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The far-off Bora Bora has a mystical appearance and it reminded me of Bali Hai in the film South Pacific. I almost expected ‘Bloody Mary’ to be there to greet us as we arrived on Wednesday morning.

Sadly she was not, but later we would be entertained by some equally fascinating local characters.

We boarded small boats for our trip out into the lagoon.

Using the one-foot steering technique, our multi-talented driver provided the entertainment on route

The scenery was stunningly beautiful.

It was time to explore the depths. I donned the snorkelling gear and slowly lowered myself into the warm, turquoise blue water, but looking down I saw what appeared to be a grey shadow beneath me.

As it moved I realised that it was a large ray fish. Better not tread on that, I thought, as it gradually it moved away.

There were several around us and our driver lifted one out of the water. It didn’t seem to mind and even hung around after he set it free.

After a most enjoyable swim with these delightful creatures, we reboarded the boat and moved to a different section of the lagoon, to explore the coral beds.

Armed with just my phone and an ‘£8 on Amazon’ ‘Unbreakable’ waterproof phone case, I set out to take some underwater shots.

These are the result:

But what is that lurking beneath the boat?

Suddenly I realised that I was surrounded by three or four blacktip sharks.

I don’t fancy that little yellow fish’s chances.

After the mornings activities, we were ready for lunch. We made our way to a secluded, private island where the boats were anchored in the shallow water and we waded ashore.

They had prepared a fine buffet lunch for us, to be eaten from palm-leaf plates, and there was plenty of beer and wine.

While we ate and drank, three of our hosts played and sang local music. They were very good.

After lunch, the others joined in so they had the makings of a full ceilidh band.

But the beer and wine had started to take effect.

It was a ‘rave-up’.

Then followed the comedy routine.

What a party!

A good time was had by all, but it was time to make our way back to our ship.

On the way we passed some holiday cabins.

The Bolette was in sight.

Without any doubt, this was the best visit so far on the cruise, an occasion I will never forget.