Words and photos can't describe the beauty and excitement of our days in Fakarava. This atoll is one of 78 coral atolls that make up the Tuamotus of French Polynesia.

We took the dingy past a myriad of tiny beaches and coral barriers that separate the wild ocean from the calm lagoon. Every turn offered stunning beauty: bright white sand islets, ribbons of clear turquoise seas, bright red coral reefs and lush green vegetation.

Dennis, Nico and I had the best snorkeling of our lives with tens of thousands of brightly colored reef fish, groupers, black tipped sharks and four-foot, bright blue Napoleon Wrasses. A handful of journalists and photographers from the BBC were nearby to record some 18,000 mating groupers who arrive each year during the full moon at the winter solstice (of the Southern Hemisphere). There was also a journalist from GQ writing about an adventurous man living on the atoll. Otherwise we had the pass to ourselves.

Tomorrow we will exit the pass and make a two night sail to Moorea. Tonight we're savoring our days and nights with French wine and Nico's rich, spicy pasta. The moon is full, the sky is filled with stars and all of us are grateful for this experience.