This little atoll called Amanu has proven to be a true hidden gem.  The turquoise water is so clear that you can see 15-18 meters deep.  The corals are healthy, the motus are lined with beautiful, swaying palm trees, and the locals are friendly.

Amanu has gifted us with many beautiful rainbows (after a free boat wash).

And of course, gorgeous sunsets.

Sugar Shack seems to have found a little slice of heaven on the southeast side of Amanu.

Matt is happy here as well.

Kite boarders love this area because it is windy and shallow.  A young couple who have a kite school out of Fakarava were here with a charter.  They gifted us with many hours of free entertainment.  Pretty spectacular what they can do in high winds and seas. 

They were pretty far from us, but I tried to zoom in to capture them in the air.

Motus around Amanu

We explore lots and lots of motus.  So many that I cannot name them all because they don’t have names on our charts.  We walk from one motu, across small bodies of water to another motu and carry on until we get tired.  The terrain on the motus differs wildly.  From afar, there appears to be beaches. 

But very rarely do you find sandy shores.  The shores are usually covered in coral.  Broken coral, ranging in various sizes, and shells cover the shores. 

As you get to the windward side of the motus the coral is much larger.  These can be a little harder to walk across. 

And of course, you cross over many bodies of water in between.  Sometimes, during low tide you just have the sea bed (top left photo).  Often times you have ankle deep water (top right).  And other times you have a little sand (bottom right) and yet other times you have hard packed coral in between the bushes (bottom left).

We crossed over several low water crossings, using sandy spits to navigate to shore.  Some where above water, some below by 1′ and some as much as 3′.

One lone palm stood out on a motu.  We had to go visit it.  Do you see the palm way in the distance in the top photo?

A Whale inside the lagoon

We spotted two whales inside the Amanu lagoon!  What a treat.  Unfortunately, I did not have the large camera out to get good shots of this graceful creature.  But I did grab a few shots with my phone. 

She was about 100 meters (one football field) away. 

A whale inside the lagoon

I loved watching the tale gently glide under the water only to see the spout shortly after.

Amanu has surprised and wowed us! 

Events from this blog post occurred around the 1^st week of December, 2020.  Our blog posts run 8 weeks behind our adventures.