Fakarava Atoll, Tuamotu Archipelago
Fakarava, French Polynesia: blue, blue water, white sand and palm trees too, just beautiful. Oh, so much going on at home - elections, bombs, politics and such, but not here. This morning, sun, some wind, hmmm, a day without a little salt spray is not a day worth talking about; and on shore, a little local band just for us and black pearls, pretty baubles, but not for me. It’s the water, coral and fish, floating like a dream, such a good dive in a pass where water pours out and in; on the tide, it takes you where it goes, don’t fight, take the ride.
We drop into about 110 feet, blue everywhere, then the bottom, on the edge, hold on and look out, at the Pacific Ocean; pretty, big fish and sharks, mmm, sharks everywhere, be quiet, breath softly, something is going to happen, from out there, from infinity. There it is, huge and strange, a manta ray, curious it flies right to us, like I’ve never seen before, eight feet across and it just wants to look at us. What? It wants to look at us! I feel like I’m 15 at my first dance with the first pretty girl that ever looked at me like that, in that way, remember it forever. Now we let go and drift, drift above coral and fish, yellow, red, gold and blue, just going by, “Hi neighbor!” They look, yup, a little uneasy, I wave and move on, like a shark, who are all around us, nice to be big and scary, sometimes.
We come to a hole, out of the current, to rest with the fish: hundreds of them, sharks too, a white tip on the sand, watching us with its strange cat eyes, a little dangerous, but so beautiful, gray and sleek, we look at each other. Sizing each other up, makes me smile, almost laugh, silly under water, it’s a shark, just amazing! Almost reach out and touch it, but I don’t, I don’t think they like to be petted, not now anyway, not yet. Nervous, it lifts up and swims around us, then settles down again. Just perfect.
After lunch, we go to the beach, at a sweet hotel - all wood and paintings of yesterday and tomorrow, warm water and cool drinks. We have coupons from the ship, better than money, they just buy drinks. Swim and sun, talk and sip, watch people, feel the sun, and tomorrow? Who cares! This day should last forever.
Fakarava, French Polynesia: blue, blue water, white sand and palm trees too, just beautiful. Oh, so much going on at home - elections, bombs, politics and such, but not here. This morning, sun, some wind, hmmm, a day without a little salt spray is not a day worth talking about; and on shore, a little local band just for us and black pearls, pretty baubles, but not for me. It’s the water, coral and fish, floating like a dream, such a good dive in a pass where water pours out and in; on the tide, it takes you where it goes, don’t fight, take the ride.
We drop into about 110 feet, blue everywhere, then the bottom, on the edge, hold on and look out, at the Pacific Ocean; pretty, big fish and sharks, mmm, sharks everywhere, be quiet, breath softly, something is going to happen, from out there, from infinity. There it is, huge and strange, a manta ray, curious it flies right to us, like I’ve never seen before, eight feet across and it just wants to look at us. What? It wants to look at us! I feel like I’m 15 at my first dance with the first pretty girl that ever looked at me like that, in that way, remember it forever. Now we let go and drift, drift above coral and fish, yellow, red, gold and blue, just going by, “Hi neighbor!” They look, yup, a little uneasy, I wave and move on, like a shark, who are all around us, nice to be big and scary, sometimes.
We come to a hole, out of the current, to rest with the fish: hundreds of them, sharks too, a white tip on the sand, watching us with its strange cat eyes, a little dangerous, but so beautiful, gray and sleek, we look at each other. Sizing each other up, makes me smile, almost laugh, silly under water, it’s a shark, just amazing! Almost reach out and touch it, but I don’t, I don’t think they like to be petted, not now anyway, not yet. Nervous, it lifts up and swims around us, then settles down again. Just perfect.
After lunch, we go to the beach, at a sweet hotel - all wood and paintings of yesterday and tomorrow, warm water and cool drinks. We have coupons from the ship, better than money, they just buy drinks. Swim and sun, talk and sip, watch people, feel the sun, and tomorrow? Who cares! This day should last forever.
