Moana in New Caledonia

"We had heard rumors about a paradise uninhabited atoll to the West of Ouvea with the strange name of Beautemps Beaupre (BB), only 25 miles away. The rumour also said that it was a difficult place to anchor, get protection and the charts were very rough and not of much help. We decided to give it a try and left one early morning from Ouvea. A couple of friends from Ouvéa, Fabian and Marie, who were keen divers loved the idea, left their job for a few days and came with us. When we arrived in BB, conditions were good, the water crystal clear and we proceeded carefully to get inside the lagoon. This was clearly one of these places where you have to ignore the charts, put on your polarized sunglasses and adapt to what you see. We anchored in front of a small beach, there was little bit of chop coming in from the ocean but nothing major. We were there, we were alone in paradise with a million birds and thousands of turtles! BB turned out to be one of the best experiences during our entire trip. The island is pretty small only around 3x1 km but the lagoon is huge. Completely untouched with fantastic animal life. The weather was fairly stable except for some smaller squalls and a waterspout which looked a bit scary but never came really close! Later in Nouméa we became even more aware of how lucky we had been, during the months we stayed we never met anyone who had visited BB. Maybe it is a good thing if it can be kept that way!"

Kim, Christine & Johan on board Moana