Splish-splashing à la piscine naturelle

It is truly a privilege to have had the chance to visit and splash around in the piscine naturelle at Oro Bay on l’Île des Pins. It was not a terribly busy day and we had parts of the pool all to ourselves. It was delightful - eventually, initially a bit shocking - to see the fish swimming directly alongside and admire how quickly they could move through the clear waters. We felt at moments like we were at the edge of the world and mused about just what might possess the first explorers to hop into a boat (what would you pack for such a journey anyhow?!) and head off into the unknown beyond the Pacific Ocean.

Unfortunately the Oro piscine naturelle strikes me as the sort of place that will become totally packed and eventually closed off to mass tourism in a few years’ time, as it becomes saturated and the fish no longer feel welcome or happy to join in. Motivated to try our best to respectfully visit as many of these sorts of precious treasured spots as possible before it's too late.Read more