Diving and island life.

Moorea Fun Dive dive sites

We did 2 dives on Saturday, back to back, with Moorea Fun Dive (http://www.moorea-fundive.com/en/).  The first being at 'Les Roses De Corail', second dive at 'Couloir des Raies' was in search of spotted rays but we didn't find them - they hang out in a particular channel because of the current but there was very little current on Saturday late morning.

Afterwards we drove along the coast and visited a market with arts and crafts but not much was happening.  It was lunch time so it wasn't busy and there were only a few stalls - v.  We also drove part way to Belvedere Lookout but from the other direction so we had a different view of the scenery.

After that we continued around the island and stopped at an ice cream shop. Yummy... Then onward to the house, stopping to get groceries on the way.

On Sunday we went to the beach and did a bit of snorkelling out near the edge of the reef; and then relaxed.  Paul read and I slept with the fan on full blast.

We have been disturbed by a rooster crowing during the wee hours of the morning - usually around 4am.  It is not a time for us humans to wake up even if he thinks the world needs to arise at the hour that he 'dictates'.  This morning I got up and went to the bedroom sliding door - and there he was, standing with his beak open and chest puffed up, ready to let rip full throttle again.  I told him, not very politely, to f@#! off.  Well, he did but started crowing either from next door or around the other side of the house 😠

Monday and today we did 4 more scuba, 2 dives back to back on both days, and they were very nice.  For those interested in diving, the sites were 'Eden Park', 'Rotui', 'Canyon' and ''La Virgule'.

The dives today had an unexpected 'twist' to the story.  There was a couple who were newly qualified divers (February this year) who had bought brand new diving gear but were clueless about it and they had also seemed to forgotten all they had learnt on their diving course.  They seemed to have egos with no sense.  The woman also had a fear of water/having her head under water.  (eh??!!)  Guests on either side of the boat were assigned a dive master who would join up with us in the water.  We were assigned to go with the newly qualified couple and a dive master.

There were many teething problems with the couple and in the end another dive master (Christian) got us to join his experienced group.  Just as well - the other couple didn't last long in the water and their dive was short.  Our dive at with Christian was about 46 minutes long and to a maximum depth of 25m.  My diving licence doesn't allow me to dive so deep but I was comfortable about it and as there were other very experienced divers, as well as the dive master and Paul.

 After a good surface interval during which time we had tea/coffee/water/biscuits we went to the next dive spot, 'La Virgule'.   The second dive went to about 20 metres for 57 minutes. Again we were 'invited' to join the other more experienced group - again the other couple weren't in the water for very long so we were glad we went with the other group.

Overall it was a nice day.  We saw 2 turtles, plenty of black tipped sharks and much more.  We weren't afraid of the sharks - they were curious, circling around us now and then but that was it.  Christian, our dive master, had a following of fish friends which was really sweet.  He didn't feed them at all, he was just surrounded by them, as if he was one of the shoal.  One fish even swam under Christian's belly and stayed there for ages.

During the dives today there were two very curious black tipped sharks which followed us and funnily enough they swam to where we were on the second dive site - their markings were very striking and one had a chunk taken out of its fin so we knew the sharks from the earlier dive.

Pre-booked dive packages (6, 10, etc., dives) work out much cheaper but we took each day as it came, not wanting to commit.  The owners of Moorea Fun Dive (Christian and Marie) took into consideration how many dives we had done with them, even though not a pre-booked package, and gave us a discount for our last dive.  It was kind of them and very unexpected.  Also each dive we did - they made sure it wasn't the same sites that we dived at.

On the topic of diving...  I'm quite a short woman - about 4ft 8in high.  Apart from the fact that diving

Dive finished, equipment rinsed off and people heading home

 tanks are heavy, most of them are quite long for my short body length (shoulders to bum).  Once the air tank is attached to the BCD (buoyancy control device) I invariably get helped to put the gear on because it is so heavy that I want to fall over backwards.  If I'm not helped, I am careful about how I sit the tank on the seat while putting on the BCD.  When it comes to trying to get onto the edge of the boat once again the weight on my back just about topples me over before I'm even ready.  I have to take into consideration that the tank is longer than my bum line so I have to heave myself up higher so that the tank clears the edge of the boat then I can lower myself onto the edge with the base of the tank hanging over the outside; and cling on to the ledge with my legs for dear life until I had my mask on my face and regulator in my mouth.  Generally Paul or one of the dive masters have had to help me onto the boat ledge properly so that I've not gone overboard before being ready.  (I've had shorter, dumpy, tanks and they are easier for me to work with but on these dives I've not been given a dumpy tank).  After our very first dive we did with Moorea Fun Dive, when we got to the shore, we  jumped to waist-high water and our was gear lowered over the side of the boat for us to carry it back to the office/gear point and rinse it off with salt water.  Unfortunately there were about 4 high-ish steps leading up from the beach to the office and I nearly fell over backwards going up the stairs.  Marie saw my predicament and rushed to help.  Since then one of the men in the diving group (either Paul or someone else) has been given my tank to carry (once detached from the BCD) and I've carried the BCD and octopus regulator.  I consider myself to be quite tough but sometimes I have to admit defeat.

Our time on Moorea is sadly coming to an end.  Tomorrow we fly back to Tahiti and will meet up with the Maasdam on Thursday.

VIDEOS

Paul goes overboard

Underwater

PHOTOGRAPHS

A bit of driving

Scuba diving

Can you see the fish?  It is so well camouflaged!

Dive master, Christian

Heading up to the surface

Scenic drive and scuba diving.

This morning we were woken up early by a cockerel crowing.  We weren't impressed and found it hard to drop off back to sleep.

Our new feathered friends popped by and soon discovered it was our breakfast time.  We couldn't let our 'guests' leave empty handed so we threw them some bread crumbs again with mum showing them 'how it is done'.

We had some time on our hands before going scuba diving so we decided to head almost half way around the island to Belvedere Lookout in the mountains.

The road off into the mountains was a good paved road to the viewpoint, narrow and winding and the views were spectacular.  The viewpoint in the mountains looked out towards the coastline with the jagged outline of Mt Rotui rising up and separating Cook's Bay and 'Ōpūnohu Bay.  The vegetation was lush and almost hiding the pineapple plantations on the sides of valleys.  We decided to divert off the main paved road and continue towards Piha'ena, keeping Mt Rotui to our left.  The road was unpaved, wet and very muddy because of morning rainfall.  We found our innards getting a massage as we bumped along the road.  I found it quite funny really.  We re-joined the main road at the end of  'Ōpūnohu Bay and continued around Mt Rotui along the coastline to Cook's Bay and then on to Moorea Fun Dive.

We were given a warm welcome when we arrived at Moorea Fun Dive which is a family run business.  We were soon dressed in wet suits and given air tanks and headed out to the boat anchored just off the beach.  Along with a few other people, we were taken to a point along the edge of the reef for the dive.  Water temperature was a lovely 29℃ at the surface and we went down to about 18 to 20m.  We ended up enjoying the dive so much that we have booked another 2 dives for tomorrow, back to back.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Breakfast time. Mum is very alert - is the human going to put out crumbs or
am is the human going to try and hurt her and her chicks

 

Panoramic view.  'Ōpūnohu Bay is on the left of Mt. Rotui, Cook's
Bay is to the left.

View looking towards 'Ōpūnohu Bay

View looking towards Cook's Bay. Somewhere below are the
pineapple plantations.

Scenic drive and our new friends.

Today we decided to do a 'recce' of the island to familiarise ourselves of the layout and what there was to see (if anything) and do (if anything).  The island is not very big and is about 60km around.  We ended up going one way and then driving around the island in reverse!  Well, at least we get to see the island from different aspects - forwards and backwards. 

During our travels we noticed a scuba diving business - Moorea Fun Dive (http://www.moorea-fundive.com/en/) and stopped to make enquiries.  The prices were reasonable (another company was a lot more expensive) and so we have booked a dive for tomorrow.

On getting back to our accommodation we soon had feathered visitors.  A hen and her chicks were scouting around the garden looking for grubs and other tasty morsels. 

Our new friends keeping cool

Later on I awoke to hear cheeping in the house.  The hen was exploring the house with her chicks (we left doors and windows open) and then took the opportunity to keep cool - sitting on cool tiles in the lounge.  It was really sweet seeing them huddled up together and resting.  Mum was by no means tame - she and her chicks kept their distance from us.  In the evening, during dinner, we gave them bread crumbs from our baguette. 

It is interesting listing to the hen when she communicated with her family.  There was the general gentle clucking, a sharp urgent squawk when warning her chicks (and they would flee into the bushes), another type of clucking when she saw food and notifying her chicks, and yet another one if she was trying to help a chick with a bit of food - as if to say 'here you are'.  The hen is very protective of 'her' food and chicks;  and chases other hens, cockerels and birds away!

So far we are very happy being here on this beautiful island and are looking forward to seeing what each day brings.

 PHOTOGRAPHS

Panoramic view