Moorea Day 6 (4 April 2018)

When you first hear about a natural aquarium, where you can swim with the fish while snorkeling, it seems like something you want to do. But I’m telling you, YOU WANT TO HAVE THIS EXPERIENCE!

When we first arrived at this hut structure with a parking lot, I was t sure what we were in for...especially since the worker told us we will just walk into the water when the boat arrives and climb into the boat. It didn’t seem like it was going to be SO AMAZING, but we were pleasantly surprised. The worker told us the last boat is at 16h00. So, I asked if it was 16h00 on the nose, to which she responded yes, or 16h15 or 16h30, whatever we would like. It explains some things about how this culture values time. It seems that people are more important than time.  😊

When the boat arrived, we walked down into the water. I asked the worker if we just sling our leg over and hop in, and he said yes!  So, after we docked, he explained that there are two small islands, one was a private island, and the other, was the one where we were staying. 

It seemed like it was a giant rock/coral that had been there for a long time. They built these cute huts to protect you from the sun, and to hold your personal belongings. We got the grand tour, which lasted a few minutes. We learned that all of the water, tea, and hot chocolate we could drink, but we had to wash our own cups and spoons. Here’s where we got the beverages. This place is the life!

After loading up on the sun screen, we went down a small ladder, and straight into snorkeling!  The current was a little strong, since we were so much closer to the reef. So, we eventually got smart enough to use the cord with bouys attached to help navigate the current. After swimming most of the perimeter, we decided to head over to another side of the island to swim WITH the current. 

It was quite tricky getting in the water, but we worked it out. As soon as we were in the water, I saw two small shark fins.  Admittedly, I was a little freaked out.  First thing I thought of was we forgot to say a prayer this morning. So, we quickly gathered, and Dad said a prayer, while I giggled through the whole thing. I could just imagine Heavenly Father thinking we probably shouldn’t be in the water if we don’t want to be near sharks. 🤨

So, we made our way over to the living reef with hundreds of fish!  There were four or five manta rays too!  I kept thinking how surreal it was to be in the water with fish that pretend like you’re part of their school.  There were several multi colored ones, and even a few that were as long as my arm!

We got out of the water after 1 1/2 hours. At that point, I’m pretty sure all of us were a little crispy, because we didn’t reapply sunscreen. At least we had rash guards to protect us all!

At 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., they ‘feed the fish.’  Where I’m from, your gather and watch the trainer feed the fish from probably stadium seating. Not in Mo’orea!  We were down in the water with the fish. 

It was such a unique experience!  The guide fed the fish, then brought the manta rays around a few times for you to pet them. He then asked us to put on our snorkels, and we moved into a little deeper water. Since the water is so clear, it was really easy to see what what swimming all around you!

After moving to a third location, we were able to see 14, count them, 14 small sharks. Most of them were around 4 feet long. Some were smaller, a few were longer than I am tall. It was a little unnerving to watch them eat fish just a few feet from your own face!

Dad got out of the water as soon as he realized there were sharks close enough to almost touch. 😏

After a quick lunch and relaxation, we went participated in the next feeding too. I convinced my

Dad that he needed to come with us and bring the GoPro, and he did come with us! 

It really was an amazing experience. I think I’m the United States, we become so worried about who is going to sue us, that we don’t get to do some pretty incredible stuff. 

One of the manta rays decided it wanted to have a piggy back ride. 😅. It was a totally expected to interact with them!  I don’t think anyone ever has this kind of experience, because no one knows it’s even a possibility.  My dad was willing to come to the second feeing after some cohersion. 

It seriously was a delightful day!  When we finished up, we waited for our guide to drive the boat back to the main island. 

We went back to the bungalow and took showers. There’s just something about being clean. 

After, we chased down the sunset. What a glorious ending to our Mo’orea trip portion!

We went to find a restaurant for dinner, and stumbled upon one that we didn’t love. However, we found a delicious place that served pizza,  seafood, and other dishes. Here’s mine:

 

French Polynesia has, by far, exceeded my expectations!  What a brilliant adventure we’ve undertaken!