Posted on by Alex

To the Outer Side

The Tuamotus Diaries #16, Day 33 – June 30th 2016

It was another bright sunny day here in Punakura. Paulo went to the beach with his friends Dylan and Jayden from sv Sangvind.

Raquel and I had other plans in mind.

Taking the dinghy, we found a place where the vegetation cover has not grown yet (or, else, has been eroded … ?), leaving the atoll’s rim bare, with the petrified dead coral substrate exposed. It was an indentation on the rim, giving access to the atoll’s outer side.

Reaching it was in itself a great part of the fun. The indentation forms a small lagoon amidst the petrified coral. Sea water seeps from the outside through the coral, and the place feels alive and in movement.

Walking on the atoll’s rim isn’t an easy exercise, the petrified coral being very pointy and sharp. But the view outside was worth every bit of it, the vast open ocean right there roaring against the reef. These coral atolls are quite an amazing contraption of nature: so delicate and yet so tough against the raging ocean.

Well, enough blabber blabber – I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story:

Reaching the pool with our dinghy
Reaching the pool with our dinghy
Looking back into the atoll from within the pool
Looking back into the atoll from within the pool
Crossing the reef toward the outer side
Crossing the reef toward the outer side
And there it was - the open Pacific Ocean, in all its glory
And there it was – the open Pacific Ocean, in all its glory
The small tide pools along the reef shallows, just after the surfline
The small tide pools along the reef shallows, just after the surfline
Raquel and the Ocean
Raquel and the Ocean
Back into the atoll
Back into the atoll

One Reply to “To the Outer Side”

  1. Lindas as fotos como sempre!! A Raquel. ja eh uma adolescente!!! Tá linda, cabelo comprido, mto fofa!!! saudades, bjs

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