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Today’s adventure reminded us of our trip to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia in 2009.  The fish were that plentiful and that colorful!

We took an outrigger canoe to Lagoonarium, a motu just off the coast of Moorea.

From Aidan: We saw lots of fish. I liked feeding time. I got to pet the stingrays. They felt soft and slimy. My favorite fish that I saw was a Picasso fish. It looked like a painting. When I was snorkeling, I saw black-tip sharks all over. One got five feet away from me. It was super cool.

From Nathan: Snorkeling was great. I saw stingrays, sharks, and lots of colorful fish. My favorite fish was big and neon blue. The stingrays were slippery on their backs. Also, the sharks did not attack humans.

Yeh, I checked that one in advance! Nonetheless, when I found myself with sharks on both sides of me, I turned tail and headed back to shore!

Travel TipTravel Tip 48: Don’t necessarily listen to the hotel activities desk.

This hotel – like many – has an activities desk with staff that are happy to book excursions for you. While we had really good luck with the hotel activities desk in Siem Reap, the one at the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa has been problematic. The clerk actually discouraged us from going to Lagoonarium with misinformation. (I had already read Trip Advisor and knew better.) I can only guess that the hotel must not get a cut for referring guests, and therefore tries to redirect. I’m glad that we didn’t listen!

Note:  The fish photos were all taken with my Panasonic DMC-G5, as I don’t own a digital underwater camera.  Surprisingly, I think that they came out pretty well.

Aidan and Nathan on outrigger canoe headed to Lagoonarium
Neerav, Aidan, and Nathan at Lagoonarium’s motu
Just look at those blues! The sign reads: Jardin de Coral, translated Coral Garden.
Changing huts at Lagoonarium
Our hut for the day
Nathan and Neerav snorkeling
Gentle stingray
Aidan pets the stingray like a puppy.
Shellie pets a stingray.
Look at those bright yellow flippers!
This is my favorite fish: the Picasso Fish. Spectacular color!
Neerav, Nathan and Aidan spot a black-tip shark!
So how large was the black-tip shark, Nathan? It really was!
Close-up with a stingray
Neerav and Aidan check out the rays during feeding time.
The seabirds get feed, too.
The stingrays feel soft.
The feeder actually rides a ray.
Another black-tip shark… harmless
We counted six sharks at one time.
You lookin’ at me?
This fish was green and pink… can’t recall the name.
Shellie and Neerav at Lagoonarium
Nathan and Shellie at Lagoonarium
Ah, some love…
After swimming with sharks, Aidan bought this shark tooth necklace. With his tan, he’s looking very Polynesian.