We pulled into the large coral atoll of Rangiroa.

The waves were really rough outside the atoll, but when you come in, it is quite peaceful.

We took the opportunity to do some diving here given the large coral reefs.  Unfortunately, we had to go outside the atoll with the goal of drifting back in.The waves were pretty rough going out and we quickly dropped out of the Zodiac to get under the water.

The fish were plentiful, very diverse and colorful.  We even ran into a large school of barracuda and even saw a 6 foot shark circling around us from time to time.

Unfortunately, the tide changed and we could not drift back into the atoll.  We had to board the zodiac by taking our gear off and climbing into the boat despite 10 foot waves.  It was brutal … one if the most difficult dives we have ever taken.  But everyone got back safe and survived the rough churn.

And there was a surprise at the end when another 5 foot shark kept circling our zodiac in the shallow water when we returned to the dock 🙂 If you look close, you can see him…

Recovered quickly from the painful tossing and churning…time for some lunch and a nap!