Day 7
Our biggest water day of the trip so far, both in and out as we headed
on a fantastic snorkel trip as the rains came. Met Simon from Reef
Adventures at the pier in his 23 foot Southwinds motorboat. Eight of us
headed out through the channel to listen (and) look for whales - no luck; as well as
experience the amazing clarity of the open ocean. WOW!! It was so blue, now we know why it's called the Blue Pacific.Off to a small area between 2 Motus for some great snorkeling as the rain started.
Back on the boat with rain slickers we headed to the home of the large and scary Manta Rays. Seems they come for their spring cleaning by the local fish. We saw at least 3 different ones, they were huge.
Back aboard (still raining) and over to the coral garden. It is an amazing place. Huge schools of various colorful fish (aided by some baguettes), an over-sized moray eel and a spotted eagle ray that Stuart chased down for a picture.
While diving below I accidentally surfaced right into Luc's backside. Fortunately no one was hurt and we all had a good laugh.
Returned through some heavier rain, then back to the PG for an afternoon of lunch and relaxation including hanging out on our balcony and taking naps.
The engineers on board cranked up the temperature on the steam bath, but the extra warmth was certainly welcome as I prepared for our fancy French dinner; it was definitely a step up all around and we were joined by Peter and Karen for a fun evening.
Quick listen to the cruise director singing (ok, but monotonous) and then off to sleep (skipped karaoke) as we have a busy day tomorrow; more snorkeling for all of us, Stuart's first dive and a Polynesian feast for Jenn and Luc. Hope the rain subsides, but if not we won't let it ruin our fun.
To see the last 4 days of our trip, click "Older Posts"
