While staying on Bora Bora in July 2015 we again went on a lagoon cruise to swim with stingrays and sharks.
The boat that took us on the lagoon cruise
Many operators provide these tours, but we again went with the one that was arranged through Le Meridien. The same man was the skipper from five years ago and he was accompanied by a group of younger guides. These guys were very entertaining and played music and sang through the excursion.
The crew provided us with entertainment
Our tour had couples from Australia, France, Italy, Chile, Japan and the USA, so it was a very multicultural group. After a briefing on what the tour entailed and supplying everyone with fins and masks if they didn’t have their own, we headed south towards the Coral Garden – a part of the lagoon teeming with fish. The boat anchored and we all went over the side into the warm, clear water. The hundreds of fish were flitting all around us,, helped by the food scattered by the guides.
Fish at the Coral Garden
There are a couple of moray eels that live in the rocks in this area and the young guides were able to draw them out with food and then attempt to drag them right of out their lairs so the tourists could see how big they were! They were able to get both eels to show themselves, but neither could be brought right out. As scary as these eels are, they weren’t anywhere near the size of the one we saw in 2010.
An angry eel
After we left the Coral Garden the boat cruised around Matira Point and past Matira Beach and some of the resorts on Bora Bora. We were heading to where the stingrays are, but on the way the crew saw a manta ray and we stopped and all quickly jumped over the side to see it.
Manta ray in the Bora Bora lagoon
This was a female ray and she stayed around us for ages. She was quite deep and the guides asked us not to swim too close, but they were able to get down near her.
The boat them moved on to where the stingrays hang around. This is a much shallower area and everyone was able to stand up as the stingrays swam around them. The rays are not timid at all and they try to get as close to the swimmers as possible. It can be a bit disconcerting to have three stingrays clambering over one another to nuzzle you!
Stingray
The rays have had their barbs removed, so they are pretty much harmless, but it is a strange feeling to be surrounded by them.
Three stingrays trying to get close to me
There were also a lot of black tip reef sharks swimming around us here, too. While they are supposed to be quite timid, they showed no sign of this as they brushed our legs and bodies.
Sharks and ray swimming together
Sharks swimming close to me
Once again we climbed aboard the boat and relaxed while we made our way through the main gap in the reef that is used by large ships entering and leaving the lagoon and out to the best shark location. Here the crew got in the water first and scattered some food to attract the sharks. It took no time for the sharks to surround the boat and they then let us enter the water.
Black tip reefs sharks
As well as the black tip sharks, there were also three lemon sharks that came to where we were swimming.Lemon sharks are stocky and powerful sharks and can grow in excess of 3 metres long. Lemon sharks are not seen as a large threat to humans.
Lemon shark almost 2.5 metres long
The guides swam down and played with the lemon sharks, which seemed to take this in good cheer.
Guide swimming with large lemon shark
They also took some of us down deep and let us hold the dorsal fin and be pulled along, too. We couldn’t hold on for long, but it was an experience.
Peter being pulled along by the shark
After a long swim here we all climbed back aboard the boat and headed back into the lagoon. The boat turned north and we went around the island to the Le Meridien wharf to complete a circumnavigation of Bora Bora.
Coming around the north end of Bora Bora
We have been on this tour twice and have found it excellent both times. If we travel to Bora Bora again we will look to take it again.
Swimming with sharks sounds a bit daunting, but there is nothing to fear once you are in the water and the experience is one that is hard to beat.