Taking care of our petits cocos on the azure ocean in Bora Bora

Mention dream destinations and Bora Bora is in the running for the most spectacular seascapes in the world. Excellent weather gave us some fine views from our flight out of the cute airport on a tiny motu (island). We spent just a few days on the island, driving round the periphery in a couple of hours, enjoying a Soiree Dansante at the Yacht club, and a cracker of a day out snorkelling on a pirogue.

Bora Bora's main town is frenetically busy and overworked. Elsewhere, life runs at a relaxed pace. The island's international reputation is a magnet and, sadly, at times it is swamped by sheer volume of tourists. Imagine cruise ships  descending on islands like this in Polynesia and disgorging 6000 passengers! Some islands, for example nearby Maupiti, have banned hotels and cruise ships and prefer to offer family-run pensions.

The stunning lagoon is best viewed on an excursion to see rays, sharks, coral, and tropical fish. We went for a splendid day in a small group for snorkelling, a delicious lunch, and entertainment from the chatty Capitaine.

The alert, nimble Capitaine of our pirogue balancier is called Ta'ro. He has wit, skill, and a hilarious turn of phrase in French, English and Polynesian. Our boat is joined by two more skippered by his cousin, dressed in a comely red loincloth, and a copain.

During covid, all tourism stopped, he was never interested in the internet, so temporarily retired to his motu (small island) inherited from his grandfather to fish and eat coconuts.

We are a motley band on board: Estefan, an Argentine and his Romanian cherie both Kiwi residents; plus Frenchies from Bordeaux, joined by their optician daughter, an expat in Papeete.

The Capitaine regales us with stories of Japanese tourists mistaking the lurid lips of giant clams with blue snakes, not believing him when he said there weren't any. Next, he tooted a large conch shell and did the same with a snorkel to call us in the water and invite the sharks to come see us.

Once in the boat we rock and rolled in 3m swell, heavy current, and admired powerful surf breaking on the reef.

First stop was to jump overboard with the stingrays and blacktip sharks. Don't touch a shark, the Capitaine was told by his grandfather, or the shark will touch you in defence. A gelatinous ray bumped against my toe. Capitaine scoops up a ray in his arms, cradles it, and enjoys a salty, French kiss. Fetching lips for some. It seems the rays are debarbed, so we don't suffer the same fate as Steve Irwin, impaled through the heart.

A very large French lady flops off the ladder and squeals with fright: "il y en a une grosse sous mon pied!"

Our second stop is in heavy swell near the entrance to the pass into the lagoon where blacktip sharks in large numbers hang around for passing fishermen to chuck over the fishframes before entering the lagoon.

Back in the much calmer waters of the lagoon, we visit the coral garden. On a nearby boat, a group of Chinese tourists gingerly dip a toe in. One of them appears on the stern, wrapped in white cloth from head to toe, like a wraith, to protect against the sun, a vision that never ceases to perplex the locals who are born sun and water babies.

The coral garden is a wonder, totally turquoise, dotted with purple coral, those clams with vivid blue lips and myriads of black and yellow fish.

Our Capitaine deftly motors us past half a dozen top end hotels with serried ranks of overwater bungalows, whilst weaving plaited crowns for us all.

We stop for Miam Miam or lunch on a motu:
Poisson cru in coconut milk
Taro
Breadfruit
Sweet potatoes
Po'i banana dessert

The skippers of our combined boat groups start playing ukulele and the djembe drum whilst singing in French of unrequited love.

We have a demonstration how to plait a plate from coconut frond, how to dehusk and split a coconut, then drink the juice, rasp the coconut flesh, then extract coconut milk. Don't miss the tip of the dehusking post or you'll harm your petits cocos, he jokes.

Chapeau, mon Capitaine, for an excellent, full day out very well presented with engaged guides who clearly love their life and culture.