Our best day on Mo'orea happened yesterday. All the days have been beyond fantastic but starting the day on a handmade, traditional style boat, made by local brothers was beyond magical. We were one of two families onboard, which made for a quieter and cozier experience than most snorkel trips.
Our hosts shared with us some of the local history including that of the Polynesians infamous navigation skills on the sea. We learned how they possibly made it to Tahiti and settled there. We learned about how some foods were transported and became part of the diet over time. We also learned about their culture and how it was impacted by the imperialists. I am always saddened to learn how Western religion and greed invades long standing cultures and then attempts to convince them their ways are wrong or perhaps evil. We got to visit where some ancient totems were resting under the sea after the Christian churches convinced the local people to do so. I won't digress here except to say that Christianity has almost nothing in common with the real Yeshua and what he spoke about and what he taught others. To see the influence on the cultures of lands so far and wide, it makes me know for sure, Yeshua would never approve of these things done in his name. It is a sad and sick reality.
But back to our day. We got to get up close with stingray and sharks. They are used to the locals who spend more time on water than land. And our captain/hosts, they seemed to have a special relationship with the stingrays. One in particular followed our host in the water like a puppy dog. He had named her Scarlet and she was the sweetest thing. She even swam into us, almost demanding for TLC. We each pet her and gave her the attention she rightfully demanded. Havana was initially resistant to getting in the water. I had to do some serious coercion, which resulted in the closet thing to a stingray kiss that I ever saw (and when she wanted to opt out of snorkeling later on, I respected that decision. I just knew that this would something she would later regret and that by pushing herself she not only boosted her confidence, she had a great experience.)
Amara, who is a bit of a nervous gal at times (but will go headfirst into things anyway), found it a tad unnerving when a black fin shark swam just a few feet under her. I was right there, witnessing the whole thing. She pulled up her feet as if to keep them from being eaten but that shark had seen plenty of humans up close. S/he kept on going, circling around and repeating the whole process. It was if it were recess time with the humans.
We later saw an eagle ray, which was a first for us all. With much larger wingspan and white polka dots on top, the way s/he glided with the water with such speed and grace, it was something special. For me personally, the highlight was seeing a Honu (sea turtle) zoom by in the sea. I have seen them many times on Hawaii, on the sand and body surfing. But I had never seen one swim like that. The Honu is amongst the top of my favorite animals and just seeing the one felt like divine magic. I was so thankful my camera caught a glimpse of her.
We snorkeled in multiple spots, seeing the vast underwater life. It made us feel in awe and deeply thankful to have had this most magical day. To end it all off, on the sail back, a warm, soft rain began to fall. For us drought living Californians, the rain falling from Father Sky was the ultimate blessing. We sat on the boat deck, allowing ourselves to enjoy the tickles of the raindrops, huge smiles on all our faces tell the emotions of our hearts.
It was a very good day.
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| Eagle Ray |
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| One of many sharks we got up close and personal with. |
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| Scarlet the Stingray. |
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| Honu |
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| Honu |
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