With the grace of a ballerina, Tahitian stingrays pirouette under the hull of our boat.

They glide effortlessly across their seabed stage, mindful of the audience encircling them.

The principal performer swims to the water’s surface, and two understudies follow closely behind.

Their wings flutter like a silk kaftan in an afternoon Taha’a breeze. Their tails cut through the warm sea in their wake.

I dive down amongst them and reach out a hand as the grey creatures part to my left and right.

With my palm, I feel their white bellies – they’re smooth, silken, slippery.

As the dark tails flick past, I recoil, mindful of the small and venomous barbed stingers trailing them. Stingrays can inflict damage but generally only if provoked.

As I swim back to the surface, Eric, my dark Tahitian guide, dips down to greet a ray. He caresses its sides gently, hovering over its body. They swim in unison through the transparent aqua shallows of the lagoon.

Other rays flock to Eric like ballerinas hungry for stardom. They kiss his thighs and torso, and he affectionately strokes their backs.

The rays glide away, circling again to the seabed and shadow of the boat.

I dive back down to the sand, eager to earn their trust too. It’s surprising how friendly these creatures are. They seem just as interested in us as we are in them, although I suspect they regularly meet Eric, from Terainui Tours, for a morning tea of tuna scraps.

The stingrays aren’t the only visitors we’re snorkelling with. There are plenty of blacktip reef sharks in the water too.

They’re juveniles, about a metre long, with rigid black dorsal fins protruding from their backs. Remora fish cling to their bodies for transport, protection and to collect meal leftovers.

There are just as many sharks as rays, and they swim peacefully within a metre of us, allowing a close inspection of these fascinating predators of the sea.

Traditionally timid and reportedly difficult to approach, these sharks are still known to bite people but usually only if they’ve been mistaken for food while wading in shallow water.

Other sharks that call Tahiti home are lemon, tiger and whitetip reef sharks, along with grey nurses. Green sea turtles are also common, while humpback whales call by with their calves as they migrate north from Antarctica between July and October.

The smaller spotted manta ray can sometimes be seen too but it’s the encounter with the dancing stingrays that steals my heart.

It’s difficult to leave but I make my way back to the boat. As I remove fins, mask and snorkel, a lone ray brushes against my thigh. It’s a farewell kiss by a gracious performer, I tell myself.

With the afternoon still free, Eric powers up the boat and we motor further around Taha’a – one of Tahiti’s islands still largely untouched by tourists.

We pass white yachts and catamarans, pearling huts and undeveloped motu (coral islets). We pull up at a motu with a couple of small buildings and again head straight for the water.

Eric steps up the pace by conjuring up a jet ski from somewhere and I climb on as his passenger. We take-off in this otherwise quiet patch of lagoon, heading out to a reef washed white with waves.

Jet skiing is a blast across such smooth, uncrowded water and no stinger suits are required here, unlike in Australia’s northern waters. That’s one of Tahiti’s many selling points.

It may be at a similar latitude to Cooktown but box jellyfish and other toxic creatures common in Australia don’t exist here.

You will find the aforementioned sharks, and stonefish are said to camouflage in certain coral gardens, but the dangers are a drop in the ocean compared to home turf.

Tahiti isn’t limited to snorkelling and jet skiing either – it’s a water sport enthusiast’s playground.

The group of archipelagos, of which there are five, is a reef surfing mecca, with droves of elite surfers drawn to the big wave of Teahupo’o (pronounced Tea-a-ho-poh, the locals tell me, not chow-poo).

The lagoons and trade winds (best between June-Sept) make Tahiti paradise for flat-water kite boarding and sailing. During winter, wind speeds average 15 to 25 knots.

Scuba divers will also appreciate the visibility of the water and deep-sea fishermen will be in their element.

If you want to turn the adrenaline down a notch, flat-water paddleboarding and kayaking are great ways to explore between islands, or you can simply flop beside a resort pool with a good book.

However if you choose to spend your days in Tahiti, be sure to make time for snorkelling with stingrays. It’s an underwater ballet as mesmerising as the Bolshoi.

IF YOU GO

GETTING THERE: The island of Taha’a is part of the Society Islands archipelago in Tahiti.

Air Tahiti Nui operates three weekly services from Australia to Tahiti (codeshare with Qantas for the Australia-NZ leg). Roundtrip fares from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to Papeete via Auckland, start from $1370 economy and $3765 business class (conditions apply). For more, call 1300 657 190 or visit airtahitinui.com.au.

From Papeete, you can fly with Air Tahiti onwards to the island of Ra’iatea, and from there, you can organise a boat transfer to Taha’a or your resort.

STAYING THERE: Le Taha’a Island Resort and Spa is a stunning five-star Relais & Chateaux property on a private island (Motu Tautau) not far from Taha’a. There are 57 suites and villas, including gorgeous overwater bungalows. Prices start at around 803 euros ($A1192) per night in a Taha’a overwater suite. The resort offers special honeymoon and anniversary rates. For more, go to letahaa.com

Tahiti Tourisme has a seven-night package from $4768 per person twin-share, including five nights at Le Taha’a Island Resort and Spa and two nights at Intercontinental Tahiti Resort, return economy airfares from Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane to Papeete flying Air Tahiti Nui, inter-island flights and all transfers (conditions apply). For more, call 1300 65 09 65 or visit tahitinow.com.au

PLAYING THERE: Snorkelling and jet skiing with Terainui Tours is part of a larger tour that includes visiting a pearl farm and vanilla plantation on Taha’a and snorkelling at a coral garden. You can book the tours through Le Taha’a Island Resort and Spa.

The currency in Tahiti is French Polynesian Francs (XPF). $A1 is currently worth 80 XPF.

* The writer travelled as a guest of Tahiti Tourisme, Relais & Chateaux and Air Tahiti Nui.