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I know, some of you have read my last post less than 10 days ago...in South Africa...and what now...Rangiroa...oh yes, and I'm sorry to have to admit it, I enjoy it tremendously!
So after a week home, I took few more flights, from Buenos Aires to Rangiroa. And it's only the third time over the last few years that I spent my night "camping" in Papeete airport. I landed just after 1am, and my next flight was at 10am...not the best 9 hours you can dream of, but even by night time, it's a cool 24 degrees around in the open-air airport!
I have to admit, you won't see any images of Bora Bora this time...don't worry, I went twice to Bora Bora...the first time I was not a diver and on a short round-the-world trip....the second time I was a diver, not alone, but didn't do my homework properly...because we all know "they" all dream about Bora Bora!
This time I have decided to save money...cheap way to come to French Polynesia...how so easy...just pay
for one, not for two! Smile!
I explained few days ago that my dream is to dive every single great dive site in the world...and guess what, you have to put Rangiroa on your list if you know what is happening down there...below the water... Sad reality, just getting here is neither easy, neither cheap. I wanted to come here for years, but had to find the opportunity to get here...on a decent budget!
You can either fly from Los Angeles....pretty cheap due to the distance, or from Sydney/Auckland....way way expensive for the number of hours. For me this time, it's a flight from Santiago on LAN...sad reality, they used to have two flights a week, only one is left now, so it's either a week...or two...Tiffany and Leslie are waiting for me at home, it will be only a week...snif!
So here I am for my first stop in the Tuamotus, an hour flight from Papeete to the north-east, with a first little stop in Tikehau.
I'm going to dive...and eat great food! Which one do we start with...well, maybe the atoll of Rangiroa. The place is
pure coral...meaning the highest point is at less than 2 meters up....meaning also...who knows what will happen to this place in the next 100 years!
They produce pearls here....and trust me, I love black Tahitian pearls...they also produce some wine, would have tried it, but not for that price and the reputation of the wine, next time maybe!
And than there is the diving! Rangiroa, is today easily in my top 10...even with only 5 dives...and knowing they were all done on the same and single dive site here, the Tiputa pass....top 10 in the world...could be!
Ok, but before going further, I need to thank a good friend of mine, Cindy. We were speaking of this place for a long while, but she came ahead of me, so I let her do the homework and tested the place...so for once, I didn't do much homework, I just followed the advises...and these advises were bloody efficient! Thanks Cindy!
So back to the diving....do not come here if you are open water with 20 dives...this is serious diving...serious drifting....but so much fun!
I did only 5
dives in two days and half, being in the water less than 90 minutes after landing at the small airstrip of Rangiroa. In 5 days, I saw twice dolphins, four times mantas, three times eagle spotted rays, once a sail fish...and obviously, every single time between 20 and...well...way more than 100 hundred grey reef sharks...plus the occasional silver tip and black tip....yes...in 5 dives...oh yes, and even a turtle, leaf fishes and few banded shimps plus tens of eels.... Yeap!
The Tiputa pass is either dived with a current going into the lagoon, or a current going out of the lagoon. The current going into the lagoon is a guarantee of a super ride, drifting at some point like I had seldom done...out of 5 dives, two were these high adrenaline dives going into the pass from the outside. PS If you do get lost with this inner and outside current, don't worry, I did get confused myself!
So first dive first afternoon, we just spent the first 15 minutes with 4 dolphins...than came a manta....around 20 grey reef sharks...and we finished by something completely new to me...you have the joy of diving 4-5
meters below a surf wave....that's something...and yes, you'de better be seriously comfortable with a very serious surge...and that, just below the wave!
Next day, it was time for my first serious inner current...meaning tens of sharks. Sad reality, it was a little too milky for nice pictures....that's life! We also saw a nice sail fish...well...he was big, but he was bloody far away! That day, I went down twice to 42 meters...but the action with the sharks is actually a little further down!
Than next morning, I left the camera in the boat, and went into the sharks...at a good 51 meters down...impressive, fun...amazing...call it the way you want, with over 100 sharks...The sharks were there...so my next dive should have brought some serious pictures...specially as we went down into the dolphins...but what an idiot I am... forgot to put back the memory card in the camera...well done! And you know what, that was another amazing dive...just trust me on this!
Next, the food and the stay! Cindy had told me, stay at Teina and Marie....run by Marie. 50 euros get you your own bungalow 5 meters from the lagoon waters,
a nice breakfast...and dinner! We went from mahi mahi, to red tuna...and yes, on my last day Marie cooked us few lobsters (langoustes)...imagine....all that for 50 euros a night...suddenly backpacking in Thailand looks like an expensive experience!
So you'll see few pictures of food. The expensive stuff here are the veggies...specially the fresh ones...so it's a lot of fresh fish, amazing one...plus few french fries and some rice...but these fishes!!
For the diving, dive with Franck at Paradive. Ok, the lowest level of divers I dived with was a rescue. Here it's more like hips of DM and instructors around....and maximum four of us diving together...what an experience! But when I left, Franck was going to certify a beginner...one to one...lucky new diver!
Ok, for info, there are a little too many mosquitoes for my feet in Rangiroa...and they could do with a good cleaning of the little town, be beside this, what a place...amazing diving, amazing food...amazing people!
Enjoy the few pics...and trust me the fun is not over yet...it's only starting!
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Wow!
Glad you listened to Cindy. Sounds like you've found a gem of a location for diving. Enjoyed the photos. Looking forward to more.