Whale Tale
Tucked into an inside atoll corner one morning, I felt like watching the open sea crash onto the reef so I took the dinghy in and anchored it on the lagoon side of the reef, then wandered the 500 yards across the island to where the reef dropped off into the open Pacific… The atolls […]
Open Trap Surgery
Three days later, I kept thinking about those trapped sharks…so I rallied a friend and we sped off on a quest to free the hostages. …It was farther away than I’d imagined. By the time we found the trap it was late afternoon. I jumped in the water and peered through the fencing to see […]
Sharks Have Feelings Too…
Imagine being able to walk out your front door and select the fish you feel like eating right out of a trap. That’s life people here in the atolls. Families commonly build ‘fish traps’ in areas with shallow reef and current close to their homes. The traps are built from iron rebar or local wood […]
Simply South Pacific Living…
“Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life.” –Rachel Carson …After three short upwind hops over the last month, I’ve just arrived to the second biggest of the atolls (population~800)…vegetables, a health clinic, internet, and even a post office! Ahh the luxuries of civilization! So […]
‘Raaou Tahiti’: Respecting Our ‘Roots’
When the Lau family caught wind of my ciguateric state, they quickly reported the news to ‘Mami’, their Tahitian grandmother who was rich with knowledge of traditional Tahitian medicine or ‘raaou Tahiti’. Twice the first day, and once for the following three days, ‘Mami’ prepared the local remedy for me to drink. Despite its unappealing […]
Plastic-to-Oil & The Clean Oceans Project…
“Nothing but intense love for what you want will enable you to surmount the obstacles in your path…” –Joe Vitale My few weeks in California went by faster than ever…The memorial was fantastic and I left Santa Barbara feeling even more inspired than ever by the man who had helped me with the tools I […]
Another Way to Haul-Out
The wind was 15-20 knots hard on the nose as I beat my way 10 miles across the atoll. Sure enough, at a few miles out, I spotted masts sticking up through the coconut trees!?! “It’s true! There really is a haul-out yard out here in the middle of nowhere!?!” I cheered into the wind. […]
When a Little Means a Lot
…I decided I’d hang out with the kids from then on. Although they still looked at me googly-eyed from time to time, they usually just wanted candy. As school was out for ‘winter break’, we held geography and eco-talks aboard Swell, rewarding good answers with “bonbon Californie” (Californian candy) as they liked to call it. […]
Island Suitors Part 2: An Official Change of Heart
I evaded the second lunch with Jacques the following day when a customs boat circled outside the quay around midday… They launched their tender, and a group of uniformed men came speeding toward the quay. The captain scrambled out of the dinghy, then stormed over to Swell. “What are you doing here?” he asked in […]
Island Suitors Part 1: Age Matters!
When the door to the propeller plane closed, Crystal was on her way and I was alone again…but not for long! I sat under the shaded airport waiting area for less than a minute before an old man teetered over to greet me. I was used to being approached by the locals here; it was […]
