drank crap boxed wine, whilst eating nibbles. We did all this while we watched the sun disappear in a blaze of glory over the horizon. I can’t describe what a magical setting this place is.  Wait for the photos.

We needed to move on ever westward on Friday, so after yet another snorkel and a scuba dive by me with yet more encounters with our pet sharks we upped anchor at eleven o clock and headed out of the pass heading for Tahiti some three hundred miles away. We were all so sad to leave our private piece of paradise.

As I write this we are halfway towards our destination of Papeete on Tihiti. So bye for now.

Bye for now Pete, John and David.