uge waves crashed over the bow of our little boat as we beat against the wind. Dwarfed by the mighty South Pacific, we were just a speck on the Southern Ocean. I was in the Marquesas in French Polynesia, some of the most remote islands in the world.

A hundred dolphins porpoised in and out of our bow wave, leaping through the royal-blue waters. A mighty swell rocked us like a metronome as we followed the Polynesian Jurassic coast.

Steep cliffs plunged into the deep Pacific waters. Lush green tropical vegetation and palm trees hung from the mountainsides.

High in the mountains, vast forests of pine trees still cover the island, an effort by the French settlers to provide a source of wood for the region.

With the Friesian cattle, it lends the tropical island an alpine feel, particularly when the mist envelopes the highlands. But out here, on the ocean, as we circumnavigated the remote island of Nuku Hiva, there was no other sign of human habitation.

We had sailed through the night. A half moon illuminated the turgid ocean. I lay on deck as the cloud scudded past the moon.

Occasional breaks revealed a sky brimming with stars, a boost to morale and a temporary respite from seasickness.

Sunrise was unspeakably beautiful, highlighting the rugged cliffs, rocks and stacks in deep orange, like a highlighter pen.

Frigate birds circled overhead as we sought refuge from the strong headwinds in a small bay.

Here the colour of the water was transformed to a marine turquoise by the shallow coral reefs.

Palm trees hung over the white sandy beaches. Several small black-tip sharks circled as we lowered the anchor. We leapt into the warm waters with snorkel, mask and spear gun in an effort to catch our dinner. Hundreds of multicoloured fish swam in schools across the vibrant reef. An unsuspecting parrot fish swam into our scopes and before we knew it we were swimming back to our little dinghy before the blood attracted the unwanted attention of the sharks. Soon it was gutted and filleted and cooking on our little barbecue. We ate it with fresh mangoes and coconut water.