Tahanea SE corner

With more strong Miramou winds coming in from the SE, we and Pakea Tea head for the SE corner of Tahanea to hide behind several motus. In the morning I always stare out of my port hole in my head (bathroom on a boat) while I brush my teeth and am always amazed at my view! This looks like it is going to be a good spot!!

In the narrow spot where the motus almost touch each other, there is narrow channel of water separating the islands. When the tide is coming in, it is like a river flowing out of here into the main lagoon from the outer reef.

We decide to check out the inner beach in front of the boat. That is some seriously pink pink sand!

We find another palm tree dangling its life out over the water. Mike is wearing a rain jacket, because the squalls were just dumping on us.

I make my attempt to climb out to the end, but decide just balancing on the tree is enough. Certainly don't want to fall and break anything way out here 100's of miles from the nearest hospital!!!

The water here is incredibly clear and we can see big fish swimming in the shallows.

This heron is looking for smaller fish.

Near a copra camp we find an old fishing net turned into a hammock. Nice!

Their makeshift copra shed. When they are working here they put tarps over the sticks to keep the rain off the drying coconuts. And as you look in the distance all you can see is coco palms everywhere.

This also empty camp has woven palm fronds for siding of the “house”. Notice the pile of buoys on the back side which must have washed up on the reef.

Another grave. Only those who buried them, know who they are. It must be a hard life to live out here camping on these islands.

Pakea Tea had moved down here with us and some other boats. One day we went to visit and Keanu uses the sails at his own personal jungle gym. He is such a cute kid!

I found some very interesting shells on out beach walk. I never take a shell if someone is living in it, be it the original owner or a hermit crab. These ones in the front left are cone shells, which can be poisonous when the original owner is still living there!

Some other interesting shells I found.

From the motu out my port hole, looking back at Avatar and the dingy once ashore.

At low tide we go exploring and you can seem much of the reef goes dry.

More cool fossils in the rock.

This is a Brittle Star we found in a tide pool.

A perfect shell, yellow with purple stripes, in Shelly's hand!

We call this the “middle lagoon”, which is between the outer reef and the main inner lagoon. Basically tide pools.

The water is absolutely crystal clear!

Several boats showed up to wait out the SE winds. Note the kite boarder in the distance. This is a big hobby done by many of the younger cruisers.  Note how there are many big sand spits between the motus.

This is a natural sponge, washed up in the mini rubble.

We checked out some of the other motus further away from the boat as well.  Funny how the palm fronds here are marking the high tide mark, yet there is a coconut with a rather large sprout below the tide mark. 

The back side of each motu seems a little different. This one also has a deep middle lagoon.

Not sure how they form, but many places have big pieces of coral sticking out above the water.

Another crystal clear swimming hole!

Looking back toward the other boats and motu.

This water acts like a river at low tide and is constantly eroding away at the coral foundation of the motu.

Note the direction of these plant leaves. All pointing NW away from the SE! Maybe a little wind blown?!?

My handsome Marquesan Miguel with his hiking stick ;-)

Wonder who built this lean to tent? Must not have been that long ago with many of the leaves still green. Probably one of the other cruisers!

The beach on this motu was so pretty with the way the white and pink sand mixes together.

And it made this cool circle at the end of it.