Our Polynesian cruise ship had just stopped at the fantastically beautiful island of Bora Bora , and we were quickly off in a smaller vessel to find the sharks and the sting rays. As promised, we had a great experience there, but then we had quite a surprise. On our way back to the ship, we stopped for a while at a magnificent coral garden. That's what I'd like to show you now.

As we all know, there are two major areas of exploration away from the land masses we all live on. One is space, where very few of us will ever venture. The other is underwater, under the oceans and seas, where we can enjoy another world, a mysterious and wonderful world of flora and fauna. Thanks to inexpensive snorkel and scuba equipment that's available, just about anybody can explore below the surface, and in so many places.

We've enjoyed both snorkeling and scuba diving in a number of oceans and seas around the world, but our very favorite places are located around the islands of Tahiti.

Take Bora Bora, for instance.