11 
aqualung^-raaasc. dislodge^ them from beneath coral hea ds unde r which 
they tod heoome wedged. After thesej dredgln^(attemp^the Captain 
moved the ’’Mareva" across the 8-mile wide lagoon to another islet. 
where we had lunch 
sandy lagoon shore. 
p yof f the 
That afternoon the dinghy landed us on the lagoon beach, and 
crossing the narrow islet, densely covered with coconut 
palms and other trees and shrubs, ¥/e found ourselves on the windward 
side of the reef that is Tikahau. Against its outer face great 
i 
rollers from across the wide Pacific roared unceasingly as they 
broke against the reef and threw sliyward great sheets of//ater and 
/ i* 
wind-blo?«i spray. At low tide it is possible to vfork over the flat 
of the ree:p4nd in the gulleys dissecting it. Through these the 
Y«ater re^es v/ith each surge of the sea. Occasionally the crest of 
the proverbial fifth or seventh roller (for safety’s sake make sure 
of your count) boils across the top of the reef. Woe betide the 
unwary if not braced in time to meet this wave, for he may be 
forcibly throTun dov/n and, as has sometimes happened, have his clothes 
rij)ped off by being ’’Yfashed” over the rough surface of the reef, 
iiader and among the lunps and boulders of coral that the sea has 
tossed on the top of the reef, and in the interstices of the coral 
lining the gullies Y/ere found a treasure trove of little fish, q 
sea shells, and other invertebrates . ^ , 
^ /4n__l^’-llic night spent on the ”Mar eva ” , ^itei^'^he tropical 
moon shiningjfover the palms of Maiai 
our ..little vesse' 
ocKing 
