After spending two days at sea in the depths of the South Pacific, we arrived to our first destination and were welcomed by ideal conditions for our activities today. Breakfast out on deck allowed us to enjoy a dramatic sunrise that marked the start of our day. We were all very eager to plant our feet on solid ground, despite having a very calm transit over the previous two days. After breakfast we heard about the story of HMS Bounty from Alex, which has historical ties to this region while the scouting party assessed the conditions for getting to shore. The conditions could not have been better, so we were all able to spend some time exploring this tiny atoll, inhabited only by a few species of sea birds.
After enjoying lunch back on the sun deck, we got ready to enjoy the water activities for the afternoon. The divers went out to get up close and personal with the rich corals and inhabitants at depth, while most of us donned our masks and snorkels and enjoyed the views from the surface in more shallow waters. The third option was to enjoy a tour in our custom made glass-bottom Zodiac, the M/V Tom Ritchee, which was captained by none other than Tom Ritchie himself.
After everyone was back on board, National Geographic Orion headed west toward our next destination. But not long after getting underway, we were graced with the presence of a few sperm whales regaining their strength after making deep dives in search for prey. It was a fantastic introduction to the South Pacific and left us sun-kissed and excited for more.
