The 435 mile trip from the Marquesas was uneventful, but timing is critical - the French Polynesian Tuamoto Archipelago is a vast 1000 mile arc consisting of 77 atolls, broken rings of coral reefs formed on the remnants of ancient volcanoes. They rise suddenly from depths of thousands of metres, low lying, the tallest thing on the islands in the coconut palms growing no more than a couple of metres above sea level, they are only visible from a couple of miles away. The wind and waves force the sea into the atoll over many of the shallow reefs, and although the tidal range is only about 50cm, the current rushes at up to 9 kts in and out of the various Passes, or navigable entrance to the atoll. Timing your entry for slack water is the key.
Although the Tuamoto Islands were already occupied by local Paumoto people, the first Europeans to sail here in the 1700's were not impressed, the only fresh water was occasional rain fall, the rocks and coral are incredibly sharp and unforgiving, the islands were referred to as 'island of flies', 'islands without end' and 'The Dangerous Archipelago'. The archipelago was annexed by the French in 1842, and in the 1970's to 1990's some atolls were used for Nuclear Testing. Today about 60% of the islands are occupied, the inhabitants making a living from Pearl Farming, Copra (dried coconut) production, fishing and now tourism.
The first atoll we were to visit was Raroia, famed as the reef Thor Heyerdahl's Kon Tiki raft hit on it's voyage from Peru in 1947. We arrived well before dawn, catching up with the two catamarans who were drifting towards the entrance pass waiting for Slack tide. At 0600 we braved the pass, there was much confusion regarding the actual tide times, no sources seemed to agree, so we decided to give it a go - not our best bit of timing as we had as much as 5 kts against us, but the sea state was manageable, and if we couldn't make it we could just slow down and allow the current to carry us out to sea again. The section with the strongest current did not last more than a few hundred metres so we ploughed on, accompanied by early morning dolphins enjoying the turbulence.
Entering Raroia atoll is an incredible experience, far from being the largest atoll, it is still vast - 20 miles long, 6 miles wide, the water inside the atoll is between 20 and 40 metres deep but suddenly rising from the bottom are many coral heads, or 'bommies' that would be the end of an unwary navigator. You need to sail the atolls in good light, ideally with the sun either high or behind you and someone of the foredeck. Despite the crystal clear water, the bommies are very hard to see lurking about 50cm below the surface of the water.
Sailing across the Atoll - keeping a good lookout for coral bommies as we head for our anchorage in the distance
Approaching the Motu you can see how low lying they are.
Anchoring in the Atoll - it's hard to believe how big they are, the yachts can just be seen in the distance
Heading to shore in the dinghy - the grey lumps in the water are small coral bommies in the shallows
Taking a dinghy ride out through one of the (non navigable) passes between the Motu - heading for the outer rim of the atoll all looks deceivingly peaceful.
Black Tip Reef Shark - one of the dozens that we saw swimming in the shallows of the pass
The windward rim of the atoll is a word away from the peaceful beauty of the anchorage - the constant wind and swell, coupled with storms and cyclones gives it a very desolate look. The water is pouring into the atoll so fast that even walking in the shallows is challenging. There are huge banks of old smashed coral in the distance.
This is a Pearl Farm float, washed up on the shore. The pearl oysters are cultivated on ropes that dangle from the wooden frame.
As well as coral, sharks and coconut palms, there are thousands of hermit crabs on the islands. There are rats on most of the islands that climb and gnaw their way into the coconuts - these hermit crabs are taking advantage of the added food source.
Some atolls are affected by Ciguatera fish poisoning, a toxin produced by a type of algae found on coral reefs, and then eaten by the grazing fish. Although it seems to be harmless to the fish, the effects on humans are initially similar to food poisoning however there are neurological symptoms that can last for up to a year. This local family had been fishing over night - they clearly know which fish are safe to eat - and were very happy to exchange a few for some grapefruit we'd brought with us from the Marquesas. Later we had a fish BBQ on the beach with the other cruisers.
The locals chucked the guts into the sea as they cleaned their catch - the sharks came in to help themselves to an easy snack.
We visited four atolls in the Tuamotos: Raroia, Makemo, Tahanea and Fakarava. We spent our time snorkelling in the shallows, scuba diving, paddle boarding and just walking around on the Motu. Our visit to Makemo, one of the inhabited atolls, coincided with the visit of the monthly supply ship from Tahiti - we were able to buy some fresh produce on the dock, directly from the ship. There was also a Boulangerie in the village, so baguettes were on the menu again.
The atolls have all been incredibly beautiful, wild and unspoilt. Not always peaceful though - we have just experienced 4 days of squally wet weather, there is very little shelter in an atoll, and when the wind backs through 180 degrees we can say with first hand experience that there is no shelter at all - the 25 mile fetch inside the atoll is plenty to build up a very uncomfortable swell! With the accompanying clouds and rain, navigation inside the atoll is really not to be recommended - no option but to wait it out.
Sailing in the atoll
The real highlight of the atolls is underwater - not only snorkelling in the shallows, but scuba diving through the passes. Nothing can really compare to drift diving through crystal clear water over forests of coral surrounded by fish ... and sharks. That's for the next blog. In the meantime we will shortly be heading for the north of Fakarava where there is the main town, out through the pass a quick stop at Toau Atoll and on to Tahiti - where we hope we will finally find some WiFi and be able to actually upload the blogs!
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