Surf to Sand – French Polynesia to the Atacama – Moorea – Day 3 can be found here.
Every time we get a system down for one activity, we start a new one – this time, snorkelling.
The first time around, everything takes just a little bit longer. Do we load up everything in backpacks or nylon bags? Will the kids need sunglasses on the boat? Can we all use the same sunscreen, or should we bring a spare? The list is endless.
But time is not, so we eventually made our decisions and took the car to Fare Tokoau on the west side of Moorea to go snorkelling with Alex Lagoon Tours.
Looks like we’re in the right spot!
This is not a private tour, but it is limited to a maximum of six participants. Thankfully the two others arrived right on time, and we were able to set off at 8 am.
Beautiful surroundings notwithstanding, this is not the world’s most luxurious tour – you need to wade in the water to get to the boat, and there are no bathrooms available prior to – or after – embarkation. (The embarkation point appears to be Alex’s house.)
But what Alex lacks in luxury, he makes up for by providing a truly exceptional snorkeling experience with a strong emphasis on safety – always important to us. He made sure that we were all comfortable with our gear, and emphasized the importance of being careful when getting into and out of the boat.
And what do they mean by a “lagoon tour”? Moorea is largely ringed by a coral reef, and so the lagoon is the portion inside that coral barrier. These is the area shielded from the surf – crystal clear, brilliant blue, and teaming with wildlife.
We started with a stop by the channel near the Motu, where Alex intended to pull us along “like bait”. As my son put it, “It’s like waterskiing, but on your face.” He wasn’t wrong.
But here we saw some spectacular wildlife, including sea turtles:
Big thanks to my son for taking this photo while I was fighting with my GoPro.
And a fleet of spotted eagle rays, shown in the video later in the post.
We then went along to a spot frequented by black tipped reef sharks and stingrays – largely due to fishermen’s habit of disposing of their refuse nearby. On the bright side, at least the sharks aren’t particularly hungry.
We then went off to Coco Beach, a shallow section of coral where we saw clams, vast schools of fish, sturgeon fish, trumpeter fish, parrotfish… the list goes on and on.
Alex was then kind enough to take us to the ‘garden in his back yard’ – a beautiful stretch of coral not far from the original pick-up site. Here we saw some truly healthy, vibrant coral.
Put together, it looked a little like this:
We celebrated at the end with a rum-laced glass of banana lemonade (for the adults) and some bugles (for the children). Both my wife and I would rank it as perhaps the best snorkelling excursion we’ve ever been on, including our time in Galapagos – except perhaps that one time we snorkelled with sea lions.
Back to the villa for ham sandwiches, followed by some blogging, video editing and homework while staring at the ocean. It made for a pleasantly low-key afternoon.
Then off to dinner at Moorea Beach Cafe:
I had a bit of sticker shock when I first looked at their prices – roughly US$19 for a cocktail, and US$38 for an order of sushi. But that price does include tax and tip and you’re right on the ocean. So not bad, all considered.
I had a Mai Tai:
While my wife had a Sea Breeze:
Which somehow turned out to be the inverse of one another.
We started with garlic bread for the appetizer:
Then the adults had sushi:
And the kids shared a pizza – which they enjoyed so much, it was halfway eaten before I could taken a photo:
We enjoyed a very pleasant meal while watching the sun set…
… At least until the clouds rolled in.
The kids had crepes with ice cream and chocolate sauce for dessert:
Total price for the meal including bottled water, cocktails, garlic bread, mains and desserts was US$235. Pretty good, all considered.
Then back to the villa and off to bed – we’ll need our rest for tomorrow’s morning visit to Coral Gardeners and more snorkelling.