On the 31st anniversary of what will surely be recognized in the future as the "Greatest Day in the History of the World" we find ourselves alone in what has to be one of the most beautiful anchorages in the world. There is an idyllic little beach on our stbd side with a dramatic backdrop of Moai (generally pronounced Mo-Ah, but probably most correctly Mo-Ah-ee) that tends to get reasonably busy from 2-5 in the afternoon. On our stern is a mottled hill of green and straw covered land with wild horses roaming free. On our bow to the north is a point of land, with bluff cliffs, around which I found an amazing little dive spot.
Situated just to the west of Ovahu beach and just around the corner from Anakena is a small cove in the center of which is a small rocky island. The cove offered protection and a nice 10' spot to anchor the dingy and don our gear. It was then just a 100'-150' swim (through decent surge, but nothing heroic) to about 40' of water that immediately became calm and welcoming. With its cobalt blue color and 100+ foot visibility the slope drops down to about 80' before turning to sand and in that distance from 40' depths down to 80' stand the most amazing coral structures we have ever seen. Looking like Dr. Seuss drip castles, the coral has formed into 10 to 15 foot pinnacles of every color through which swim a decent number (for Easter Island anyway) of mostly colorful fish, some of which we had never seen before. We finished our dive by circumnavigating the little rock island, which turned out to be a waste as the south side was fairly boring so our suggestion to friends would be for just a simple out and back through the main channel, heading due north down to 70ish feet, roaming around a bit and then returning south through the same channel.
In the afternoon mom and I went to the beach to enjoy a bit of sun and relaxation. Tonight we have lasagna and then peach cobbler for desert while we continue to watch season 2 of "24" which we have all become a bit engrossed with. A wonder ful birthday overall though I do miss my family and friends back home.
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