Logbook: Motu Totegegie

Everywhere we go in Mangareva is beautiful. Motu Totegie is no exception. Motu Totegegie is the name of the motu where the airport is and is not fantastic holding (a lot of large rocks and rock ledges mixed with sand) or great protection from fetch coming from the wrong direction. Still, both the holding and protection are adequate and we weathered a few squalls with southerly wind (and the associated fetch) before the winds went calm.

Like almost everywhere in Mangareva, the water at Motu Totegegie is clear and beautiful, the reef/ocean side if fun to walk, and the shores are inviting (and often lined with real sand, not coral bits).

What is quite unique about Motu Totegegie is that it is right by a false pass. False passes are cuts in the reef that are not deep enough for a deep draft boat to transit. In some cases, they aren’t deep enough for any boat to transit or perhaps are deep enough at some but not all tides. We found the false pass just barely navigable for our dinghy at lower tides (with serious risk for your dinghy prop) and relatively straightforward at high tide.

While were there, the seas were calm enough for a few days for us to go outside the pass with friends, in a couple of dinghies and snorkel and fish in the deep blue.
Great water clarity and a lot of big fish. The coral was OK. The canyons splitting the reef were really interesting.
We spent a lot of time hunting and gathering and hanging out at the beach for potlucks, sundowners, afternoon BBQs, and game playing with various boats. It turned into social central and reminded us of our time in S Fakarava at Sud Bar. The Frenchies seem more likely to prepare their food at the beach, perhaps over the fire, than to show up with perfectly made stove/oven creations which has been fun (and a learning experience) for us.