I stabbed the knife deep into the flesh and repeated jabbing frantically till it stopped moving and I was sure I had killed it. Keeping my fingers away was painful but getting them chopped off by the mouth of the clam was a worst option. Prying the knife pick out of the clams mouth I then had to wiggle it out from between coral and put it in the bag with the others Dailin, Teddy and I had harvested. For over an hour we scoured the coral avoiding it’s sharp arms that threatened to slice us to ribbons when big waves shoved us toward them. After collecting the clams they showed us how to clean them and cut three black sacks off that spill vile black past out if punctured. After a quick rinse in the ocean and a sprinkle of lime we popped the raw fleshy clump of meat in our mouths and enjoyed some super fresh lunch. This small motu we have been at since last night and our adventures on it remind me of a favorite book “Lord of the flies”.

The night before Dailin and I were picked up by a small tin boat and taken to a motu for an adventure with a couple other locals and Teddy (25) who is our friend Gloria’s son. On the way we had to weave through coral head in the dark, some were submerged and others submerged but dangerously close to the surface. Lucky for us we were in a metal boat and the driver was very experienced (we still crashed into one coral head). Once we got to the motu the water got so shallow Teddy, Dailin and I had to get out and walk down the beach to the spot so the boat was higher in the water and they could drive.

The place where we were sleeping was right on the beach with a woven frond roof but no walls and a comfy sand floor. We put down a tarp and laid out our beds. I don’t think I was really thinking properly when we left because I never checked the blankets we packed until we got there. Dailin was set with a full body blanket and mine was I believe Teyauna’s fleece blanky…  So it only covered up to my waist. Normally I wouldn’t care I mean it’s not anything as cold as Canada but the mosquito’s and nono’s where having a party with my blood (poor bugs they probably starve to death on those little deserted motu’s) So I turned my blanket like a diamond so it loosely covered my feet and half my chest, the amount of bites on my face in the morning however was fantastic.

In the morning we made a super smoky fire in a big tin can to keeps the bugs back and filled it with wet coconut husks. When I asked where the bathroom was they said “anyplace out of sight from here” alright then. Dailin and I made some super tough rope and bracelets out of tree bark we twisted and hunted for cool coral to string on it. After that is when we hunted for clams and ate them raw and around 3 headed back to the boat after an awesome time on the wild side of Bora Bora.

Jaeden