SHRIMPS;SHARKS AND STINGRAYS

Nancy

We awake to a gentle breeze on a calm  morning  in Opunohu Bay that raises the hopes for a new mooring near the lagoon with the stingrays and sharks.   After another gourmet breakfast on board, Florian and I go off in search of fresh shrimp at the farm we passed on our hike yesterday.   We arrive just as they are harvesting shrimp from the pond with 6 month old shrimp. 

The 7-inch shrimp seem to know what is ahead for them and they jump more than a foot above the surface of the water to escape the nets.  The shrimp are transferred to two large basket that are carried  in a wheelbarrow to roadside market. We are allowed to make our purchase from catch for the week – 350 kilos. The price was $2600 PF ($26 USD) per kilo. 

One kilo is enough for the three of us and off we go, back to the boat with our treasure.

We start up the engines and motor out of the protection of the bay and explore the possible moorings on the north shores of Moorea. 

As we near the little town of Papetoai, the wind picks up and we find a nice anchor just off the pier, with a nice view of the church of the London Missionary Society ( LMS) – advertised as the oldest European building in French Polynesia.  Next to the church is a welcome sight  - internet and cell phone towers.   Two signs of civilization standing next to each other – the old and the new.  Into the dinghy we go again, in search of the internet, bread, and fresh fruit to go with our shrimp. 

We arrive at the post office, from where the internet is controlled, just before they close for lunch at noon, and enjoy some time catching up on emails and posting pictures.  It is good to be connected again for a moment to family and friends.   By the time we finish, there is only one store left open for provisions, and there is no bread left.  No matter – we meet a young woman who takes us to her home to see her family pearls and to find fresh fruit.   Her pearls are nice, but we are confused by her pricing.   The pearls are a big business in Tahiti but a price of $3000 USD for a 16-18 inch necklace seems much too high! 

We will do some more research before we consider to buy.

So we take off for the next adventure of the day – to swim with the sharks, stingrays, and see the underwater tikis, thrown into the sea by the LMS missionaries.  I never thought I could be so relaxed swimming with these animals, but they are so graceful as they float by, completely unperturbed by our presence, that I have no fear.  The time goes by too quickly, and I am still chasing after the stingrays when Florian motions to me that it is time to move on.   We board the dinghy again and fight the wind and waves back towards the tikis, where we marvel at the well preserved stones – each piece larger than a man even the size of Florian.  Martina even sees an eagle ray!

As we climb back into the dinghy, the sun is getting lower on the horizon.  On board the Esperanza, I have to develop a fast technique to clean all the shrimp before the sun sets, and we enjoy our shrimp feast and toast another day in Paradise.  

Sharing the many great pictures and movies of our underwater adventures, we agree, the Go-Pro takes the best movies, but Martina has the best picture of all with her eagle ray.  We are all very happy and tired as we retire to sleep to the sound of the surf on the reef and gentle rocking of the boat under a clear sky and full moon.