travelblog

June 2010 E-Newsletter

From science and photography, to astronomy and adventure, this month we celebrate multiple dimensions of our beloved Tahiti.

 

Join us for a rare experience in paradise — the total solar eclipse — July 4-12 (limited space still available)

Tahiti Expeditions is working with Betchart Expeditions to put on an extraordinary trip to see the total solar eclipse on the remote Tuamotu island of Anaa. The journey also includes a full week of adventures on Tahiti and Moorea. You'll stay in Papeete and on the island of Moorea, with snorkeling, visits to the wonderful Paul Gauguin and Indo-Pacific Cultures Museums, and barbecues on motus (little offshore islands). A world authority on the spinner dolphins will take us out to observe them around Moorea, and an anthropologist will intrigue us with tales of the history and heritage of the South Pacific. 

Get complete trip details here.

Curious about the path of the eclipse? NASA has an incredible collection of maps that show the narrow corridor that will traverse the Pacific Ocean as well as fascinating data. There is also an interactive map of the 2010 Total Solar Eclipse.

Image credit: Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA's GSFC

NATURAL HISTORY

Science in Paradise

To experienced South Pacific travelers, Moorea has long been known as the most beautiful island in the south seas. It has an amazing combination of dramatic peaks cloaked by dense tropical vegetation, broad valleys that sweep up from bayshore to ridge, crystalline lagoons, and a vibrant coral reef system. If the sheer beauty of the place wasn’t enough of a draw, it is now also one of the best studied islands in the world.   

This added dimension allows those visitors that are interested to participate in travel programs with Tahiti Expeditions that are focused on the natural and cultural history of this spectacular island. These programs are designed to be educational, active, and a lot of fun, and they draw on local experts and scientists for fascinating discussions and presentations. 

The following is a short introduction to the research institutions and some of the great research programs that they host. Information from all of these programs are woven into our unique expeditions. 

Gump Research Station and CRIOBE
It is really quite remarkable that such as small and remote island is home to two world-class research institutions, the Centre de Recherche Insulaires et Observatoire de l’Environnement (CRIOBE) and the UC Berkeley Richard Gump South Pacific Research Station (GRS). Both places have visiting researchers from all over the world with CRIOBE focusing on marine research and Gump hosting both marine and terrestrial studies. CRIOBE has been in operation here since 1971 and the Gump Station opened its doors in 1985, and the two stations have collaborated on numerous scientific programs. 

LTER
In recognition of the research presence and the relatively pristine state of the coral reefs, the National Science Foundation chose Moorea as the location for its only Long Term Ecological Research site focused on coral reefs. This program brings together more than 40 marine scientists and is intended to be operational for the next few decades at least. 

Biocode
The Moorea Biocode project has as its goal to catalog every species on the island and to develop genetic markers for each one. This is an unprecedented study and will lay the foundation for an array of future projects in ecological and evolutionary studies. Teams of researchers from all over the world have divided the island’s flora fauna up and have been working their way through all of the terrestrial and marine biota.

Archaeology 
The Oceanic Lab led by Patrick Kirch at UCB has been conducting research in Moorea’s Opunohu Valley, and elsewhere in Polynesia, for the last 20 years. During this time they have slowly uncovered the human history of this spectacular region. Opunohu Valley alone has hundreds of sites give insight into housing, agriculture, and ceremonial activities.

The Atitia Center 
Over millennia the Polynesian people have cultivated an intimate knowledge of the island environment that has allowed them to settle and thrive across the Pacific. This knowledge has been passed down through the generations to modern time and still resides with elders living today. One of the primary goals of The Atitia Center, is work with these elders to record their knowledge and turn it into educational programs for the schools and community of French Polynesia.

NEWSWORTHY

A Cubic Foot of Reef

Photographer and author David Liittschwager has an amazing article featuring the Moorea coral reef that came out in the February issue of National Geographic Magazine. David traveled the world and in different habitats examined one cubic foot of biodiversity, taking his spectacular signature portraits of every animal and plant in each sample. He did this for savanna in South Africa, and rain forest canopy in Costa Rica, a river in Virginia, and Moorea’s coral reef. It is safe to say that Moorea’s reef steals the show, with over 600 species of plants and animals in its cubic foot. Read more...

View David's amazing images: A Cubic Foot of Reef on the National Geographic site.

FEATURED ADVENTURES

Moorea Outrigger Expedition

Circumnavigation and Exploration of the Most Beautiful Tropical Island in the World — Moorea

9-day adventures, departures in August, September and October 2010.

Paddle your outrigger on crystalline lagoons. Snorkel on a coral reef and hike in lush tropical valleys. Experience field lectures and discussions of natural and cultural heritage of the islands at every turn. On this adventure you'll have priceless interactions with local inhabitants as you incircle on of the most exotic and gorgeous places on earth. This journey is ideal for families.

Coral Reef Expedition

9-day adventures, departures in July, September and October 2010.

This is a great educational adventure that features the Moorea coral reef system as an outdoor classroom. The first four days are in Moorea and we will take advantage of all of the resources here to understand the basics of coral reef ecology. Every day after exploring the reef we will have presentations and discussions in order to out what we see in a the larger context of global coral reef studies. Then we will move to Rangiroa, one of the most exciting marine environments in the South Pacific. Here we will see different habitats, and have access to larger animals like manta rays, sharks, and bottlenose dolphins.

This is a fantastic trip for families or groups of friends that want to explore and learn together about the most diverse marine ecosystem on the planet. You will have a blast, and leave with a new appreciation of marine science and the world of the coral reef.

NEWS COVERAGE

Nathaniel Waring breaks record for no fin swim crossing from Tahiti to Moorea.

On May 1, 2010, French-American USMS (US Masters Swimming) swimmer Nathaniel Waring broke the previous record by an hour and twenty minutes. Waring swam from the west coast of Tahiti commune of Punaauia to Vailare's dock in Moorea, covering the 10.7 mile (17 kilometer) distance in 4 hours and 57 minutes. Read more...

Nathaniel Waring breaks record for no fin swim crossing from Tahiti to Moorea.

On May 1, 2010, French-American USMS (US Masters Swimming) swimmer Nathaniel Waring swam from the west coast of Tahiti commune of Punaauia to Vailare's dock in Moorea, covering the 10.7 mile (17 kilometers) distance in 4 hours and 57 minutes. Waring broke the record previously set by Cedric Wane in January 2009 (6 hours and 17 minutes), by an hour and twenty minutes. Wane recently finished second at the USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championship held in Lubbock, Texas.

News media covered the event. Here are links to some of the stories:

May 3, 2010, tahitipresse.pf, Nathaniel Waring breaks record for swimming from Tahiti to Moorea

May 6, 2010, The Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Nathaniel Waring Sets Record From Tahiti to Moorea

May 3, 2010, ABC, radioaustralia.net (radio interview)

From the radio interview…

"WARING: Well my final time was 4 hours and 57 minutes, so that's pretty fast.



HOFMAN: You beat it by 2 hours, is that slightly unexpected?

WARING: Yeah, I went under by an hour and 20 minutes faster. My goal time which I kind of kept to myself was five and a half hours, so I was very pleased that I went under five. It is always going just under a number like that is great. But really it was, it developed during the course of the swim that I felt good that I kept pushing my pace and every hour on the hour, my support vessel would yell back my time and distance to go, which kept me motivated."

"HOFMAN: Absolutely, and just quickly, one of the parts that you mentioned was most difficult last week was the idea of adjusting to sharks in the water. So did you spot any on the day?



WARING: No, I didn't see anything. I did not see any fish, any marine life at all. In fact I was a little disappointed at the end, well not disappointed, but when I realised when I was done, that I never actually even looked at or saw Moorea in front of me which is a hard thing to miss, because Moorea has these huge volcanic peaks that go up to seven or eight thousand feet. And I think the reason for that I was so concentrating on my swim and keeping my head down and I had my canoe to my left and I looked to my left and she was there, I was in the right place.



HOFMAN: Excellent.



WARING: And I felt kind of enveloped in the cocoon of the water, so there was no fear of sharks."

About Nathaniel and the support team

• Nathaniel moved to Moorea in November 2009, and is now on sabbatical.
• Nathaniel founded and ran the USA branch of Cox & Kings, the World’s oldest travel company. He has visited over 100 countries.
• Born in Annapolis, MD in 1964 he graduated with honors from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.
• Nathaniel has swum with USMS (United States Masters Swimming) since 1992.  
• Nathaniel swam solo and without fins.
• Nathaniel swam from land to land and also touched and timed himself from channel marker to channel marker to make his crossing attempt official.
• His team consisted of a one-man canoe paddled by Matahi Brightwell and a 19’ Zodiac Captained by Frank Murphy.

Frank is President of Tahiti Expeditions and lives on Moorea. Frank and Nathaniel first discussed this swim on Nathaniel’s first visit to Tahiti in 2003. Frank’s role was to navigate and choose the best direction depending on the wind, currents, tides and swell.

Matahi Brightwell is Maori from New Zealand. Matahi is well known to Tahiti as he sailed with his late father in law, Francis Cowen from Tahiti to New Zealand on a traditional Polynesian outrigger in 1985. Matahi is a former competitive paddler and staye close to Nathaniel to guide the swimming direction and to monitor Nathaniel as well as to hand over replenishment at regular intervals.

Photos: Danee Hazama

A Cubic Foot of Reef, National Geographic Magazine

Photographer and author David Liittschwager has an amazing article featuring the Moorea coral reef due out in the February issue of National Geographic Magazine. David traveled the world and in different habitats examined one cubic foot of biodiversity, taking his spectacular signature portraits of every animal and plant in each sample. He did this for savanna in South Africa, and rain forest canopy in Costa Rica, a river in Virginia, and Moorea’s coral reef. It is safe to say that Moorea’s reef steals the show, with over 600 species of plants and animals in its cubic foot. David was assisted by Chris Meyer, from the Smithsonian Institution, and his team of marine biologists working on the Moorea Biocode project. 

Check out David’s magazine article in mid-January, or have a look on the National Geographic website. David is also working on a book that will feature more sites and a more complete collection of pictures.

View David's images — a Cubic Foot of Reef on the National Geographic site.

Maeva

Welcome to the Tahiti Expeditions Blog. We have a lot of fun experiencing and learning about these wonderful islands, and in this blog I try to include a mix of the things that we like to talk about with our guests - the nature, culture, current events, stories, and history of Tahiti and her islands. We invite you to connect with us here, on Facebook and on Twitter, to stay in touch with us and a growing community of people who love Tahiti and the South Seas as much as we do.

Frank Murphy - Chief Expeditions Officer