It is easy to say that French Polynesia is exactly how you would imagine it to be. A remote tropical paradise. As you fly into Tahiti over the island's fringing reefs and lagoons, you can see why it is so rich in marine biodiversty. The scenery of the big volcano in the background with lush greens making their way down to the blues of the ocean, is exactly like you see on the postcards. This is definitely one of my favourite trips we offer at Snorkel Venture. I love the remoteness of being out in the middle of the Pacific on a big catamaran, cruising the atolls. I first really started to hear about the Atoll Fakarava on the BBC documentary The Blue Planet with David Attenborough. It was famed for its wall of sharks in the passages. The passages are the gaps that lead to the open ocean, allowing water to flow through the atoll. Taking a short flight from Tahiti we headed to Fakarava. Passing over pristine reefs and atolls. Once landed we were greeted by locals at the airport and adorned with beautiful flower necklaces. A traditional way of greeting and welcoming people to the islands. Jumping on board our boat the Aqua Tiki ii we wasted no time and set sail South towards the South Passage. A 4 cabin catamaran with a large galley and spacious deck area. Made the perfect setting for our first sunset cocktails and briefings on the boat. For me personally sleeping on yachts is the best night's sleep. The sound of the ocean and gentle rock of the boat, is a great combination for a perfect night's sleep. Especially when inside the atoll. With an early start and short sail we had arrived at the famed South Passage. With us being
It is easy to say that French Polynesia is exactly how you would imagine it to be. A remote tropical paradise. As you fly into Tahiti over the island’s fringing reefs and lagoons, you can see why it is so rich in marine biodiversty. The scenery of the big volcano in the background with lush
If you had asked me 10 years ago, while I was finding my way in the world as a diving instructor. “Do you want to be a snorkel guide?” I most likely would have laughed and said NO. 10 years on and I could not imagine doing anything else. Like most people who choose this career and lifestyle, you start out with a lust for travel and the ocean. Even better to combine the two together. As I was making my travels and wishing I could stay in all these exotic places longer. But instead having to go back to the UK to save money for the next adventure. I kept meeting all these people that were maintaining a life I wished for. living by the sea, great tans and having a great lifestyle. Not to mention spending their days at sea looking for beautiful marine creatures. All of them were working as dive instructors or dive masters. Without too much hesitation I decided that was the life for me. In 2009 I packed up and moved to Thailand to embark on my not so certain career in the diving industry. I was informed the best way into the industry was to do a 4 month divemaster internship. I joined a dive centre on a small island in the South Andaman sea, and began my 4 month internship. Once completed I was hooked. The ocean, and working in the dive and travel industry was my new home. I would spend the next 4 years working as a divemaster in Thailand, gaining a wealth of experience on the sea. After 4 years it was time to transition into becoming an instructor. Again I decided a great way to gain experience as an instructor was to do another internship. I was very
If you had asked me 10 years ago, while I was finding my way in the world as a diving instructor. “Do you want to be a snorkel guide?” I most likely would have laughed and said NO. 10 years on and I could not imagine doing anything else. Like most people who choose this
