As the sun rose above National Geographic Orion, we awoke to views of Rotoava village, the destination for the mornings’ activities. Once ashore, guests explored the town with interpretation from the naturalist team. Highlights included watching nurse sharks cruise the shallows, seeing boobies plunge into the water, as well as listening to the town’s church service. After an interesting repositioning from the north of the atoll to the south, Zodiacs were launched for an afternoon in the water. This pass has on average of 600 grey reef sharks, many of which made an appearance for both snorkelers and divers.
4/18/2019
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National Geographic Orion
Rangiroa, French Polynesia
Our last day of our expedition took us to Rangiroa, the largest atoll in French Polynesia. Its name can be translated as “Big Sky,” and the name suits this place, as the vast lagoon of this atoll is so sprawling that you can’t see the other end. Guests enjoyed the day visiting a pearl farm. Black pearls are one of the main industries on French Polynesia, and at the farm, we could see how they use surgical precision to insert the mother of pearl bead in the black lipped oysters to produce these pearls. This island has become a center for the pearl farming industry in French Polynesia, as it is the only one with a school dedicated to the teaching of this trade and the research of the species on which it depends. We also enjoyed the lagoon’s gorgeous waters, where we set our snorkeling platform and enjoyed big numbers of fish in a coral garden. Enjoying the pristine conditions of this lagoon, our guests snorkeled among hundreds of snappers, big moray eels, and sharks. A high point of local color, it was a perfect ending to an incredible expedition in French Polynesia.
