Paradise Found
Ending our stay in Ha’apai we checked out with the local officials, and headed northern most island in the group, Ofalonga. En route we stop three times to watch whales frolick under clear tropical sky.
This uninhabited island is guarded by a large coral reef forming and ideal lagoon all the way around the island. I dropped the hook in the southern end where the reef jets out providing good protection.
After a bit we launch the dinghy and make our way through the easy to see pass to the whitest sand I have ever seen. I had noticed that the water temperature on boat depth sounder was up over 80, 5 degrees warmer than in Vavau— not what I expected. Then when I put my pinky in the water inside the lagoon, a large smile came over me. This was water more like the Tuamotos, warm warm warm… We skorkled about the reef seeing many fish and live coral enjoying the freedom that isolation and warm water enable.
After a stint in the water we took a stroll around the beach, not a trace of human life, we made the only human foot prints in the sand—we had this little piece of paradise to ourselves, yahooooo!!! Well us and this big bird. This is what I had come for, the treat of a lifetime.
If all that was not enough—as we made our way back to Furthur in the dink, I spotted a spout just past the boat. We zoomed out to find three humpback whales breaching and playing about. At one time they came right for the dink—yes three 40 foot whales heading for us in a 11 foot boat, yikes! They dove under the boat and I popped on a mask and fins, and that was all—so I am the only one I know to “skorkel” with the whales. Wow something that had not even made the “bucket list” and had been checked off.
To top off the perfect day the full moon rose in the east just as the huge sun set in the west. We dined under the full moon which illuminated the white sand on the beach and sparkled on the water. Yup, just another ho hum day in paradise..
