The Bounty Of Bora Bora Swimming With Sharks Or Soaking In Sunshine, This Paradise-Found For Romantic Travelers Offers Exotic Adventure In A Relaxing Atmosphere

The sinister black eye fixed on me intently, and despite the hot sun and warm water, I began to shiver.

In a role reversal, the subject of interest was suddenly me, and the sleek, gray torpedo shape turned swiftly, easily closing the distance between us. Closing, closing…

Hold perfectly still and do nothing, I kept telling myself - sharks are not really dangerous. Then, as quickly as it appeared, the 4-foot-long, black-tipped shark slid narrowly past and away in the shallow water, hardly acknowledging our meeting as we exchanged glances through the lens of a dive mask.

It has been said that before dying we must all search for our own little paradise on Earth, and - like seasoning - taste at least a tad of adventure. If that’s the case, on Bora Bora, I had fulfilled both wishes.

Bora Bora, one of French Polynesia’s Society Islands in the South Pacific, is a place of legends and dreams. It has been dealt such extraordinary natural beauty that even the briefest visit here fulfills the historic craving for paradise found.

For the adventure, there is the exploration of the “Lagoonarium,” a natural aquarium formed by stringing underwater wire fencing through a large expanse of shallows between two fringe islands, known in the native language as “motus.” Thus enclosed, the sections of free-flowing water are filled with a lively variety of tropical fish. When visitors arrive, after an outrigger canoe ride across the wide cobalt-colored lagoon, they are encouraged to dive right into the finny fray and join in hand-feeding the residents. As we stood in the shallows tossing scraps to the ravenous and colorful fish, the commotion made the surface roll and boil.

Later, standing at the water’s edge, we hand-fed giant rays, as big and black as manhole covers. The rays were entertaining and gentle, but had developed the disconcerting habit of coming nearly out of the water to flap their wings on bare feet until appropriate attention was paid. Equally insistent were the large green sea turtles, some as big as the hood of my car, who showed just a little more class as you swam with them, but not much more patience than the rays.

But it’s the shark pen that holds the most fascination. Covering about an acre, and sloping to a depth of 4 feet, black tips and lagoon sharks swim nervously back and forth like hungry lions in a zoo waiting to be fed. Despite the sinister look and the reputation of their cousins, these types are not normally dangerous to man, and islanders enjoy hand-feeding the tame specimens for astonished visitors. Nevertheless, jumping in and swimming amongst them is a particularly unnerving experience.

Bora Bora has been settled for only 1,500 years, though it first rose from the ocean floor as a large, powerful volcano, 7 million years ago. As the volcano subsided and began to sink back into the sea, what is left is the weather-eroded twin peaks of Otemanu and Pahia whose bare, black rock walls dominate the high, wild interior of the island and almost every view. As the volcano sank, a reef formed around the outside, gradually growing into today’s string of motu islands, sheltering a large, blue lagoon inside.

The effect is truly splendid, and Bora Bora - through legend, word of mouth, art and literature - has grown into a sacred pilgrimage for dreamy-eyed travelers. Romantics all over the world yearn to visit here.

However, today a visit to Bora Bora no longer has to take on the aura of pilgrimage. Prices the past two years have plunged as airline competition heats up. Numerous charters are making the trek, with combination land/air packages from the United States priced in the same ranges as the Caribbean, Mexico, or even parts of Florida. Competition between Air France and AOM to fill empty seats on their westbound jumbos flying from Paris through New York and Los Angeles to Papeete, Tahiti, has made such South Seas excursions far more affordable.

My father served in the South Pacific during World War II, when Bora Bora had been occupied by 6,000 U.S. servicemen and was known as forward station “Bob Cat” in the struggle against Japan.

He entertained the family for many an hour with tales of Bora Bora - from the beauty of the mountains, to the warmth and clarity of the gentle seas and lagoon. As children we felt we knew each bend in the sandy, palm-shaded lane that circled the island. Though the U.S. Navy occupation ended in 1946, the island still remembers. Natives still remember and inquire of American visitors, hoping they may be returning acquaintances of long ago. Today there are more than a few names that are not French or Polynesian, and a fair share of such features as blue eyes and light complexions, evidence of a less publicized aspect of the times.

In the jungle and along Faanui Bay the scars of the once great war machine have faded, reclaimed by the jungle or eroded by surf and wind. Yet, it is possible to hike up the hills to find the original gun emplacements, some surprisingly intact, or locate vintage Quonset huts in the jungle and spy remains of wharves built to tie up submarines or seaplanes.

One legacy of the war years is the air strip on Motu Mute. For years it survived as the only international airport in the islands, and all visitors, even to Tahiti, arrived through Bora Bora, and had to catch a ferry to their final destination.

Its lone town, Vaitape, can hardly be called a city, consisting mainly of a wharf, and several dozen small commercial establishments around it, all somewhat focused on the dock. The small, thatched-roof island homes tend to spread away from this point, up just one level on the hillside behind, or along the solitary shore road that encircles the island.

Various examples of “Le Truck” - as locals call these colorfully painted open flatbed trucks. with benches bolted to the floor - are waiting to meet incoming visitors and carry them to various hotels. Beyond that, there is really not much in the way of public transportation, nor need for it. The island is only 17 miles around, and bicycles work just fine.

The lagoon that surrounds Bora Bora really is the stuff of legends. It is clear, brimming with sea life, warm as a bathtub, and more inviting than a champagne hot tub. The primary island activity is largely lying on the beach and reading a good book while baking the flesh until it takes on a warm, brown Polynesian tone.

From that point on, most activity evolves into some variation of travel on or below the waters of the lagoon.

There are several dive establishments on the island, so scuba aficionados won’t be disappointed, but much of what there is to see can be explored with mask, snorkel and fins.

The section off Mount Rufau near the Hotel Bora Bora is among the most spectacular shallow underwater locations in the world.

Almost every hotel offers free use of small sailboats, and this is a pleasant way to pass the days here, even if you are not an experienced sailor.

For the more vigorous, there are outrigger canoes for loan, which are amazingly easy to paddle and control, and will soon have you and your companions exploring uninhabited islands and unspoiled beaches, shelling and picnicking with a spectacular view of Otemanu and Pahia as a backdrop.

In addition, most hotels will arrange fishing trips, visits to other nearby islands, or various cruises ranging from party trips, snorkeling, and beach barbecues, to romantic sunset sails.

It should be said that if you have never witnessed a South Pacific sunset, the reality is more glorious than any description.

Hotel Bora Bora was the first and remains the toast of the island’s hotels. It speaks of old money, pampering, privacy and plush accommodations.

For this, however, you will pay - and pay dearly. So unless you really don’t have to ask the price, or are doing a once-in-a-lifetime thing, it pays to look at several other island hotels that are a good value.

Whether swimming with sharks, handfeeding a ray, or gliding over the warm, windswept waters of the lagoon, it is impossible to escape the feeling that Taaroa, or even Maui, the first High Priestess of the Maohi people, are still watching over their favorite daughter.

Bora Bora more than lives up to its billing as a mythical place where paradise is an everyday thing and natural beauty is the greatest of all gifts.

So many of those sailors who stopped off at “Bob Cat” have never truly left, and in their hearts, like the warm Polynesian people they came to love dearly, probably never will.