I missed telling you about Rangiroa on June 6. I think it was because I couldn't get online. A glass-bottom boat made it possible for me to see what's going on underwater without actually snorkelling. Wonderful! We started early, first excursion out so the fish weren't glutted with food. The boat seats ten passengers, five on each side on benches enabling them to lean over and peer down through two deep enclosures with glass on the bottom. We gazed through shallow, incredibly clear water at the fishes going about their morning business: surgeon fish, butterfly fish, parrot fish. Our boat driver put on the longest fins I've ever seen and snorkel goggles and a breather and took frozen fish, snaring hunks on the spear of a spear gun, then diving down to offer breakfast to the little fish and big ones, too: lemon sharks and black-finned sharks and a bigger fish that played tug-of-war over a juicy hunk with a tortoise--right below us! We were given pieces of stale baguettes to toss overboard, to see the fish attack it as if they piranhas and the bread was a man overboard. I thought it would be a good way to get rid of a body (human) and said as much. See, don't watch horror movies, It's already been done.

That was a lovely day and the weather was divine. The world is so full of a number of things/I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings. (R.L. Stevenson)