Wonderful dinner with friends Patricia and Steve Champ - food was fantastic!
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
Outrigger canoes - a way of life in Tahiti
We ended the afternoon sitting on the deck of our bungalow watching the outrigger canoes race underneath! A wonderful end of the day watching the sun set over the island of Moorea and watching the canoes streak by!
;)
Double hull
canoes
A proud vessel that made it possible for our
ancestors to reach the shores of Polynesia about 2,000 years ago, the double hull canoe, ancestor of the catamaran for which
it was the direct inspirator, is rightfully considered as the Ma'ohi's best achievement.
Indeed, the first European navigators when they
arrived in Tahiti, were very surprised to discover this new type of vessel that
was at the same time light and fast, easy to handle and much more stable than
the African canoe.
;)
To conquer the unknown
waters of the great Pacific, our ancestors had the need to design
vessels at the same time efficient, reliable but also with large capacity. This
is how they managed the feat to build double hull canoes over 30 meters (100 ft)
long, that could accomodate up to 100 passengers. During long migrations, these
same canoes loaded less passengers in order to store food, tools, animals and
plants to colonise new desert land. Between the two hulls 6 to 8 meters (about
20 ft) apart, a light but solid deck was built, topped with two covered
shelters. This deck could measure 15 to 20 m (50 to 60 ft) long by about 10 m
(30 ft) wide. Both masts were located in the front and back and held large
triangular sails made of pandanus leaves. The canoe was steered with a long oar
used as a rudder. The man in charge of steering stood on an elevated platform to
increase his maneuvering power. ;)
With perfect knowledge of the stars, the
Ma’ohi were excellent navigators. They had no fear to see land disappear from
their eyes. They knew how to find their way with their
inborn knowledge of astronomy. On the vessel's prow another platform was used by
the "lookout" to watch the horizon. At the center of the canoe, the women
maintain a permanent fire between basaltic stones inside a "bucket" filled with
water to avoid accidental fires. There, meals were also prepared and passengers
would keep warm during the long watch nights. These intrepid discoverers were
thus ready for journeys that lasted several weeks, to conquer new
islands.;)
Double hull canoes were also used for
inter-island transportation but also... to wage war. Thinner and
lighter, these latter canoes were also faster. Sails were brought down for
better handling and to better suprise the adversaries. On all canoes, prows and
sterns proudly pointed at the sky and decorated with grinning sculptures of
ferocious tiki. Today, the double hull canoes of the old days have
disappeared... At least, it looks that way... They have been replaced by the
catamarans of today's yachtmen, who often without knowing it, pay tribute to
this typically Polynesian way of sailing, just as pleasant also to visit the
lagoons.
Puna'auia, Tahiti - Marina and Casa Bianca
Marina Taina in Punaauia - We rented a car for a couple of days to explore the island. Our first stop was at a nice marina just a few miles south of the Intercontinental Hotel in Faaa. We enjoyed a great lunch at Casa Bianca with views of "dream" yachts and many other cool boats. One boat - however - really caught our attention - we loved the fact it had room for all the important toys!! We chatted with the group and they were going scuba diving with the same group we had been with earlier in the day! We warned them to watch out for the sharks!
Tahiti is all about life on the water!
Tahiti is all about life on the water!
Shark Valley Dive in Tahiti - The big boys are coming out to play!
As a new diver - I
was really excited about diving in Tahiti. The dive master provided the
instructions in both French and English. As he was difficult to understand - I
heard the part about we would see sharks. We had seen sharks in Australia on
the Great Barrier Reef. They were small and supposedly harmless.
The story became
completely clear when sitting on the bottom of the ocean floor at about 40 feet
deep and I see one of the Top Dive divers connect a cage with a line from the
boat. Then the sharks started appearing! Lots and lots of sharks!
I was really calm - it was a little late to do anything else. The really scary part was that we had to swim up to the boat through all the sharks! This experience has to rate near the top for adventure for me!!
Shark Valley Scuba Dive - Tahiti
Lots and lots of sharks!
Setting the "bait"
Top Dive - located within the Intercontinental Resort managed our dive. Shark Valley is known for its stunning coral reef featuring antler and boulder coral. But the main attraction is the numerous sharks! Grays and black tips are the most common sharks seen.
The Best Shark Diving in the South Pacific
The Polynesian waters play host to many different species of sharks. With our experienced divemasters at TOPDIVE, we can assure the safest possible conditions in order for you to observe and marvel at the beauty of this mysterious creature.
At the Tahiti and Moorea TOPDIVE centers, we use a method called "baiting". Employing all safety precautions during the dive, we entice the shark to take a piece of bait in the purpose of better observing it. This stimulation technique is performed within all safety boundaries, respecting the animals' environment and feeding habits. Rest assured, the sharks that frequent these baiting site are "regulars", and exhibit calm and relaxed behavior.
TOPDIVE Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, Rangiroa and Fakarava dive centers offer a PADI specialty course called, Polynesian Shark Diver (PSD) experience. Its purpose is to allow any certified PADI Open Water diver(certified of at least 10 dives) the opportunity to identify, recognize and describe at least 3 shark species in relaxed and secure conditions.
The standard dive rule-of-thumb for observation of these species is usually to be slightly negatively buoyant as to adhere close to the sea floor, and not to attract too much attention.
Main species in French Polynesia:
- The White tip lagoon shark
Adult size: 5.57 to 6.6 feet.
This shark can be distinguished by its white trimmed dorsal and caudal fins. It is a shark that can be observed in schools, during the day usually resting on the bottom, in caves or on rocky overhangs. The white tip lagoon shark is found in coastal habitats, territory it shares with the black tips and lemon sharks. It becomes active mainly at night feeding on fish that it ferrets out of holes and crevices.
- The Grey reef shark
Adult size: maximum 8.20 feet.
It is distinguished by its perfectly grey skin, white belly and its black edged caudal fin. This shark has a lively and bold behavioral pattern notably observed in the presence of stimuli. The Grey shark is described to have the vivacity of the Black tip and the strength of the Lemon shark. For this reason it is both feared and respected.
Schools of a few hundred specimens are seen during the day in the Tuamotu Archipelago. However, they split up at night, the period in which they are most active.
Somewhat curious, this shark will not hesitate to curiously approach divers a few feet away only to scurry away shortly thereafter. They usually are found in the northern coast of Moorea at Tiki point, with the peculiarity of only female citings. They are also found mostly in the vicinity of the reef walls and outside in the passes, from the surface to 100 meters in depth.
- Blacktip reef shark
Size: maximum 6.5 feet.
This is probably the most common shark in Polynesia. It is distinguished easily by the black tips on the edge of each fin.
This shark is quite fearful and considered quite harmless. Although this does not keep them from coming close to divers just to satisfy their curiosity. Feeding patterns are nocturnal, mostly on sleeping fish they likely have trouble catching in the day.
- Lemon shark
Size: Maximum 11.5 feet.
The Lemon shark has a massive body of a yellowish brown color, easy to recognize because of its large dorsal fins of the same size, its visible set of smooth, sharp teeth and its little yellow eye in the form of a lemon, hence its name.
It is the lord of the reef, given its size and weight. Reacts actively to stimuli during a dive and is considered to be one of the most imposing figures one can come across at the dive sites. It is often found resting on the bottom, close to the coast from the surface down to a depth of 90 meters.
It is an active hunter of fish, shellfish, sea birds and small rays.
During the course of your dives, you may encounter other shark species like the Silvertip shark, the Silky shark, the oceanic whitetip shark, the Tiger shark and even the Whale shark.
Tahiti Bay Dive - dolphins and coral
Watching the dolphins play as our dive boat heads out in the straight between Tahiti and Moorea in the French Polynesian Islands! The coral was not as vibrant along the Shark Valley as it was inside the atoll.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Our home in Tahiti - An Over the Water Bungalow at The Intercontentinal!
Intercontinental Resort, Faa'a Tahiti
We really enjoyed stepping off our balcony into the ocean for swimming and snorkeling!
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Bali Hai - Land of "South Pacific"
Bali Hai - made famous in the play South Pacific is said to be based on the mountain of Moua Roa in Moorea. The mountain looms large from the harbor. The ship is anchored in Cook's Bay - but the bay is actually mis-named because it is not the bay that Cook anchored.
Captain Cook, the first main European influence of much of Polynesia, spent only a week in Moorea. Surprisingly, he anchored in Opunohu Bay and didn't even visit the one for which he is the namesake! This visit probably tainted the natives' view of Europeans, as
he destroyed many canoes and houses when the islanders refused to return a stolen goat. At the time, Polynesians didn't have the western concept of 'ownership' (which would be an interesting way to live...).
Captain Cook, the first main European influence of much of Polynesia, spent only a week in Moorea. Surprisingly, he anchored in Opunohu Bay and didn't even visit the one for which he is the namesake! This visit probably tainted the natives' view of Europeans, as
he destroyed many canoes and houses when the islanders refused to return a stolen goat. At the time, Polynesians didn't have the western concept of 'ownership' (which would be an interesting way to live...).
Regardless - Moorea is breathtaking! Views from our ship Oceania Regatta!
View from the "Belvedere" of Cook's Bay and the Island of Moorea
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