Bora Bora today. I cannot find adequate words to describe the beauty of this place. It is no wonder that people spend obscene amounts of money to come here for weddings and getaways. After Tahiti and the other French Polynesian islands we visited, Bora Bora is a more laid-back place to really veg out.

Bora Bora

We entered the protected lagoon at the only place large enough to allow for a ship to pass and anchored in the harbor off Viatape (vee-a-TAH-pay). From the water, as one approaches the island or sailing around the island, it is easy to see why, as I mentioned in my last blog post, the locals say that Bora Bora grows hotels. There seems to be a thatched-roof enclave just about everywhere you look – including more than a few that have been abandoned or just simply closed.

Exquisite Bora Bora

We went for a shark and ray snorkel/dive in a small boat. After we left the dock, we went just beyond the reef to a spot that was about 20-25 feet of water (clear as a bottle of gin…). We were able to get in the water and swim with a bunch of small fish and some rather impressive black-tip, lemon and reef sharks. Surprisingly, even though our boat captain/guide salted the water with chunks of raw tuna to attract the beasts, they showed little interest in us – just the tuna and a few of the other fish. Perhaps it’s because they knew that when these particular types of boats came out, they would get tuna and didn’t need to munch on anything else that might be in the water.

Some of the friendly sharks off Bora Bora. See them smiling?

After about a half-hour of mixing it up with them, we moved closer to land and about 3-5 feet of water. Here we met some rays that were so soft and friendly, one tended to forget that they can give a fierce bite when they think of fingers as food. I actually got to kiss one of them – a rather interesting local custom for pale-skinned tourists…

Kiss the fish!!

Kiss the ugly human!!

Tomorrow we begin three days at sea again, so I will probably have little to say until we get to Tonga.