January 10, 2011

After a slow morning we headed out on the bikes to have a look at the reef side of Tikehau, the side facing towards the ocean.

We passed by the east end of the airport. Here is the end of the runway. No fences or other fancy security measures here, just a sign saying “Do not enter.”

We biked over to the reef side

This side of the island was very different. On the lagoon side there are beaches all around, on this side there is a large coral reef that stretches about 100 meters (330 feet) out from the shore.

The water is very shallow all the way out to the edge of the reef where the waves are. The water was very warm and small fish were swimming in all directions as we walked out to the edge.

There were natural pools in many places. We walked out to the edge. It was beautiful and exotic. As Viktor sat down in a pool just a meter from the edge I took this picture:

He had hurt his back on the corals while leaning backwards just as I took the picture. I remember thinking casually that I had read about how the Polynesians had to have had very good footwear since they were able to live on coral islands and corals are razor sharp. I was coming to the conclusion that maybe it wasn´t such a good idea to sit down in these since the kids could cut themselves, but first I turned 45 degrees and took this photo. The two photos have the same timestamp 11:01 am:

I still had the camera in my hand when disaster struck. Viktor was saying something and I turned my head back towards him. He had lost one of his shoes which was now floating in the pool and he had a hard time getting over to it because he couldn´t walk barefoot. The corals were cutting his foot. He was standing upright, barely in equilibrium, reaching for his shoe when the wave struck.

Out of nowhere a wave much bigger than any other that had been there while we were out on the reef hit with surprising force. I had a hard time keeping my footing, Adrian managed to hold tight in his pool and Iseline had been quickly held fast by Helene.

Viktor, poor kid, was smashed over by the wave and fell down. He rolled inward over the reef, his body in the same direction as the length of the wave, in what seemed like a never ending series of rolls. He screamed like a pig being slaughtered. It didn´t take long to realize how dangerous this was and how infinitely stupid we had been. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, we could do to help him.

When the wave turned I was really scared he would be rolled back again. I yelled to him to get up as soon as possible while I hurried over to him against the force of the now receding wave. He screamed and screamed in pain and did not move. I repeated my yell and told him no matter how much it hurt he had to get up and out of the water. Luckily he managed to get a foothold while lying down and the wave did not bring him back.

We all got over to him and Helene and I told Iseline and Adrian to get back to shore. I carried a crying and screaming Viktor while blood was running down his legs. We had no idea how hurt he was and we felt like the most stupid and irresponsible parents on earth.

Luckily he had kept his head up and was not scratched in his face. Otherwise he was cut by corals everywhere. His clothes had taken a lot of the hits, they had small holes everywhere. His cuts didn´t seem too deep. We got on the bikes and Viktor managed to pedal by himself back again.

Adrian biked in front and told what had happened. Hervé came towards us with his car. We told him we thought it would be OK and that we had anti-bacterial cream and what we needed. He insisted that we should take Viktor to the local clinic. If pieces of coral were in those wounds they needed to be taken out. He reminded us that corals are living organisms and that they actually can continue to grow inside the wounds. Also, Viktor´s right knee did not look too good on inspection.

There is a small clinic with one nurse in Tuherahera. Normally it closes for siesta at 11. Our hosts called immediately and the nurse was still there and promised to wait for us.

Hervé drove Viktor and me into Tuherahrea where the nurse waited for us:

He told us Viktor had been very lucky, people die in those types of accidents. He showed us his own leg which had scars and a patch of bandage. He had done the same mistake as Viktor, but had been taken out into the sea by the wave. That is why it is so incredibly dangerous to walk out to the rim of the reef. If a wave takes you out to the sea you will be smashed against the reef, create a lot of blood and get a courtesy visit by the sharks. The nurse had been very lucky and after three waves out in the sea the fourth had brought him back on the reef. Badly cut, but alive.

The wounds were very shallow and they were now thoroughly rinsed and disinfected. Viktor got a swimming ban for the next 48 hours. He was very disappointed. We had planned to go snorkeling today and diving(!) tomorrow.

Hervé had been waiting for us outside. Viktor´s right leg was not fit for walking, since he had cuts under it.

What a lesson we had learned. I felt like an Australian who had just had a water throwing fight with his kid out in the forest in Norway at night in 40 degrees below zero (which is the same in both C and F, so I don´t need to calculate).

Facts to remember:

• Waves are unpredictable and can be very powerful.
• Corals are razor sharp.
• Live corals can grow in a wound.
• Don´t go close to the rim of a reef, the waves can knock you down or, even worse, drag you out to sea
• Don´t get caught in the sea just by the rim of a reef, you will be smashed to pieces.
• If you do get caught there you must dive deep down immediately and try to swim away from the reef. The waves are normally too powerful on the surface, you cannot swim away from them there.

After lunch we left for a half-day excursion organized by Alexandre and Hervé.

We had wanted to go diving today, but they were full at the diving club. Alexandre took the initiative last night and organized the snorkeling excursion on short notice. He also offered to take care of Iseline for a day so the other 4 of us could go diving together (the age limit is 8). Talk about good service!

Two other guests joined us for the excursion. They were Pascal and Sophie. Viktor joined and we made sure to protect him well from the sprays of salt water in the boat.

We went out to an abandoned pearl farm in a very shallow part of the lagoon. This was where the manta rays have their “cleaning station.” They come here to have their skin rinsed by fish who peck off all the goodies. Wow. The underwater scene was amazing. The water was not very clear, but there were corals and fish everywhere.

Pascal managed to get close to a ray, but the rest of us only saw them as black blobs at a distance.

Next we drove through the only place where boats can pass out of the lagoon. Because of this pass the lagoon in Tikehau has a very good steady supply of oxygen which again makes it particularly abundant in fish. Actually the famous French marine biologist Jacques-Yves Cousteau did research in Tikehau and he concluded that Tikehau had the largest number of species of fish of any atoll in French Polynesia.

On the outside we went snorkeling again. The reef on the outside is really a different world than the lagoon. The water is crystal clear with amazing visibility and from the reef it quickly gets very, very deep. we made sure not to swim too close to the reef. 🙂

Afterwards we went fishing. At last something Viktor could take part in. Alas, he did not want to fish, but was very happy to watch. Pascal holding his fishing line:

Sophie with everyone else in her glasses

We caught some small fish while bottom fishing

The disinfectant used by the nurse had a coloring effect:

I thought I had caught something big that didn´t offer too much of a fight. In a way I was right. Is this what they call rockfish?

Sophie and Helene taking it easy

The real action came when we tried some trolling. Soon Hervé pulled up a genuine barracuda

Feet up, please, that thing has sharp teeth:

We let it swim to tell the tale to others.

After a while Alexandre spotted a lot of birds and brought us to them, They were diving down to eat small fish. Where there are small fish there are also larger predator fish. We started hauling up bonitos (a tuna-like fish). Fishing was done with a very thick monofilament line and hand power. My hands took quite a beating.

Securing the catch for the cook:

Another eventful day with lessons to remember.

Since Viktor cannot go into the water we decided that only Adrian and I would go diving tomorrow.

Eirik

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