Bora is definitely not Bora-ing

Bora Bora Day 1

I woke to partly cloudy skies this morning. I hoped it would clear. I was scheduled for Patrick’s ¾ Day Tour. Our Cruise Critic group stuck together and we were all assigned to the same boat. I’ve shared tours now with Brian and Mary, Phyllis and Tony, Steph and Kel and Nerissa.

We headed out to our first stop—snorkeling with Sting Rays and Sharks. The weather cleared a bit as we made our way to ‘the spot’. The color of the water is just as amazing as you’ve seen in other pictures. There was still quite a bit of chop. After having my feet destroyed by my new water shoes from Land’s End, I was wearing my flip flops. We entered the water – it was only about 3 feet deep. No coral to speak of. Well no live coral anyway.

As soon as the Ray and Sharks heard the boats approaching, they started heading towards us. Our driver, who told us Patrick is his uncle, got into the water in what looked like a thong. I don’t know if that is called a breechclout but I know I’ve never seen one on a man before. It definitely showed off his tribal tattoos.

He began throwing fish into the water and we were immediately surrounded by rays, black tip sharks and tons of little fish. Our guide picked up one of the large rays and began kissing it as he held it. I’ve touched them before but I still ran my hands over their skin. It’s soft and feels a bit like wet velvet.

I think I’ve finally gotten used to the idea of swimming with these reef sharks but I will NEVER get used to those nasty eels you encounter once in a while. They are very snake-like but I never realized how thick they are. Blech.

I have to tell you—I am living proof that sharks are not attracted to blood. We got back into the boat and we were chatting waiting for our guide to bring up the anchor etc…As he walked back to start the engine, he says “Who is bleeding?” We all look down, and I am not exaggerating when I say the floor of the boat, my flip flop and my toe were covered in blood. The cut was on my little toe and I remember hitting it against a piece of dead coral but it really didn’t hurt much. DIRECT pressure needed to be applied for quite a bit to get the bleeding to stop.

That water:

The sun was in and out as we moved onto our second stop—The Coral Garden. It was about 12-15 feet deep here and the water was very choppy. I asked our guide if it was OK for me to get into the water with my foot.  He said yes. That it’s not true what they say about blood attracting sharks. That there has to be 2 elements the shark can sense—1. Blood 2. Increased heart rate. I have no idea if that is true, but there were no sharks anywhere near us at the Coral Garden.

The coral at this stop was alive and well and gorgeous. So colorful. And the fish were very plentiful. I got some very nice pictures of them. We were here about an hour. When I got back into the boat, I could see the damage to my little toe much better as the water had washed it clean. I pretty much sliced a good chunk of it. It’s rather nasty looking. 

(My poor feet are being battered this trip. I believe I am going to have to find new water shoes and I think the cheapie ones are the best.)

I love these fish:

Then we were off again and had a lovely tour of the other side of the island, where all the hotels are located. Patrick’s family’s motu is just beyond them. The sun was shining brilliantly at this point. We pulled up to the motu and made our way sloshing through the water to reach land.

Patrick’s associates had prepared a wonderful meal for us. There was a bit of ceremony as he uncovered the food that had been roasting underneath the ground for hours. A suckling pig, bread fruit, chicken and spinach, taro and plantains. They were also grilling fresh fish—Tuna and Wahoo. In addition to that there were a few other dishes like Poisson Cru and tiny bananas. All the food was served on woven palm frond plates, covered with a single large leaf of some plant and you ate with your fingers, on a table in the water. The sun felt wonderful and was out in full force by then. Beer, wine, champagne and soda were also available. You could have seconds or even thirds of everything. There was plenty of food and drink.

A Bora Bora selfie taken on Patrick's motu:

Patrick, who is not a young man, but a very fit man, clad only in his ‘thong’ gathered us again and performed an authentic Polynesian fire dance with a fire baton. I was impressed. Although, I was talking to his daughter--Vitiare, who I believe is in her late teens, and she was complaining that she is tired of seeing her father’s naked backside!! She is embarrassed and her friends sometimes tease her about it. And she said, he is getting old and keeps doing the dance because he loves all the applause he gets. He does seem like man that LOVES attention and he is quite a showman.

We got to frolic in the shallow water for a bit and then we boarded our boats once again for a trip back around the island and back to our ship.

I enjoyed the excursion very much. While the snorkeling was good, it doesn’t compare to the snorkeling we did yesterday in Ta’aha. I think second place! The water is another matter. It’s the most beautiful water I’ve ever seen.

We are in port overnight. I did go back to shore after I dropped off all my stuff and walked 10 minutes to the right of the port. I found nothing. Maybe tomorrow I will walk 10 minutes left and see what I can find. I would love to find a supermarket—just to look around.

The internet is very bad here. I believe I have free internet at the hotel. If so, I will add lots more pictures, more Bora Bora and the Quad thingy I am riding in Moorea tomorrow!!!  TTFN

A bit of Food Porn