Îles Tuamotu et Gambier Sports & Outdoors

  Nice Catch!
by Geisha_Girl
 
  • Nice Catch!
      Nice Catch!
    by Geisha_Girl
  • We saved them from the sharks!
      We saved them from the sharks!
    by Geisha_Girl
  • Gun-totin' Fisherman
      Gun-totin' Fisherman
    by Geisha_Girl
  • Shark Tale:
      Shark Tale: "Come hither, little...
    by Geisha_Girl
  • The HERO of Fakarava
      The HERO of Fakarava
    by Geisha_Girl
 
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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Is fishing worth all that DANGER?

by Geisha_Girl

Despite the close calls with the local sharks, the fish we caught were well worth the attempt!We found the nearby secluded island to pull up our boat and prepare our Polynesian feast !!Watching our local guides prepare the fish island-style (from cleaning, gutting, and roasting over burning coconut husks and palm leaves), we learned so much!Christian and I gathered fresh seashells to use to scrape meat from the fresh coconuts and prepare our own delicious version of the island delicacy, "Poisson Cru"We packed fried rice prepared fresh at the guest house before departure, and ice cold beer, water, and soft drinks in the cooler. Add that in with our freshly barbecued catch of the day, and we had a ROYAL FEAST!Even our Aussie fisherman friends joined in on the party.Speaking of which..........so how did those Bone Fisherman do?

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No Bones About It

by Geisha_Girl

With thousands of dollars worth of equipment in tow, their own documentary cameraman, and strong will for some Bone sighting, our Aussie friends returned from their all-day outing empty handed.Their only mission to come to Fakarava was for the sport of Bone Fishing.These professional fisherman travel all over the world to engage in this fly-fishing sport, and they have a magazine published in Australia about their excursions.Bonefish inhabit tropical and warm temperate waters worldwide, and the fisherman had much success the prior year finding them in the nearby islands of French Polynesia.Alas, Fakarava produced no game for them.Nevertheless, sun-drenched, sunburnt, and famished.......our feast back on the "Robinson Crusoe" island proved to be the welcome lift of their spirits that they needed.

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The one that "almost" got away!!

by Geisha_Girl

As "Keeper of the Boat" I was being highly entertained at seeing the spear fishing taking place a short distance ahead.One by one, I saw the fish being tossed into the bins (yes, the one Christian was trailing alongside him). Those fish were relentless and tried wholeheartedly to jump back into the water!Being the fearless Sybarite, Christian made every attempt not to let one of those creatures go. I saw him diving and bobbing his head in and out of the waters..........while swimming away from the school of sharks that were quickly circling him!He made the heroic "rescue" of this little guy, diving straight down into the deep despite the sharks, to place him back with the others. It was an "adrenaline rush" he says. For me it was sheer panic to watch it all take place! "Can't we just stick to frozen fishsticks?" ;-)

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Shark Buffet!

by Geisha_Girl

As the men made their way through the deep waters, catching fish, I bravely designated myself the *official* "Keeper of the Boat!" I made sure those freshly caught fish in the cooler didn't.........er........get away or get swiped by pirates !!!Okay, okay, so I was being a sissy about going into the shark-infested waters ! ;-)As a consolation, my guide re-assured me: "Don't worry, if you come into the water, the sharks won't come after you. They'll be after CHRISTIAN 'cuz he's the one carrying the bin of the freshly caught fish!"SAY WHAT??!!!

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Spear Fishing!

by Geisha_Girl

They say A Polynesian perfected the underwater spear-gun and underwater fishing grew at pace. Hook fishing on the far edge of the reef and collective fishing were slowly abandoned. Now I could see why.As we moved our boat from place to place, trying to reel in more fish for lunch, the fish just didn't seem to be taking the bait.So our guide took the men and made a dive undersea for some serious game.Spear fishing requires a combination of strategy and technique. Although it seemed in these waters, even just a little technique was sufficient.Once the fish came face to face with the tip of the spear guns, rather than make a run for it (as is the norm)........they froze still in their tracks making it quite easy to make the catch.One by one they were caught. All in a matter of minutes.However, as they were speared and caught......the scent and trails they left behind left room for those...

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Is the Fish Fresh? But of course!

by Geisha_Girl

We were on a roll ! There was one point during our boat trip where the fish were just hooking our bait like there was nothing to it! Then again, there were some areas of the water where the sharks (yes sharks!) would mooch off our prey.At one point we hit a dry spell, and no fish were being caught.So what's the answer???Bring in the BIG GUNS!!!

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Go Fish !

by Geisha_Girl

One of our most memorable days on this island was spent on a boat, touring the outer motus of this area.Our host at the guest house invited us to come aboard his fishing boat to drop off the other guests, a group of Bone-Fishing sportsmen from Australia.With their heavy load of expensive gear, we dropped the Aussie crew off to their remote locale to seek out Bone Fish, while we took off (with our rusty hook, string, and stale squid as bait ) to catch lunch !!I made my contribution to the menu (3 times!) with this lunker! All you need is a boat, some string, a hook, and bait. Oh, and it helps to bring along 3 or 4 strong able men to help you reel up the BIG ones !! ;-)Oh! Don't forget to lather on the SPF also! The sun can be a monster out there in the middle of paradise!

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Thumbs WAY up on the fishing in Fakarava!

by Geisha_Girl

If you're ever in the area of Circonscription Administrative des Îles Tuamotu et Gambier, you've gotta make an all-day event out of the fishing there!

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