The Tuamotus

The Tuamotus of French Polynesia consist of about 78 islands. These islands are basically rings of coral reef, fringed with patches of sand and small islets that enclose a lagoon in the center. Many of the lagoons can be entered by sailboats. Their passes are often relatively narrow. As the tide goes in and out, the water inside and outside the lagoon is squeezed through very small openings making for strong currents (sometimes as high as 9 knots). Additionally many of the passes wind their way through coral outcrops, creating navigational hazards. These islands are also poorly charted, which means that the navigator must enter during times of good visibility and must pilot by eye. Fortunately, the water is remarkably clear, giving excellent visibility when the sun is high. Being so remote, much of the coral is pristine and untouched, making for remarkable snorkeling. Only some of the islands are inhabited. The islanders make their living either working for the French government and their nuclear testing program (in the southeastern islands) or they make a lucrative living farming black pearls. We chose to visit only one uninhabited atoll, named Tahanea, which is about 30 miles long by 15 miles wide. We chose this atoll, because it has a wide, easy to enter pass and boasts some of the most colorful fish and coral in the Tuamotus. We departed Ua Pou on June 4th. Unfortunately we had delayed our departure by a day, because other cruisers entering our anchorage had seemed overwhelmed by the big seas and strong winds offshore. When we left there was almost no wind. We would have much preferred the 30 knots of wind abaft of the day prior, as Chandrika really prefers a strong wind over a light one. We spent the first day of our passage crawling along under sail in light wind, or lying ahull (floating with no sail up) when the winds were too light. Fortunately, the wind gradually improved and we had decent wind with periods of nice sailing. To our luck, we arrived at Tahanea on June 8th, only 10 minutes past low tide. During high or low tide is often the best time to enter the passes of the Tuamotus as there is less current making its way through the narrow openings into the lagoon. Our entrance was easy and pleasantly uneventful. We stayed in Tahanea for a week. We did a lot of snorkeling. The fish here were incredible, sporting bright colors and unusual patterns. We encountered a school of fish (which looked similar to surgeon fish), but they had long horns growing out of their foreheads. Other fish had long snouts, resembling the narrow proboscis of insects, which they used to eat microorganisms that lie in the crevasses of coral. We did not do any spear fishing as many of the reef fish in the South Pacific carry the deadly toxin of ciguatera. Locals often know which types of fish are safe to eat in a given area, but as Tahanea was uninhabited there was no one to ask. We decided to play it safe and not eat any of the reef fish. One night during the full moon, we went lobster hunting with a bunch of other cruisers. On the outgoing tide, we walked in the inter-tidal zone in the dark with flashlights. The lobsters lie in small recesses and holes in the coral. You can see their eyes reflecting in the rays of the flashlight, which also causes them to freeze, much like a deer caught in headlights. Unfortunately our LED headlamps were not quite bright enough for the task, but Graham was still able to catch one nice large lobster. It was very sweet and delicious. We had a wonderful time exploring the coral reefs and hanging out with cruising friends, both old and new. We also explored the sandy islets, called motus, covered with hermit crabs and coconut palms; however, land exploration was limited. It was time to move on to the mountains and the reefs of the Society Islands, another group of islands in French Polynesia. June 2009