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2005 Date: 1/18/2005
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Breakfast on the Aft Deck We started out having breakfast (a-la-minute) on the aftdeck. In the background was Le Taha'a Private Island Resort and Spa (Le Tahaa) and in the far distance was Bora Bora.
Movie- 2005 Day 6 - View of Le Tahaa Resort From Water
Sting Ray Feeding We were met at the aft deck tender area by Stephen, the ray/shark tour operator after breakfast. Tia Moana has it's own dock built-in to the aft deck which is perfect for the tenders, tour operators, fishing, kayak and tender launching. We were joined by two of the crew as we headed off to a nearby shallow area. After the anchor was dropped in the three to four feet deep water, we donned our snorkeling gear as Stephen entered the water with some fish bait. Soon thereafter, there were about six stingrays swimming about. They are beautiful creatures, with a slimey bottom. They're almost like family pets (in this feeding environment) and very affectionate. They will gently glide past you and you can actually handle them with some care. They'll only swipe their barbed tail at you if you step on them or make them angry, but otherwise are very friendly.
Movie- 2005 Day 6 - Stingray
Shark Feeding After ray feeding we picked up the anchor and moved to an area full of coral heads in about four feet of water near the inside of the edge of the reef. Stephen got his bucket of fish bait and waded about into the water splashing the water while putting some scent of bait to attract the sharks.
Movie- 2005 Day 6 - Shark Feeding Excursion
Sharks At first, one black tipped reef shark swam close by, curious as to the sound and scent. Within a few minutes, about five sharks, all about 3-4 feet in length were biting fish from Stephens hand. I got some great shots with my underwater camera housing (Olympus).
Movie- 2005 Day 6 - Shark Feeding Two
Sharks Stephen informed us that outside the reef, the shark situation was very different. Inside the reef, smaller non-dangerous sharks lived and fed. Outside the reef, were bigger and more aggressive sharks.
Movie- 2005 Day 6 - Shark Feeding Three
In Lagoon Bar Service After shark feeding, we motored a small distance to a beach near Le Taha'a Private Island Resort and Spa (Le Tahaa), where a beautiful in-water bar was setup from the bar staff on the ship. We had several drinks there and then went to Stephen's motu which was only a few hundred yards away.
Movie- 2005 Day 6 - Floating Bar
Traditional Polynesian Lunch at Motu Stephen, his wife and brother set up a traditional Polynesian lunch with roast pork, chicken and several local dishes including banana bread, breadfruit, fresh fish ceviche, and other delicacies.
Movie- 2005 Day 6 - Polynesian Lunch - Preparation
Lunch at Motu After lunch, I took one of the kayaks through the coral heads to the inside edge of the reef to admire the sea urchins and brightly colored tropical fish which live amongst the coral. The water was crystal clear.
Movie- 2005 Day 6 - Polynesian Lunch - Ceviche
Sunset Circle Tour By Ship of Tahaa Before sunset, the captain raised anchor and took us on a inside the reef circle tour of Taha'a. While we were cruising, they played Enya in the background. Once great thing about this cruising concept is that there are never any announcements on the loudspeaker. Every day, the hotel director will discuss the next days activities, options, and tours. A local tattoo artist was also on the ship for our sunset cruise to do marker tattoo's for the passengers.
Movie- 2005 Day 6 - Polynesian Lunch - Ceviche
Dinner For dinner I had sushi, Mahi Mahi and steak.
Movie- 2005 Day 6 - Stephen - SharkMan
Fishing After dinner we joined some of the crew fishing off the back of the ship at anchor. Tia Moana has underwater floodlights which attract insects and plankton, which in turn attracts smaller fish, and larger fish. It was a visual representation of the food chain in operation. We only caught a few small fish, but were told of a huge Manta Ray that would visit the ship late at night every Sunday when at anchor in Bora Bora.
Movie- 2005 Day 6 - View of Le Tahaa Resort From Water
Tu Moana - At Dock While we were on the sunset circle tour, we saw the sister ship in Uturoa (Raiatea) at dock in the distance. Both ships were built simultaneously in Australia at a cost of $25 million each. Only Tia Moana was put into service since there were not enough passengers to fill even one boat. In February, both ships head to drydock for annual maintenance, and then sometime after that, the bridge decks will be converted from the standard cabins to the suites offering different sized cabins for the clientele.
Movie- 2005 Day 6 - Radar Bridge
Private Yacht Service Weeks charter at about $200,000 (Paul Allen chartered last year).
Movie- 2005 Day 6 - Bora Bora in Distance
Traditional Polynesian Lunch Freshly caught tuna was used to make the most wonderful tasting ceviche.
Movie- 2005 Day 6 - View of Motu from Channel
Motu Stephen's motu was very close to Le Taha'a Private Island Resort and Spa (Le Tahaa). The water was never more than about 3 feet deep. In this area, there are numerous coral heads, and lots of sea urchins.
Movie- 2005 Day 6 - View of Motu From Tender
Yacht The back of the yacht has a large deck at sea level for boarding, and has two garage doors for the storage of the ships tenders. Kayaks can be launched from here. At night, three huge underwater spotlights illuminate the crystal blue water, attracting fish, and a huge Manta Ray when in Bora Bora.
Movie- 2005 Day 6 - Sunset Cruise Bora Bora
Afternoons Generally during the afternoon, there is a rain shower appearing somewhere on the horizon. Summer is rainy season in French Polynesia.
Movie- 2005 Day 6 - Tattoo One
Tattoo One of the many splendid surprises that Bora Bora Cruises provides is having a bit of culture from Polynesia visit the yacht. In this case, a local tattoo artist lets you select artwork from some samples, and he uses Magic Marker to print the tattoo on a suitable location of your choice.
Movie- 2005 Day 6 - Tattoo Two
Tattoo Tattoo artwork.
Movie- 2005 Day 6 - Tattoo Three
My Tattoo Tattoo artwork.
Movie- 2005 Day 6 - Tattoo Four
Sunset This is a typical view of the sun deck during our cruise. There were only two couples on the entire ship.
Movie- 2005 Day 6 - Sunset Cruise Tahaa
Additional
Photographs:
Le Taha'a Private Island Resort and Spa (Le Tahaa) - Reef - Shark Feeding
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