Tiburones !!!!!!!

Tuamutus...atolones de Kauehi y Fakarava - part 2

Dejamos atras las Islas Marquesas...rumbo al archipielago de los Tuamutous : Atolones y islotes forman parte de esta parte de Polynesia. Los Tuamoutus estan a unas 800 millas nauticas de Las Marquesas, fueron 8 dias de travesia en el mar intensamente azul que separa estos dos archipielagos. Dejamos dos tripulantes en Hiva Oa y se junto a nosotros, Jan, un holandes viajero que da la vuelta al mundo a sus 50 años...interesante personaje...
Primero llegamos al atolon de Kaeuhi...los atolones son anillos de tierra, que forman la parte visible del crater de un viejo volcan...adentro de este anillo, esta el mar...o sea que hay poca tierra y la vegetacion se limita casi a palmeras de coco...el fruto de la coco se usa para producir el Coprah, utilizado para aceites y cosmetica....Una vez al mes, viene el barco Coprah a cargar los sacos de carne de coco seca para venderlos en Pape'ete, la capital de Polinesia.
Otra industria de la region es el cultivo de perlas : Los Polynesianos son expertos en la materia y tienen una larga tradicion de perleros...hoy en dia, son granjas enteras dedicadas a este negocio, de transplante y de cultivo de perlas...fui a bucear con unos perleros para conocer su granja y luego nos enseñaron el arte de sacar las perlas a la concha...muy delicado, realmente todo un arte...y vimos las famosas perlas negras del Pacifico....
Aqui es tiempo de estar en el agua...todo el dia....el agua es cristalina, sobretodo en las entradas de los atolones...increiblemente clara, cerca de 150 pies... a temperatura ideal, 29 grados...y una vida submarina exuberante, con la presencia real de los tiburones que son los verdaderos dueños del espacio...
Pasamos tres semanas en la region...y mucho tiempo buceando con equipo de aire, y mas seguido a pulmon con mi compañero Joe...no nos pudimos cansar de descubrir las maravillas submarinas de los Tuamutous, bajo la vigilencia continua de los maestros del lugar, los tiburones....
Al principio, intimidan mucho los tiburones : No tienen miedo al humano y se acercan mucho...hay muchos, y de diferentes tipos : punta blanca, gata, punta negra, punta plateada, gris de arrecife, tiburon limon, etc...en una tarde de buceo libre, puedes ver hasta 50 / 60 ejemplares, y muy de cerca a veces...Aprendimos a nadar en su compania y respetar su espacio, manteniendo la vista en ellos en todos momentos...Son animales muy sensibles que perciben muy bien tu estado de animo...Los Polynesianos viven con ellos desde mucho tiempo y los respetan mucho, no los han masacrado por ignorancia, al contrario...se siente el equilibrio que han establecido con este animal...Si de aprender se trata el viaje, alli tuvimos una muy buena leccion de humildad y de conservacion.
Como no hay mucha poblacion, por decir casi nadie, los arrecifes estan muy sanos, y el impacto humano es casi nulo. Los corales estan en muy buena condicion y la poblacion de peces muy importante...Bajar a bucear era un espectaculo fenomenal, dado estas circunstancias perfectas...
Visitamos varios atolones, uno mas poblado, el atolon de Fakarava...con unos buceos espectaculares con grupos de cientos de tiburones en la entrada del atolon, donde las fuertes corrientes atrae los grupos de animales grandes...descubrir una pared de cientos de tiburones en el azul precioso del mar de Polynesia sera un gran recuerdo para mi...

Tuamutus...atolones de Kauehi y Fakarava

Rumbo a los Tuamutous !!! - (ENG)

Vamos rumbo a los Tuamutos, los atolones de Polynesia...en la puesta de sol, se ve el atolon, no mas las palmeras porque no tiene relieve...los delfines nos indican el rumbo para no perdernos...

We left the Marquesas Islands behind us.... en route for the Tuamoutus : They are atolls and islands spread in the central part of Polynesia....It took us 8 days to get there sailing..two crew members got off the boat in Hiva Hoa and a new crewmember from Holland came along...his name is Jan.
The first atoll we reached was Kauehi...the atolls are small ring of land, which are the visible part of an ancient crater of a volcano..there is close to no vegetation on the atolls, except the coco groves...the coconuts are a very important part of the economy : they produce Coprah, which is a dried coconut flesh used for cosmetics and oils..One a month, a ship comes into the atoll and load all the harvest to sell it in Pape'ete, the capital city of Polynesia.
Another industry of the region is the pearl farming : Polynesians are expert in the art of pearl farming and they produce the famous Pacific black pearl for jewelry. We got the chance to dive with the farmers on their growing site, and see how they get the pearls out of the shells afterwards...very delicate operation actually.
Now it is time to jump in the water and get wet ! The water is so inviting, 29 degrees Celsius, and very clear...probably 150 feet visibility, epsecially close to the pass of the atoll....underwater is a great show, we organized some fantastic dives and free diving sessions...in total shark territory...
We spent 3 weeks in the Tuamoutus : and a lot of it in or underwater..lots of free diving sessions also with Joe...It was always a delight to discover the underwater wonders of the Tuamoutus, under the supervision of the masters of the place, the sharks. First, it was very intimidating to jump in the water and be surrounded by so many sharks. On one dive, we saw more than one hundred swimming around...mainly silver tip and Pacific grey sharks. The passes (the entrance) of the atoll is the best spot to see the sharks in big groups...The South pass of the Atoll of Fakarava was probably the most spectacular place to see the shark close by.
Also, nurse sharks, black tip and white tip sharks are very common and they were very close all the time we would be in the water...I saw a couple of lemon sharks as well, in shallow water.We learned a lot from the sharks, their behavior, and how to respect them...respect their space, their feeding grounds, keeping an eye onthem at all time : The Polynesians highly respect the sharks and they are part of their mythology. They have learned to live with them and respect their presence, instead of massacring them like in most of the places on the planet.
We didn't see many people in this part of Polynesia...it is a very remote part of the country and the living conditions are very harsh. The reefs are in very sane conditions, and diving there was absolutely spectacular...Watching the wall of the deep blue in Fakarava filled with hundreds of sharks was a sight I am not about to forget...

Flor de hibiscus

La señora y su pan

La fruta del arbol de pan...parte importante de la dieta en Polynesia...

Hospitalidad en Polynesia

una casa tipica de las islas y unos amigos preparando la parillada para la banda !!

Esculturas de las Islas Marquesas

Los Tikis y las esculturas en piedras volcanicas...

Flores y frutas de Polynesia

La flor de hibiscus, la flor del arbol Frangipanier, y la fuente de comida muy importante, el arbol de pan.

y

Musica de las Islas Marquesas

Marquesas....relato de viaje

Marquesas...Fenua Enata...tierra de los hombres...asi se llaman en marquesiano estas islas....
los paisajes de las islas son los mas salvajes de Polynesia : montañas majestuosas que dominan bahias de arena negra, cubiertas de una selva densa...ahora, despues de nuestra sobredosis de azul, estamos inundados por el verde...verdes montañas, los bosques, muchos arboles frutales tambien y las flores, que maravilla...es uno de mis mejores recuerdos de Polynesia, las flores y los sabores...la flor de tiare, la flor del frangipani y sus olores que te acompañan a cada lado...Estas islas tienen una cultura aparte del resto de Polynesia, por su relieve y la distancia que las separa del resto de las islas...En toda Polynesia, hay un culto a la belleza a la paz y a la calidad de vida. Pero aqui mas que en otras partes, se siente que la gente cultiva estos valores, y tambien quiere conservar la singularidad de su cultura dentro de Polynesia...los marquesanos son excelentes artistas...y su talento se exprima tan bien en los tatuajes que es una verdadera institucion aqui como en sus grabados en madera...en las fotos, se ve un grupo de musicos que tocan el instrumento local, el Pa'u....
Muchos artistas encontraron las Marquesas como su fuente de inspiracion...Paul Gauguin con sus va'hines y Jacques Brel, el cantante que termino su vida en la isla de Hiva hoa...Herman Melville vivio aqui en estas islas, antes de escribir su libro Moby Dick...todos estos artistas estan atraidos por la mistica de las islas Marquesas.
Casi un mes pasamos navegando por estas islas....Un placer estar en tierra y disfrutar de estas islas y de la hospitalidad polinesiana, la gente muy amable y calida

Marquesas - mi playa y mi casa

playas de la isla de Nuku Hiva....y una casa que me interesa comprar. en la isla de Tahuata..que le parece ?

Marquesas - in english

Pueblos y playas de las Islas Marquesas

Marquises Islands : Fenua Enata...land of the men...this is its name in Marquesian language...
These are probably the wildest part of Polynesia, certainly due to the remoteness of these islands : High mountains and peaks dominate the black sand beaches, hills covered with lush vegetation....after being surrounded by blue for weeks, now it is time to plunge into the green tones of these islands : Flowers, and fruits are very abundant...the Tiare flower is the symbol of the quality of life of Polynesia...it is delicate, aromatic and has a charming smell..In the Marquises, the time has stopped it seems and they cultivate this quality of life in all the aspects of their daily life...Marquesans are very welcoming and nice people, and they show great artistic talent, especially in carving and tatoos.
Many artists found their inspiration in these islands...Paul Gauguin, Jacques Brel and Herman Melville...all these artsits were attracted by the mystic of these islands.
We spent almost one month in the Marquises Islands...it was pleasant to be on land, walk in the jungle, and enjoying the hospitality of the Marquesans.

Marquesas y sus ilustres artistas

Jacques Brel y Paul Gauguin

dos artistas que terminaron su vida en las Islas Marquesas

Travesia Mexico-Polynesia - part 2 - English

Lee, amigo tripulante en accion con el winch.....y Joe leyendo otro relato de navegacion...

atardecer sobre el Pacifico en la proa del velero

Crossing Mexico-Polynesia...31 days onboard Eaglewing...a ketch sailboat, owned by Joe, a friend I met last December...now it is time for the big crossing, the puddle jump as sailors call it, probably one of the longest crossing on the planet, across the Pacific...March is a good time to cross, taking advantage of the trade winds which are going to help us in our sailing to the Marquesas Islands, first archipielago of Polynesia.
3000 nautical miles : this is the distance we have to cover...very hard to predict how long this is going to take...probably one month, maybe more...I am mentally prepared, ready to face the next days, and weeks at sea, surrounded by blue, blue and more blue...
We set off for Barra de Navidad, Mexico on the 2nd of March, 2009 : We are 4 persons onboard. Joe Mc Cracken, captain and owner of the boat, Katie and Lee, two young enthusiatic American and crewmembers, and me....Four persons to take this boat and ourselves on the other side of the ocean, this is our challenge. We organize the shifts, 3 hours each one, twice a day, at the helm most of the time because the boat doesn't have an autopilot. A few miles off the cost of Mexico, the water turns blue, an intense blue we are not going to leave until Polynesia, the first dolphins don't wait too long to show up and indicate us the way to follow...going South. The first days offer us a good steady wind, and it is a pleasure to be aboard, feeling the wind pushing us the right way, the strength of the wind in the sails, feeling the movements of the boat, getting used to this new aquatic lifestyle...the sounds are not monotonous, the waves are all different, unique, and the blue start to surround us and become our life color...
The days go bay...the wind is a bit low, but we manage to cover 100 miles a day roughly, which is a decent speed...the size of the swell is gigantic...the amount of water raised by the waves and the swell is very impressive...mountains of water everywhere, all around us...we are living the ocean at the fullest...the ocean imposes its respect, and we are in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by its force, but everything is working fine. A kind of routine is starting to establish, watches, reading books, playing chess with Lee,enjoying the good food prepared by Katie...gracias...At night, the watches are different, you are alone, in the dark, with the sounds of the sea even closer, the immensity of the sea and the stars...amazing sights at night...it is a great time to think...
We passed next to the Revillagigedos Islands, then Clipperton Atoll and then the routine starts...we pass in some rough weather, squalls...the sea gets bigger, the night are agitated, it is hard to sleep at night sometime...
On the 26th of March, we cross the Equator...we are definitively getting there !!... it is time to celebrate our first 2000 miles and the crossing of the Equator. But then, we are in the Doldrums, the area of this passage where the wind nearly dies...it can be quite extended, and it is a hard section of the passage to manage...hard to imagine we are so close, and we cannot get there because of the lack of wind....but we are patient and keep our spirits high...so does the wind a few days later...and we are sailing again...
On the 1st of April, we are at 350 miles away from Hiva hoa, the main island of the Marquesas...
April 3rd, in the morning, we see land for the first time in one month !! It is the island of Hiva Hoa : It is hard to describe the sensation felt at that moment. On one hand, you feel relieved to be back on land soon but on the other end, it means it is the end of a long passage where you live a lot of experiences and adapt to new references,
April 4th, we enter the bay of Atuona, in the island of Hiva Hoa, Marquesas Islands.
It was a very interesting crossing and sailing adventure : We really live at the level of the sea, with the water element omnipresent, and in basic conditions...it teaches you a lot about life at sea, about yourself also : It was a very long month, where you lose a lot of your reflexes, your references are changed or adapt to a new environment.The sea inspires a lot of respect and lessons to meditate...I am very thankful to her for that.