Tahiti and her islands

June 22 2014, Tahiti y son iles

Tahiti and her islands.  The Marquesas were steep volcanic peaks rising abruptly from deep beneath the ocean, covered with greenery and pounded by waves.  The Tuamotos were the remnants of islands, coral atolls surrounding pools of water that once had been islands but have long since sunk back into the ocean they came from.  The Society Islands are the best of both.  Tall peaks with sheer volcanic rock faces and deep bays cutting into the heart of the lush green vegetation, protected from the pounding of the ocean by coral reefs.  Each one different from the others.  All of them stunningly beautiful.  The reefs are sometimes barely there, just a line of whitecaps in the ocean hiding the deadly reefs.  Other times they are marked by pounding waves and great rolling surf.  Still others have become islands themselves, large and firm enough to support luxury hotels with bungalows set on poles over the water.  In some cases it is possible to sail completely around the island inside of the reef. 

Everywhere on the reefs there are fish, colored with the colors of the rainbow moving lazily through crystal clear water.  We swim with them through the warm water, drifting along with the currant over fantastic lumps of coral.  great clams are imbedded in the coral, their lips colored vivid purple or spotted black and white.   Seemingly solid coral is studded with little feathers of pink and purple.  Wave a hand to stir the water and they snap closed, disappearing into the coral, only to reappear again when the danger passes.

All of the anchorages are deep, often 50-60 feet.  In Mexico we thought 35 feet was deep and were often anchored in 15-20 feet.  Now we are glad that we have 300 feet of chain backed up by rope.  While most of the anchorages are sheltered, if the wind shifts it can race through the valleys and down the steep cliffs at 30-40 knots or more.  The water is so clear we can sometimes see clear down to the anchor on the bottom, deep, dark blue in the depths turning to a stunning aqua in the shallows.  The color is so intense that it seems to stain the bottom of the boat. 

There is almost always one road that circles the island and often another that crosses over the top.  Most of the buildings are on the narrow strip of relatively flat land along the edge of the island.  It seems odd to have houses right along the water with no surf, no high tide, no storm waves to worry about.  All of that happens outside of the reef.  This is more like having a house on a lake than on the ocean front.  Almost every house has at least one boat.  At 5:00 every day, suddenly there are outriggers everywhere.  So silently they glide by that you don’t hear them at all.  Sometimes singles, sometimes with a crew of 4 or 5, paddles flashing and dipping silently.  Wonderfully muscled brown backs bending together.