SHARK DIVING - FAKARAVA SOUTH PASS - TETAMANU VILLIAGE

VIDEO OF SHARK DIVE WITH MUSIC

http://youtu.be/IjuRLK9F3iI

I awoke to the sound of birds and the splashing of fish … the sun sprinkled dappled rays through open hatches above our bed … a gentle breeze found its way to brush softly against my skin … Ana had put on the kettle and was brewing a nice hot cup of coffee … ahhhh … life is good!

Today, I felt excited about our new destination which is one of the reasons we returned to the Tuamotu Archipelago … FAKARAVA SOUTH! (Proximity roughly at 16* 30.9805 S    145* 27.7676 W)

We were to lift anchor at Hirifa, the south eastern most part of Fakarava … or would one say ‘the eastern most point’ of Fakarava … both scenarios would be true … 

Winds were light  and although predicted to strengthen out of the east, Impi glided along under sail assisted by the use of engines to proceed to our next destination … the Motu of TETAMANU located at the southern pass. 

The motu of TETAMANU finds itself located on the eastern shore of the southern pas, one of two passes through which yachts enter and leave the atoll of Fakarava...  Passe Tumakohua in the south and Passe Garuae in the north.

Ana and I were feeling terrific … mostly, my excitement was related to the fact that I was going to dive with sharks in this pass … Ana was excited to be heading for what has been described to us as a place of exceptional beauty … not to be missed, we made this one of the reasons to return to the Tuamotu Archipelago.

You may recall my last dive with sharks here in the northern pass (link below), Passe Garuae when first passing through the Tuamotus to the Society Islands from the Marquesas. Ana had purchased that dive for me with the local dive school called ‘Top Dive’ and this time I was adamant not to use them on account of poor assessment by one of the dive guides there … 

http://cat-impi.blogspot.com/2013/08/departing-marquesas-for-tuamotu.html?q=departing+the+marquesas

Ana and I both felt we had not spent enough time in this region, and really, it is sad to do ‘a hit and go’ in what must be one of the most beautiful and unspoilt cruising grounds the world over. 

The 6 NM trip took us roughly an hour … we were considering two ‘areas’ to anchor so decided first to anchor in an area not recommended on account of the huge number of coral heads here … namely the anchorage to the east side of the pass.

Photo below shows the view from where Impi is anchored … as can be seen there are a number of coral heads about which makes for difficult anchoring but the water is exceptionally beautiful in its turquoise blues and the entire area is picturesque. The motu or island in front of us is TETAMANU … to the right of it one can see the village building protruding off the point and the land behind that is a motu off the western side of the south pass i.e. the pass lies between those buildings and the motu beyond it.

Below ... a Google Earth snap shot of FAKARAVA SOUTH SIDE.jpg

Here our anchor found sand between coral at roughly 16*30.33607S  145*27.4649W. 

To the front of us is a magnificent little motu which is linked to the main motu by a ‘walkway’ … this is a section to the resort which is run by locals who live here. We are told that ‘all in all’ 10 locals dwell in this area of Fakarava and here they attend to all the activities that take place on this stunning motu.

 A brief dive under the boat and heading upwind to examine the anchor, immediately saw 2 Black Tip Reef Sharks swimming about … these are not a problem as they are generally placid … also a huge number of beautiful parrot fish darted about and through clear water looked really magnificent against the many coral heads lurking beneath.

To be sure there are a ridiculous amount of coral heads for this area to be considered an anchorage, however, we stayed here for over a week and in shifting winds … found that as long as one checks the chain daily it is not a problem. We also found that by attaching a floating ball (fender) to the chain a few meters from the bow lifted the chain sufficiently enough to clear nearby coral heads under swing. What one does not want is for chain in close proximity to the bow to become entangled as this could place too much force on the chain at the boat … something has to happen to either the boat or chain in that instance.

Lowering the dinghy, we took a trip to the nearby village of TETAMANU.

The village setting on the pass is of exceptional beauty …

As one proceeds to the western side of TETAMANU the place seems to spring to life … an idyllic, tranquil ambiance the motu (island) with its tall palm trees in the background outlines a pretty shore … a few docks extend outward like fingers and are ‘home crafted’ by the locals with old wood  and propped up on wooden piles.

The dock situated north of the others is the main hub and sports a small local restaurant / pub with a charming patio deck from which to admire and saturate the mind in what must be one of the most charming environments one could imagine.

Here one is free to walk about and admire what these people have built here … and the walkways extending out over the reef lead to ‘platforms’ right against the reef edge where shallows plummet into the deeper waters of the south pass …

Looking back toward the shore line from the ends of these ‘walkways’ is incredible … one has to experience this for ones self for to explain or describe the ambiance of this magnificence will do it no justice at all …

Ana and I were fortunate to find ourselves here without any tourists about … a few local people who live on the island and take care of maintenance, the restaurant and little resort they have established for themselves came across to greet and welcome us.

The lady at the restaurant was friendly but was also quick to say they do not usually like to have sailors there… we found this a bit odd since there were no other people visiting apart from ourselves at the time.

Ana engaged in discussion with the local dive boat  driver named ‘Silas’ and asked if it was possible to book a dive. 

Silas explained that we would have to wait for an hour for the dive instructor to return and then spoke to the lady at the restaurant (his aunt) asking her if she would not make an exception in this case for us to use the facilities. Over a bottle of Hinano beer we asked the lady to join us and engaged in discussion with her. She was intrigued by our stories and was curious about our sail all the way from South Africa and before long found ourselves in the company of other locals who had a good laugh at our stories and enjoyed our interest in their activities and so on. This seemed to ‘open the door’ for us as we were told to make the place ‘our own’ for the entire period we would stay there.

Sitting here is an amazing experience, especially because there were so few people around … 

the weather is perfect and somehow, the simplicity of the structures here, the peacefulness and beauty of the surrounding nature, the shades of blues , the activity of fish and freshness of air … ahhh … this is a spectacular place to linger for a while … to absorb positive vibes that awaken the mind and set the spirit free ...

The numbers of Black Tip Reef Sharks swimming about is incredible … of course they are there for the bits 'n pieces the local restaurant kitchen throws out the back door.

These Black Tip Reef Sharks are to be seen everywhere …

These Black Tip Reef Sharks are not the sharks one is really coming to dive with here in the south pass … those would be the territorial Gray Reef Sharks ...

Ana asks about the diving here and quickly is introduced to a lady called ‘Melo’. Melo works with the local small dive shop here called TETAMANU DIVING …

Ana asks if it would be possible for me to dive with her in ’shark alley’ and asks how many sharks we can expect to see. She smiles … ‘you will see many sharks here, guaranteed!’ 

I asked one of the local men if the sharks are dangerous … he laughed and said ’some make it and some don’t ‘ …I  responded with a nervous chuckle …

Melo checked out my dive papers and asked about my diving experience. I explained to her that I have many 100’s of hours dive time and that I always opt to dive with a local person as a first dive in a new region since it is important to learn about local currents, general safety and so on with regards to the area.

A dive is scheduled for the following morning …We agree that I will use my own equipment, I want to really get ‘in touch with these sharks and be in between them’ .. . she explains that the dive will be an advanced dive and just the two of us will go down. Melo also explained to me that whilst there should be no danger, and many people dive to see these sharks, that many of them are not the placid Black Tip Reef Sharks we come across that ‘scoot away’ … these are Gray Reef Sharks and they are bound to be curious and ‘check us out’ so to speak!

Back onboard Impi I open our guide book for 'fish in the Pacific' … (book is called 'Reef Fish  identification -Tropical Pacific' … I recommend the book to anyone who is going to do underwater activity in this region) … page 453 uses the words ‘Occasionally aggressive and dangerous’ … hmmm … I like the word ‘occasionally’. 

Ok, the locals are telling me that many people dive to photograph these sharks and not to be afraid … in South Africa, Ana and I have seen and watched a helicopter remove a victim from the beach … had both his legs severed by a great white shark … I am certainly not a fan of ‘save the sharks’, well, not the great white sharks anyway … hmmm … me thinks it would be a good idea to have another chat to Melo!

The following morning Ana comes down to the dock with me to interpret … French to English and visa versa … we want to make sure about the facts. She tells us not to worry … these sharks are not comparable to the great whites of South Africa … as long as we swim calmly and do all in relaxed fashion, we can get right up close and in-between these creatures … oh boy. Melo also explains that since we are diving with tanks and exhale a lot of bubbles through the water, that this is ‘off putting’ to the sharks … I immediately think about how often it is possible to exhale … lol

A man arrived at the dock … he greets me and says he and his crew will share the boat with us out to the mouth of the pass. He is a professor from a university in  France and they are doing underwater photography on the Groupers (fish) during their spawning season here. They are shooting film for the French TV series ‘ARTE’ and this pays for their costs and provides at the same time the knowledge for their students back home. We soon became friends and took us across to meet the crew and see their equipment … unbelievable … they do not dive with tanks but instead use re-breathers which illuminate the bubbles seen when people dive … the camera equipment is incredible … I just so admire the French Government … I cannot think where our government back home ever gets involved in education like this! Clearly the French Government is making it feasible to do this by using a television station to get financially involved … my total respect to these guys! Since being back from the Tuamotus Ana and I have watched the TV channel, ARTE, and must say that a number of very interesting natural wildlife programs air here as they do in France … these people really engage in nature more than any other nation we have come across.

Anyway, The French professor and his team were to hitch a ride with us and once in the water would proceed to the west… we were to proceed along the eastern shore so any thoughts I had about having more divers for sharks to choose from were dashed … dammit!

It was time to go … I hugged Ana longer than usual … I told her I loved her and gave her instructions to tell my kids and family I love them too … discussed some other matters and so on … ok, ok … not quite … 

The boat was under way … the pass was running on an incoming tide which meant we had fresh ocean water pushing into the atoll … makes for better clarity in the water but also a need to hold onto objects on the sea floor to slow the pace down …

At the entrance to the pass the depth is approximately 25m … drops off rapidly to 60m or so and then plummets down to roughly 1000m … hmmm … should be interesting. Melo tells me we will drop somewhere between the 25m and 60m contour, descend to 30m and familiarise ourselves with conditions on the seabed there … proceed in a north easterly direction and come up to roughly 20m and take it from there. 

TO SEE THE VIDEO OF THIS DIVE CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW IF YOU DID NOT SEE IT AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS LETTER

http://youtu.be/IjuRLK9F3iI

I would be lying dear friends, if I said I was not nervous … but at the same time, I just loved that feeling … you know … that rush of adrenalin … that ‘being alive feeling’ … an adventure to places I have always feared most in my life … sharks … hate the things … thoughts flash back of the young girl taken by a shark in the Cook Islands … yes … by a Gray Reef Shark … chances are we are to encounter plenty of them here … man alive!

Sitting on the side of the dive boat and set to topple backwards into the water … quickly checked through my equipment … dive bottle valve open … BCD slightly inflated … weight belt pockets inserted … look at Melo … thumbs up … grab mask and hold onto the Go-Pro Camera … and … away!

Splashing into the water here is so much nicer than back in South Africa … the water is warm and clear and always gives me such a great feeling … a sense of freedom … drifting … sinking slowly in suspension … totally relaxed … beautiful fish a wonderful profile of the reef wall … ahhh … life is good.

As we descend Melo points immediately to two white tip sharks basking in the sand below … releasing more air from the BCD we drop down to join them … 30m … and they slowly shuffle their bodies and glide away ever so elegantly … 

For a moment we pause down there … a quick check to make sure all is in place … look at the compass … check the depth and air capacity … thumbs up … the current sweeps us along above very pretty corals and lots of fish … I am so happy to be here … kind of think of music … Enya … ‘… Motion of the ocean…’ yeah … nice song, nice vibe … I feel just like I am living in that song …

But wait … what happened to the music … huh … ‘do doom, do doom, do doom do doom’ … huh … ‘Music from JAWS’ …

Dear friends … I kid you not … here we are cruising along in a swift current just above coral heads … I see half way up the slope to my right a huge shadow pass by … and another … shark … oh yeah … there really are sharks down here!

Seconds later we are drifting toward what must be a hundred or so sharks all swimming in our direction … the current sweeps us along … Melo turns and indicates that we need to get across to a rock and grab hold of it … I quickly dispel air from the BCD and dropping down grab hold of the rock … for a moment the two of us are dangling there as our bodies turn in the current … pull ourselves around the rock and use it to lean against …

The sharks are curious … they arrive like submarines from ahead … one after the other they advance … and at our position do a slight sweep and glide by … 

I swear some at no more than 1m from us … eyeball to eyeball … I am in awe as I film these creatures … 

Melo and I move from one position to the next which means drifting between these creatures … they do not flinch but one senses their curiosity, their ownership of this territory … I am in awe … little ‘pilot fish’ (Remoras) attach themselves and cruise about with these submarines … of course they are gathering morsels from the feeding of these sharks … a shiver up my spine … 

Every now and then we grab hold of and rest against a rock … the current is building and we have to hold on tighter. Behind one rock a curious grouper sits just above my fin (flipper) … looks at me as if to ask what the hell I am doing down here …I look at him … his one eye swivelling in opposite direction to the other as he struggles to focus … ‘I know buddy, I know’

Given some time between these sharks I begin to relax totally … they mean no harm but I remain respectful … glide alongside them for a while … admire and observe their power and stealth like features …

I was amazed to see one shark eat a fish ahead of us … literally happened in ‘slow motion’ … its jaw opened and snapped down hard … it was not swimming at great speed and it surprised me to see how clumsy it looked … a huge body and fins rocked from side to side as to be momentarily struggling to find balance … yes … that surprised me.

Later and as I was sitting there behind a rock taking videos, a shark swooped down skimming across the reef tops at speed, turned on its side and suddenly snapped up a fish twisting his body in an upward motion right before our eyes … oh man … that is what I expected of these creatures, but to see it in reality makes me realise how ‘out of place’ we as humans are in the water … these colossal powerful and accurate missiles are something to be respected and one should be cautious not to become complacent in their environment …

45 minutes into the dive it was time to be heading home … Melo indicated that we should go … punched a bit of air into the BCD and cruised along the reef slope at 12m depth … no sharks now to be seen except the Black Tip Reef Sharks … plenty of beautiful tropical fish massed in groups forming a ball shape …

Along the way we saw a huge Napoleon Wrasse … amazing … I love watching their huge eyes flicking about to gain focus as they swim past …

One would have to watch the video to admire this friendly but strange looking fish ...

Melo indicates the landing spot and we kick hard to slip sidewards in the current to enter the little bay between the wooden docks / jetties where Ana waits for us … she has been walking around the village and says when along the shoreline the water was so clear she could actually spot us as two dots skimming the corals below ...

Ana has seen us from the patio and is taking photos as we chat about all we have seen …

This is a terrific day, a terrific and exhilarating dive … a definite milestone activity marked as a 'life event’ for me.

I will write a separate letter about TETAMANU VILLAGE where possibly some of these photos of the village will be yet again incorporated into that letter, so you may or may not choose to read that one depending on your specific interest in the village itself.

In the photo below … the south pass ...

I am so fortunate to have Ana always encouraging me to keep up my spirit of adventure … to ‘feel life’, to be alive, to cherish every moment and be free!