#Temae Beach is the best #beach on #Moorea . It is a 3,000 ft (900 m) long and has excellent #snorkeling with lots of #colorful #fish and colorful and healthy #corals. This was our favorite beach on Moorea. How did you like it? backpackandsnorkel.c...
![I really need to get my expired passport in order because lately I have been thinking back to 2002 when I was in French Polynesia for a world competition in outrigger canoe racing that took place in Bora Bora.
This image was the week after the event when I was island hopping.
The final morning on my second to last island of the trip I paddled out to a secluded motu (reef) island, floated and swam with the lagoon sea life, soaking up the last full day of sun of Mo'orea sunshine [I think I was au-natural here that day getting full tan] before paddling back to the main island, jumping on my beach cruiser bike to get my first and only tattoo from a traditional Tahitian artist, [part of it is represented on my profile art]... so essentially this photo is of the last hours of my pure unmarked virgin skin. I then promised myself afterwards I would not get another tattoo unless I returned to these islands and hopefully this same artist.
As to insure waterproof imaging from paddling across the lagoon, this photo and others that morning was shot with a store bought disposable Fujifilm underwater film camera, then many years later digitally scanned for archiving.
Here I am on a smaller neighboring motu looking back at the larger one. Sadly since I was there, and some who have been there recently knows that these motus are now occupied by tour and event excursion services and no longer the tranquil reef island I remember. Still beautiful tho but now more people in the mix, so no more naked swimming with tropical fishies and feeding them pieces of baguettes. Just lucky I had the solitude experience when I did almost twenty-four years ago.
The next day I took a ferry to Papa'ete for a couple days and on the last day I surprised and reconnected with an old Tahitian friend I met back home 15 years prior when she was on vacation. We had a blast catching up at her home with that island hospitality before she gave me a ride to the airport for my midnight flight back to California.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:j2bf33ojshiozinacbf2uyky/bafkreifbbbdwavajpiplq6kumvxme3rru37ldhu36b2u4oft6gnuajrqpm)
I really need to get my expired passport in order because lately I have been thinking back to 2002 when I was in French Polynesia for a world competition in outrigger canoe racing that took place in Bora Bora. This image was the week after the event when I was island hopping. The final morning on my second to last island of the trip I paddled out to a secluded motu (reef) island, floated and swam with the lagoon sea life, soaking up the last full day of sun of Mo'orea sunshine [I think I was au-natural here that day getting full tan] before paddling back to the main island, jumping on my beach cruiser bike to get my first and only tattoo from a traditional Tahitian artist, [part of it is represented on my profile art]... so essentially this photo is of the last hours of my pure unmarked virgin skin. I then promised myself afterwards I would not get another tattoo unless I returned to these islands and hopefully this same artist. As to insure waterproof imaging from paddling across the lagoon, this photo and others that morning was shot with a store bought disposable Fujifilm underwater film camera, then many years later digitally scanned for archiving. Here I am on a smaller neighboring motu looking back at the larger one. Sadly since I was there, and some who have been there recently knows that these motus are now occupied by tour and event excursion services and no longer the tranquil reef island I remember. Still beautiful tho but now more people in the mix, so no more naked swimming with tropical fishies and feeding them pieces of baguettes. Just lucky I had the solitude experience when I did almost twenty-four years ago. The next day I took a ferry to Papa'ete for a couple days and on the last day I surprised and reconnected with an old Tahitian friend I met back home 15 years prior when she was on vacation. We had a blast catching up at her home with that island hospitality before she gave me a ride to the airport for my midnight flight back to California.
So preceding my motu island photo is This one. The main reason of me being in French Polynesia. The Outrigger Canoe (Va'a in Tahitian) World Sprints happens every four years in a different location, basically it's the Olympics of outrigger competitions. That year (2002) it took place at Matira Beach on the outer island of Bora Bora. I was part of Team USA/California masters crew. It consisted of different course legnths and several qualifying to illumination heats that lasted five-ish days... an event of a lifetime in a place I dreamt of since I was a kid. This photo is between our heats one day as I was able to walk out pretty far in 80 degree (F) chest deep lagoon water with one of my old Nikon film cameras with a nifty-fifty mm Ai-S lens loaded with positive transparency film. The camera ended up skipping frames that week when I would use the film advance lever due to my negligence of not servicing the camera before I took this trip... Big lesson learned; If you ever take a trip to a tropical humid location, PLEASE service your camera before hand because that salt air will effect your inner mechanical parts by drying up any lubrication you have left. I ended up with 1/3rd of my rolls of film exposed from that point on, so 2/3rds of the film are blank from film advance mechanism not locking in to allow the shutter to engage. I was devastated to say the least that I was not able to capture everything I set out to on that rare trip. Thank goodness digital cameras became a thing since that time... but still, make sure those are in tip top shape before I make this trip again, hopefully that becomes reality sometime soon, after I get that damn passport re-issued. Photo is of a sprint heat, teams not known in this one. Shot on a Nikon FE with the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 Ai-S using Kodak Ektachrome slide film because I wanted to display them through slide projectors back home and for the true blue tone colors of the environment... that was the idea at least.
Dreaming of going back to French Polynesia...
After the massive flooding in Hawaii, my annual summer surf trip there may be questionable, so looking at alternatives... Need to renew passport first.
#summer #FrenchPolynesia #islands #Moorea #BoraBora #Tahiti #paradise #outriggercanoe #islandbliss
#Moorea is one of the most popular #islands in French #Polynesia for good reason. It has beautiful white sand #beaches with #turquoise water, good #swimming and #snorkeling and there is a lot to see and do in Moorea. How did you like it? backpackandsnorkel.c...
We loved out #Moorea #island #tour by #boat . Our guide was #singing , showed us to open #coconuts and brought us to fantastic #swim and #snorkel spots with #stingrays and #sharks among #colorful #corals and #fish . backpackandsnorkel.c...
#Temae Beach is the best #beach on #Moorea . It is a 3,000 ft (900 m) long and has excellent #snorkeling with lots of #colorful #fish and colorful and healthy #corals. This was our favorite beach on Moorea. How did you like it? backpackandsnorkel.c...
VesselAlert
Name: MOOREA
MMSI: 244001596
Callsign: PE7784
Type: Tanker
Flag: Netherlands
Seen: 20-Mar-2026 12:35:23 CET
Status: under way using engine
Speed: 8.3 kts
Dest.: ROTTERDAM 3E PETROHA
Distance: 81.2 nm
Signal RSSI: 0.0 dBFS
Ship AIS VesselAlert © kx1t - link
#Temae Beach is the best #beach on #Moorea . It is a 3,000 ft (900 m) long and has excellent #snorkeling with lots of #colorful #fish and colorful and healthy #corals. This was our favorite beach on Moorea. How did you like it? backpackandsnorkel.c...
Moorea, French Polynesia, circa 2000 - aboard the R3 with Renaissance Cruises. #moorea #renaissancecruises
VesselAlert
Name: MOOREA
MMSI: 244001596
Callsign: PE7784
Type: Tanker
Flag: Netherlands
Seen: 18-Mar-2026 13:15:59 CET
Speed: 0.0 kts
Dest.: AMSTERDAM JAN VAN RI
Distance: 60.2 nm
Signal RSSI: 0.0 dBFS
Ship AIS VesselAlert © kx1t - link
🦑 Link to PLoS study of #Moorea #coralreef after a #coralbleaching event. Four yrs later, Pocillopora #coral had been hollowed out through bioerosion, leaving the existing reef structures fragile and difficult to build upon
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
#FrenchPolynesia
A study (see comment below) of #coralreef @ #Moorea found that after 2019 #coralbleaching event, live #coral coverage dropped 58%, and branching coral *BECAME HOLLOW* probably from "tiny mussels and fungi" that "mined the coral interior."
phys.org/news/2026-03...
BORA-BORA & MOOREA, la perle et le petit cœur du Pacifique. #BoraBora #moorea #polynesie
Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa offers an unmatched connection to the ocean. 🛖🌴🌊
tropicality.com/resorts/hilton-moorea-lagoon-resort
#moorea #luxurytravel #vacation #beach #vacations #luxurylifestyle #getaway #beaches
Left hand holding a young coconut which has been cut open for drinking. The top is tilted to allow the straws to stick out. The background is white sand, clear blue water, palm fronds, and overwater bungalows in the distance
Cheers.
#Tahiti #Moorea
#CoconutLife
🚨 New paper in Ecology Letters!
We test how spatiotemporal variation in #coral populations promotes a spatial portfolio effect that stabilizes coral metapopulations in #Moorea, French Polynesia 🪸
#NSF @uslter.bsky.social #MCRLTER @stanforddoerr.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1111/ele....
View from Magic Mountain of the bay in Moorea, French Polynesia.
View from Magic Mountain of the bay in Moorea, French Polynesia
View from Magic Mountain of the bay in Moorea, French Polynesia
Magic Mountain in Mo’orea, French Polynesia.
Some unposted photos and videos from the spectacular view from Magic Mountain. Looking out to see the beautiful bays and the over water bungalows! Hope this brings you some peace and joy this weekend.
#moorea #frenchpolynesia #travel #travelphotography
Look what I got for Christmas. #Moorea #tahitti
If you know, you know.
Not a dinky tinker toy.
Not a crocodile.
#haiku #travel #cruise #rivercruise #AdventuresByDisney #ABD #Disney #DisneyWorld #Disneyland #DCL #DisneyCruiseLine #Azamara #AmaWaterways #VirginVoyages
https://linktr.ee/2talltom
A very mean-looking sunset. #Moorea
Sunset with some clouds.
On the Island of Moorea.
The eye at Mount Doom.
#haiku #travel #cruise #rivercruise #ABD #Disney #DCL #follow #Azamara #AmaWaterways #TravelAgent
https://linktr.ee/2talltom
#bloomscrolling #moorea Also I will be on the hunt for parrotfish. Incredible dish at #tikivillage. Most tiki drinks are not garnished with as much beauty!
#Taahiamanu Beach is one of the best #beaches on the main island of #Moorea . It is a 1,200 ft (370 m) long stretch of soft white sand at the mouth of #Opunohu Bay. It has good #swimming and #snorkeling . Have you been here? backpackandsnorkel.c...
#Taahiamanu Beach is one of the best #beaches on the main island of #Moorea . It is a 1,200 ft (370 m) long stretch of soft white sand at the mouth of #Opunohu Bay. It has good #swimming and #snorkeling . Have you been here? backpackandsnorkel.c...
The #marae complex in #Moorea is easily accessible and gives you access to ancient ceremonial and religious sites on Moorea. There are trails that give you access to four maraes. How did you like it? backpackandsnorkel.c...
#Taahiamanu Beach is one of the best #beaches on the main island of #Moorea . It is a 1,200 ft (370 m) long stretch of soft white sand at the mouth of #Opunohu Bay. It has good #swimming and #snorkeling . Have you been here? backpackandsnorkel.c...
#Moorea is one of the most popular #islands in French #Polynesia for good reason. It has beautiful white sand #beaches with #turquoise water, good #swimming and #snorkeling and there is a lot to see and do in Moorea. How did you like it? backpackandsnorkel.c...
We loved out #Moorea #island #tour by #boat . Our guide was #singing , showed us to open #coconuts and brought us to fantastic #swim and #snorkel spots with #stingrays and #sharks among #colorful #corals and #fish . backpackandsnorkel.c...
#Moorea is one of the most popular #islands in French #Polynesia for good reason. It has beautiful white sand #beaches with #turquoise water, good #swimming and #snorkeling and there is a lot to see and do in Moorea. How did you like it? backpackandsnorkel.c...
