Rangiroa, the most known of the Tuamotu archipelago, is famed for its world class diving, with two big passes teeming with fish. We arrive from Tikehau after another night of fighting the waves with face forward winds. Our poor captains don’t get much of a rest in these choppy waters.
Jules takes us out on the dingy to hunt for the best snorkelling spots and we don’t need to look far. But the big highlight is when he drops us off at the tip of a long (ca. 300m) current atop a giant coral “patate” – literally hundreds of fish of all sizes and colors zoom past us as we speed through the current, we can hardly turn our heads fast enough! What a rush – quite the opposite experience of the usual peacefully serene quiet snorkelling, such a fun moment!
In the evening, chef Anjali with sous-chef Nilay prepare us a yummy “fiberlicious” dinner spread: their now famous chickpea-avocado smash. All of it gorgeously presented, Polynesian style.
Truly one of the most beautiful moments of our French Polynesia trip happens as we leave Rangiroa in the twilight of the setting sun. A troop of (really big!) dolphins escort us through and out the pass. There are at least 30-40 of them, dipping and jumping and diving just in front, making a game of escaping the coques of the catamaran.