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Gerard Coulson | Home > Browse:Palmerston AtollRaiatea, Tahaa and Bora BoraTahiti and MooreaThe TuamotusThe MarquesasPacific OceanGalapagos 2Galapagos 1Inland EcuadorCrossing the Line - Panama to EcuadorOur Panama Canal TransitRio ChagresPanamaSan Blas 2San Blas 1Colombia, CartagenaBonaire divingThe ABCsOffshore IslandsOrinoco flowInland Venezuela - we go on tour!Venezuela - en routeTrinidad 2Trinidad 1GrenadaThe Tobago CaysSt Vincent & the GrenadinesDominica and St LuciaIsles de SaintesGuadeloupe againSt Kitts and NevisAntiguaIsles de Saintes and GuadeloupeDominica 2Dominica - CarnivalDominicaMartiniqueSt Lucia, West IndiesThe Atlantic CrossingSao AntaoSao Vincente, Cape Verde IslandsSan Sebastian, La GomeraTenerife againThe Atlantic - Take 1TenerifeGib to TenerifeIn GibraltarA weekend in MoroccoSpain and Portugal then to GibraltarEngland to SpainVideo Clips/Family photos/Current Position
The Tuamotus 600 miles to the WSW of the Marquesas lie the coral atolls that form the large Tuamotu archipelago.  The slow journey took us a week, during which we celebrated my birthday! Atolls are a circle of small islands that form an enclosed lagoon, entered by a pass.  The timing in the passes is critical if one is to avoid strong currents are awfully rough seas.  We visited 2 atolls.  Ahe was a small atoll with one village.  After the Marquesas where we constantly rolled at anchor in the exposed bays Ahe was a lovely change.  The village was small and the people friendly but we felt that one day was enough here so we sailed on to Rangiroa, the worlds’ 2nd largest atoll.  Here I did some spectacular dives into schools of sharks, barracuda, turtles and rays.  The water is exceptionally clear.  Again the friendliness of the locals was overwhelming, we travelled by hitching lifts and the local storekeeper kept giving us many gifts. Date(s): July 2007. Album by Gerard Coulson. Photos by Gerard Coulson. 1 - 39 of 39 Total. 9005 Visits.
Meta underway from the Marquesas Tuamotus 02 My 42nd birthday, celebrated underway from the Marquesas to the Tuamotus Homemade cake and cards Tuamotus 05 Not a breath of wind.  So we go for a mid-ocean skinny dip! Tuamotus 07 300 miles from land, depth over 12000 feet! Tuamotus 09 Tuamotus 10 Flat calm.  We can't sail and do not want to motor! Sunset The sun should be setting ahead of us as we head west! Tuamotus 14 Tuamotus 15 Tuamotus 16 In the lagoon at Ahe, our first atoll in the Tuamotus Ahe lagoon Monica keeps a look out for coral heads that could spoil your day at Ahe the water is clear and there are no sharks, so we can SWIM! Tuamotus 21 Our little ship off Ahe Locals swimming late in the day Tuamotus 24 Meta and Clarabella off the quay at Ahe The local church in Ahe was decorated inside by thousands of tiny shells Jonty and Jeniya from Meta explore the reef between the islands that form the atoll Tuamotus 28 On Rangiroa we visted a pearl farm.  Here the pearl is seeded Each oyster is opened slightly to receive its seed Clarabella and Myrdinn kids enjoy a computer game Dancing in a local hotel Tuamotus 33 Tuamotus 34 Our anchorage in Rangiroa We anchored off the Kia Ora luxury hotel Other boats at anchor Leaving Rangiroa through the pass where the current can run at up to 9 knots. Leaving Rangiroa