BEAUTIFUL WATERS
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| NUDIBRANCH FIJI |
As Open Water certified PADI
divers the allure of finally diving in the Pacific Ocean was something we were
looking forward to on this trip to Fiji. Up until now all our diving had been
in the Caribbean Ocean and with the luxurious Sandals Resorts where diving was
a part of the vacation package.
We did snorkel in the Pacific
when we swam with juvenile Whale Sharks in the Pacific Ocean side of Panama,
but diving offers quite a different experience and the warm waters and coral
reefs and the biodiversity of the marine life of Fiji contrasted greatly with
the deep waters the whale sharks glided through in Panama.
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| NOT EDGAR |
SHARKS, MANTAS AND NUDIBRANCHS
In Fiji we were able to dive
in two different locations: on the Coral Coast and later in the Yasawa Islands,
a remote archipelago off the main island of Viti Levu.
We did not consider a shark
dive, although popular in nearby Pacific Harbor on Viti Levu. While on a shark
dive you observe from a “safe” distance as they chum the water with severed
tuna heads and lure in Bull Sharks, Hammerheads and other big-ass predators. As
I had been mistaken for a severed tuna head in the past, I thought it was wise
to skip this opportunity.
Our two-tank dive day with
Diveaway Fiji was a pleasant easy experience. They picked us up from our
Bedarra Beach Inn resort and drove us back, although we could have lingered at
their resort for awhile after diving. For the two of us the diving cost FJ$690,
which we had to pay in cash. At $.45 per FJ$ it was roughly $350, or about $87 per dive.
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| NOT EDGAR |
We wore scrape shirts/uv
shirts as did the two Australians who dove with us. We dove first at Fanny Hill
a very short distance from the resort where there is a series of ridges of coral
topped by Gorgonian fans. Although much of the soft coral have not quite
recovered from the Winston cyclone a few years back there was much to coral and
fish to see, including a massive Green sea turtle who ignored us as we watched
him from a short distance.
After our surface interval we
dove The Edge, again a short boat trip from shore. The Edge was a majestic
tower of coral, breathtaking in its height and length. As it was our second
dive, we could not go as deep, but we did get to swim through “tube’s” formed
by the coral. It was incredible to see such staggering growth as the coral towered over us and it was here, we
were introduced to the lovely Nudibranch.
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| NOT EDGAR |
SEA SLUGS?
Before the dive we didn’t know
about these beautiful creatures, but the other two divers scoured the coral
with their flashlights and GoPro cameras to find them. Nudibranchs are sea
slugs and before one dismisses them as mundane slugs from the garden,
Nudibranch are brilliantly colored in vibrant shades of reds, oranges, blues, purples
and yellows. Some are spotted, some striped, some have prominent gills
extending from their soft bodies. All of them were unknown to us and even on
our second dive when one fellow waved us over and pointed frantically to a
Nudibranch that was dark brown with yellow spots we went “huh”, only because we
didn’t know what we were looking at. It takes a nuanced eye to espy a Nudie.
Afterwards the divemaster
produced an encyclopedia of these beautiful little critters and now we’re
HOOKED. Turns out that despite hundreds of Nudibranchs have been found, new
ones are still being discovered. Identified and documented and verified a new
Nudibranch can be named by the discoverer! This humble diver was holding out
for finding “Edgar”! Sadly, this would not be the case. The elusive Edgar
remains out there somewhere gliding (slowly) along the coral in Fiji. A valid
reason to return to this stunningly beautiful country.
The pictures of various
Nudibranch are overwhelmingly incredibly astonishingly lovely.
CLEANING STATIONS
After a week on the Coral
Coast, we took a week-long cruise on the Blue Lagoon’s Fiji Princess. We sailed
to the Yasawa Island archipelago and there at the Barefoot Manta Resort we
booked a two-tank dive. Located on Drawaqa Island, their resort’s tender picked
us up from the Fiji Princess (which was the largest cruise ship we’ve ever been
on with a capacity of 64 passengers.). We charged our Barefoot Manta dive to our
ship’s account, and it was just FJ$550. This remote resort was rustic and
offered tourists the chance to dive and snorkel with Manta Rays. These majestic
and massive creatures frequent the waters just offshore and are often found swimming
in circular patterns that allow fish to clean their skin and gills in a symbiotic
dance.
Sadly, no Rays were found on
either of our dives, or any subsequent snorkeling forays, but the coral and
fish were still beautiful. We dove first the Pinnacle and saw Moray Eels and
very large starfish and lobster. The second dive was called Coral Wonderland
and lingering over the array of coral for just a moment revealed fish swirling
within the colorful branches, but Edgar remained elusive. We did see something
spectacular called “Warm Christmas Tree”. It was a yellow coral outcropping
that had several curious-looking “Christmas”-looking bulbs of blues, reds,
greens and yellows. Our divemaster showed us how to "play" with the creatures. They are really sea
worms who disappear into their holes whenever approached. It was a great way to
spend our required “safety stop” to the surface and play with these colorful
creatures.
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| Christmas Tree worms |
Don't worry Edgar! I will find you
Thanks for reading!
Love to all!
© 2022 Gregory Dunaj
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| CHRISTMAS TREE WORMS |
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