What's a Motu and why do I need Tua them?

Well we are still in the Tuamotu's and I can say that Motu means island but Tua is anyone's guess. Not sure why they call them that, seems they should be called TuaAtolls since that is truly what they are. Anyhow The Boys and I (Bruce) thought it about time we sent out an update of our own and this seemed the place to do it.

First off we thought we would describe the Islands. I mean Atolls. Well that seems like a lot of work so instead turn on an episode of Gilligan's Island,,, or Atoll and that pretty much describes it. If that seams like too much work switch your Screen Saver on your computer to the AZUL background and that is pretty much what it is like. Lotsa beautiful sandy beaches (without bitey bugs) covered with palm trees and surrounded by crystal clear turquoise water. The beaches are crushed coral and great for all of us kids to run and play on. Another occupant of the Atolls that love to run or kinda crawl or walk sorta sideways are the Hermit Crabs. Okay that may not be entirely accurate. These little land based crabs are about the size of a softball (or their shell is) and crawl all over the beaches and in the palm fronds. They actually get their names from eating coconuts not looking like a coconut :) The crews of Capaz, Moorea and Ohana Kai all picked our favorite crab drew a big circle in the sand, placed our contenders in the center, and the race was on. Well the race was on for some of the racers for others it was nap time (I'm thinking these guys are nocturnal). Lets just say that My spindly legged little critter didn't cross the finish line ......EVER. Good thing we weren't betting.

The other big draw to these Islands, aside from the huge underground crab racing syndicate is diving or snorkeling. Lisa and the Boys have become quite aquatic and very adept at snorkeling and can even free dive 10 feet or better (future abaloneers, Ed we are almost off the hook). The multitude of coral and tropical fish is endless and every dive brings something new to examine. The one constant to every dive we have made here in the Tuomotus is sharks....I'm sorry, I mean !!!!!!!!SHARKS!!!!!! That's right Sharks Sharks and more sharks. In fact Matthew just checked and at the present time there are no less than 14 black tip reef sharks circling the boat. Now that may seem like a lot, but the record is 22. Of course we were throwing out some old ham at the time but a record is a record. Remember the water is crystal clear and you can see these little critters perfectly. I think we may have made a mistake feeding them, they are kinda like puppies that you feed and then won't go home. Of course those are 5 foot long swimming
puppies with dorsal fins and large gnashing teeth. Below is a partial email I received from our good friend Jim when he heard the boys were swimming with sharks it seems appropriate.

"When dealing with a significant SHARK population one should exercise extreme caution. Although experts will state that you have a better chance of being attacked and bitten by the neighbors poodle, it has been my contention that the poodle "viscus "(yes that's what I meant) as he may be, has been responsible for far fewer injuries and eating's as your run of the mill black tip. In closing you must wonder if swimming with the SHARKS is indeed worth the risk of life and limb. Ask yourself next time you go into the water "when was the last time Hollywood made a movie about a poodle that was rampaging through a neighborhood Gnawing on the unsuspecting mail or garbage man."

Well in actuality the boys have gotten very use to there presence and don't get overly excited when seeing them anymore. That is except when Matthew's Light Saber fell overboard last night and before he really thought it through he jumped in after it. At that point there were only about 7 sharks around the boat and he got barely a sniff from any of them, but in hind
sight I don't think even Princess Lea could coax him to make that plunge again. When I asked him if he thought about the sharks before he jumped he said "No, but as soon as I jumped in the middle of the air I saw them, but it was to late then. I did save my light saber though" Anyway Grandparents and Loved ones don't fret too much, we will make sure that your name sakes return with all of their appendages. Besides it's the white tips you need to watch out for not the black tips. I mean the black tips out number the white tips at least 2 to 1 in our sightings. I LIKE my odds!!!!!

Bruce

TheMartins on Ohana Kai
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