Bula, dua nunu, tolu vasivi sigas, Vinaka! (Hello, one dive, three excellent days, Thank You!)
Writing the blog is a way to say thanks to Cheryl and Karen for allowing me to spend 3 weeks aboard Interlude during their cruising season in Fiji. The only expectations are you join the galley crew, AKA, do the dishes and write the blog when you meet them somewhere in the world. It’s impossible to write about everyday and would be quite boring for the average reader so this year I elected to share 1 dive and 3 excellent days.
To give you a perspective, I arrived in Nadi and took a commuter flight to Taveuni where I was met with all smiles! From there we took a 45-minute ride to Paradise Resort where we stayed for a week. Upon departure, and one day before the humpbacks arrived ☹we left for Rabi Island, dropped a hook and were there for two nights before heading around UDA point, the north-east end of Vanua Levu. I depart today from Labasa, Vanua Levu on a commuter flight to Nadi and will take the evening flight back to the United States.
Diving the White Wall on Rainbow Reef
The White Wall is a dive site that’s only accessible in a changing current right before slack tide around a full moon. In layman’s terms, a slack tide is the time between high and low or low and high tide when the seas are equalizing and before they change direction. It took 6 days but we got there. We were first to enter the tunnel in the wall with an exit about 90’. Turn left with the current and you see a wall of white coral – up, down, side to side. Then, you reach the next tunnel which takes to back to about 60’ and it’s gone, cool!
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| Great White Wall |
One Day, Exploring Rabi Island
We arrived on Rabi Island after cruising from Paradise Resort on Taveuni. The next day we went into shore and when we reached the road we met the teacher from Tabiang Pre-School who invited us in to watch the kids perform. We took her up on her offer and I’m not sure who was smiling more – us or the kids who were very pleased they could show us their knowledge of the English language. They sang songs in English, their 2nd or 3rd language sharing their knowledge of numbers, letters, months, and days. They danced and shared what they want to be when they grow up – policemen, nurses, lawyers, and doctors. In the end, they played a hula hoop game to show off their skills, and some of them are very good!
Next, we met a man who was coming back from the market on our trek up the road. He offered us bananas as a welcome to the island, it could not have been a better gesture!
Finally, to top off the day we took the dinghy to the area where the mantas play. At least 10 of them were there to swim around us, awesome!
One Day, Sailing
We made our way from Also Island in Lagi Bay through the cut in Waivala Reef to Sau Sau Pass and then into Black Jack Anchorage. It was a peaceful, relaxing day on the water! Upon arrival, we jumped in the water and swam to a sandy beach.
One Day, Sugar Cane, Locals, and the Sau Sau Island Sandbar
What’s better than farming and trains? Sandbars!
Today we went into shore and, like everywhere I’ve been in Fiji, the people are wonderful and welcoming. Everyone invites you in for tea and to learn about you but we learn as much or more about them. Today the farm workers were piling the newly cut sugarcane onto the rail car and getting it ready to go to the sugar mill on the Sugar Cane Train. It was break time so they enjoyed some kava before heading back out to fill two more railcars.
After lunch, we went to Sau Sau Island where there is a sandbar that comes out at low tide and goes as far as the eye can see. The creatures we saw in ankle deep water interesting – shifting sand sea stars, brittle stars, swimming crabs, carinate Mantis, baby sea cucumbers, banded snake eel and reticulated morays. It’s super cool but I’ll let the pictures speak to the adventure!
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| Brittle Stars |
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| Sau Sau Sand spit |
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| Sau Sau sand spit looking back at Vanua Luvu |
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| The explorers |
VINAKA!!!
