March 14 - Bora Bora

When you think of a tropical paradise Bora Bora is what most people envisage. When we entered the harbour, this morning, you were almost overwhelmed by its beauty. There are Lush green volcanic hills, thatched covered huts over the water and water in multiple shades of blue.

The weather is also very tropical.  The temperature is in the low 30s with extreme humidity. You start sweating the moment you step outside. The only breeze you feel is during the occasional rain shower. This feels like the hottest day of an Ontario summer, and this is considered the tail end of their summer.

Bora Bora is an island group in the Leeward Islands, which comprise the western part of French Polynesia, Bora Bora is only 30 sq km. The main island is surrounded by a lagoon and a barrier reef. In the center of the island are the remnants of an extinct volcano, rising to two high peaks, Mount Pahia, and Mount Otemanu. The languages spoken in Bora Bora are Tahitian and French. Bora Bora is a major international tourist destination, famous for its seaside and even offshore luxury resorts, so many of its citizens also speak English.

In ancient times the island was called Pora pora mai te pora, meaning "created by the gods" in the local Tahitian language. This was often shortened to Pora Pora meaning simply "first born". The French and English mispronunciation of the word Pora became Bora, hence the name that we know.

In the late afternoon we took an excursion called Shark and Rays.  We travelled out into the lagoon into some very shallow waters. After a couple of minutes, the guide yelled out “here they come.” Then there was what can be best described as a stampede of Blacktip reef sharks. Our guide and one of the passengers got off the boat and swam with the sharks. They sharks didn’t seem to be the least bit curious about the human invaders. After a short period of time, the sharks were joined by an eagle ray and a sting ray.

After about 30 minutes of watching these majestic animals, we then travelled over to the lagoon’s barrier reef.  Here we got to see lots of coral and some fish. Because of the warm temperature of the water, the coral is not the usual bright colours that you associate with coral in tropics.  Our friends went snorkeling and said it was an experience of a lifetime.