Once again we are hiding out from strong winds and rainsqualls. It has given us a good look at the eastern rim of the lagoon, which is protected by a string of tiny sand islets covered in palm trees. The pearl farm is over here, but they discourage visitors, so the islands where we are anchored are inhabited only by land crabs and hundreds of giant red hermit crabs that all live in turban shells. We have found some curious octopus, one that played with my shark-poking-stick for a while, grabbing it and pulling it into his hole then turning it all around with his sucker feet. Another caught and ate a crab in front of me. The sharks here are extra curious too, which is why I carry the stick when snorkeling. Yesterday a gray shark that I did not identify cruised past and as I perched over a coral head waiting to see if he would come back, a rather large black tip came at me. He took off when I jabbed my stick in his direction and I decided the snorkel was over for the day at that point.

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