Bora Bora may be hideously expensive and slightly overhyped, but when you see sights like we did today, you get to appreciate why prices here are just so sky high here. Even though it was cloudy, the incredible colours of the lagoon (not just blue, but turquoise, jade and all shades in between) combined with the stunning green mountains of the island to provide some million dollar views.
I joined a snorkelling tour that took us out to the coral gardens to see a kaleidoscopic array of fish, only hyperventilating once when an enormous razor-toothed barracuda crept into view – I don't know who was more alarmed, me or the tropical fish it wanted to eat.
They then took us to a shallow area of the lagoon that's frequented by large numbers of sting rays and black-tipped sharks. I've swam with them a few times before, so I tried my best to look as nonchalant as I could, while a few of my fellow snorkelers almost freaked out at their first view of a dead-eyed shark, or when a rubbery ray rubbed up against them. Inside, I was suppressing my screams, as I didn't want to repeat my expletive-ridden shouts from my encounters with the tunas last year in Australia. Swimming with these harmless sharks is a bit like going on a rollercoaster ride – you absolutely know that there's no real danger in it, but it's still a thrilling experience.
So, to let our adrenaline levels ease down, we were taken to a remote motu (desert island) on the outside of the reef to have a tasty barbeque lunch, sitting out on benches in the shallow water, and to go for a swim in the warm lagoon. Sitting out here in this tranquil location, with only the views and the lagoon to occupy us, you can't help but think that a place like this doesn't really need flashy all those 5-star resorts and luxurious over-water bungalows – the natural beauty speaks for itself.
If you keep it simple in Bora Bora, there can't be many more beautiful places on this planet.
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