Fakarava, Archipel des Tuamotu
06/07/2004 - 06/16/2004
Whisper sits at anchor in the northeast anchorage of Fakarava. The nearby village, Rotoava, has a population of 470. Compared to the other atolls we visited, this is the big city.
Fakarava, the second largest Tuamotu atoll measuring 30 miles long and 10 miles wide, is approximately 40 miles from the north end of Toau. The path from Toau to Fakarava takes us head into the standard southeast wind direction. We left Toau at 3 am to try to get to Fakarava before the winds picked up. Light winds allowed us to have a very pleasant combination of motoring and sailing. Upon approaching the pass, Garuae Pass, at the north end of the island, we spotted several boats off in the distance also approaching the pass. As all the boats started chatting on the VHF, we realized several of our friends were arriving in Fakarava, too. What fun! After a mad dash for the anchorage, we made the rounds to chat with everyone.
We arrived in Fakarava with two expectations. Experiencing some superb scuba diving topped the list. Awesome drift diving in the passes is Fakarava's claim to fame. We decided go diving through a dive operator since drift dives can be challenging.
Secondly, we expected to procure a few food items. This large order of baguettes and croissants on the dock kept us well stocked with tasty bread treats.
Check out the dive boat that took us to a couple of dives at the north pass. A huge inboard Volvo engine raced divers 6 miles to the pass in a matter of 20 minutes.
Let's go this way!
Here are the pretty fishies....
....and here are the intimidating fishies. Okay, they are only intimidating due to that darn Jaws movie.
Sharks and more sharks surrounded us on the dive through the Garuae Pass. Black tip sharks and gray sharks are the most prevalent breeds of sharks in these waters. Other than a few sharks playing a game of chicken with us, they did not seem very interested in us.
European exploration resulted in arrival of missionaries who attempted to replace pre-European religion with European reigns. Protestants and Catholics account for 85% of the population.
Mormons seem to present on many of the Tuamotu atolls.
Lots and lots of pearl farm buoys mark black pearls. This large collection of buoys was en route from the north anchorage to the south anchorage.
When we tire of water sports, we enjoyed other activities like this massive game of cards. The hostess, MJ from Island Sonata, and KT and Chris from Billabong display their best game faces.
Working on the website is another fun non-water activity. Infrequent website updates during our time in the Marquesas and the Tuamotus was a result of no internet cafes. Even so, we try to get the update ready for the moment we find an internet cafe.
Ben and Lisa from Waking Dream decided to organize a potluck and bonfire on a beautiful motu. As ex-owners of an events organization company, they know how to set up a party even in remote locations. Beach toys, twinkley lights and a stereo powered by a generator enhanced the setting. Even though it is not yet dark enough for a bonfire, the fire started early to motivate any bugs to evacuate the area.
Here are the party people. The front row is KT, Shari, Corbie, MJ, Becky, Anglea, Ben and Lisa. The back row is Judy, Denis, Rick, Rick's hand in front of Dave's face, John, Doug, Robin, Chris, Gord, Ginny, and Bob. The boats represented are Ascension,Billabong,Bobulona, Freebird, Island Sonata, Solstice, Stardust and Waking Dream
Tons of tattoos new and old revealed themselves at the party. Our favorite tattoo belonged to (drumroll please)....
Denis's bum. Tattoo circa 1970. Way ahead of his time.
The party ended with a rousing game of Liar's Dice. The bottom line is the Motu Party was a blast. Fun and friends in Fakarava ran the gamut from the water to the land.
Several days drift snorkeling or diving the southern pass delivered tons of fun. Sharks, eels, colorful fish, pristine corals, large napoleon fish, and large schools of fish treated us to a spectacular show every day.
Several of our fellow Puddle Jumpers visited Fakarava at the same time we visited the atoll. We thoroughly enjoyed catching up with everyone on their various adventures in the Marquesas and Tuamotus. We even enjoyed an unofficial race with a couple of friends on the way from the north anchorage to the south anchorage. Even new friends showed up in Fakarava. Mana and Jean Paul, locals we met at the Toau atoll, visited with us and played music on Island Sonata. Friends, water sports, parties, turquoise water, palm trees and much more made our stay in Fakarava quite memorable.