The South Coast of Raratonga is not a trip that Josh does often with his clientele.
It's as stunning as it is rugged and with limited safe entry and exit points in the reef i can see why.
On a strong run out tide we were escorted by one of the local turtles which just added a little more excitement to going out through the Avaavaroa Passage.
It gives you a great perspective on the job a coral reef actually does in protecting the lagoons from the relentless ocean swells.
Once clear we turned right and headed towards our destination at Arorangi. A small village on the western side of the island that is blessed daily with magnificent sunsets.
Condititions had settled greatly from the previous few days and the swells seemed tailor made for the Fenn XT Double. No snorkel was required by me today (ref previous blog Avana 10k) as we were able to position the ski in perfect endless runs heading towards the Raratongan.
The Raratongan Resort sits on a distinctive headland that juts out into the Pacific and signalled only a few kilometres remain on our run. It also meant the end of our eastern swells as we began our paddle up the western coast.
Glassy waters and warm sunshine were our partners for the remaining 10-15min. I had to jump out and swim in this ocean. It was divine!
With my head under water I found myself starring into the blue abyss below me. The spectrum of blues is something that will remain with me till the day I bundy off this planet. Several kilometres deep and crystal clear and warm, this place is truly amazing.
In what seemed the blink of an eye, we turned into another small and safe break in the reef and our journey was over. Deb jumped out as well to swim in this spectacular place and swam back to shore (but feeling a little more comfortable being in slightly shallower waters than me I think!)
So.. what remains in our circumnavigation of Raratonga?
Our next adventure takes us from the harbour (Trader Jacks) around past the airport and back to where we finished today.
Till then...