Jacaranda Journey

There were lots of sharks alright - more than 100 of them - gray reef sharks swimming lazily in place, almost stationary, facing into the incoming current. During the daylight hours the scene is placid and calm unlike the “frenzy” of the nocturnal realm.  Lying close to the seabed were some “sleeping” white tipped reef sharks and of course the ubiquitous black tip reef sharks were always around.  We had never seen such a concentration of sharks before and it was very exciting.   We were shepherded by Marc, riding the gentle current back into the Pass,  following the curve of the reef edge as we slowly ascended from the sharks’ depths, past the coral and the submerged dock piers, and at last swam through the narrow cut in the reef, ending the dive in the shallow sandy “swimming pool” right in front of the Tetamanu Diving shop. As we got shallower, the healthy coral gardens underneath us appeared more beautiful and colorful and the fish were diverse and plentiful in the gin clear water.  Highlights included several large Napoleon Wrasses, an anemone with its resident Nemos (clownfish),  a moray eel, Titan triggerfish, a band of eagle rays, and large schools of snappers and goatfish hanging out in the shade of the pension’s overhang.

Les Sables Roses

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Along the motus south of the Pass is an area of spectacular beauty with pink sand beaches known as Les Sables Roses.    “A double crescent of dreamy beaches, split by a narrow spit of white-and-pink coral sands, Les Sables Roses seems to come right out of central casting for tropical ideals” says Lonely Planet.   It is utilized heavily by tourist excursion boats as a daytime destination for sunbathing, picnicking and barbeques for their clients.  They seemed to resent the presence of cruisers as an intrusion on their privacy and we heard talk of restricting cruisers from anchoring here.**  At the time of our visit, several yachts were asked to move from where they had anchored closer to the pass but there was an area further away from the pass where we were that seemed acceptable.  One of the nearby motus served as headquarters for a local kiteboarding school.  There was a hook or bight of shallow water next to the second range marker inside the pass (on the south side of the channel) where we found spectacular snorkeling. See the map at the beginning of this PN for the location.

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**Update from 2018: Sadly, anchoring is now forbidden in the Les Sables Roses area.  It is off limits due its inclusion in the Biosphere Reserve although we have heard that there was an underlying political reason to provide exclusivity for local boats with clients.  Cruisers can still visit during the day by dinghy.