Will Gibson's South Pacific Journal

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN A WATERPROOF CAMERA. NOR DO I WANT TO OWN ONE. I DIVE FOR THE EXPERIENCE. MY EXPERIENCE. PHOTOGRAPHING UNDERWATER IS IMMENSELY CHALLENGING. THE CAMERA IS ALWAYS MOVING. THE SUBJECT IS ALWAYS MOVING. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON’T DIVE, THERE ARE A LOT OF BELLS AND WHISTLES TO STAY ON TOP OF WHEN YOU’RE 100 FEET BELOW THE SURFACE JUST TO STAY ALIVE!! SO…. ANY PHOTOS I SHOW IN THE BLOG WILL BE EITHER STOCK PHOTOS OR PHOTOS PROVIDED BY THE DIVE OPERATOR.

Suva, Vita Levu, Fiji: Oct. 24

After leaving Samoa, we headed west then south-west through the Koro Sea to arrive in Fiji, the westernmost point of the cruise. Sunrise promised a beautiful day on the island of VituLevu, the largest of the Fijian Islands and home to its capital, Suva. But, conditions changed quickly as we approached the harbor. Yes, we were to have another gray wet day in the South Pacific, but I didn’t care: I had scuba dives scheduled for the day. I left the Volendam at 11:30 a.m. for the 45-minute drive to the dive shop in Pacific Harbor, so I arrived in plenty of time.

Around 1:00 p.m. the dive boat returned to the dock from the morning dives. The Dive Master gave a talk about how rough conditions had gotten during the morning shark dives, and presented profiles of alternate sites we might visit in the afternoon. No one was interested in the alternate sites; we had all come to see Bull Sharks!! We boarded a 34-foot aluminum dive boat with a monster engine – way out of proportion. (My apologies to any gearheads, I didn’t get the HP.) We eased down a placid mile of jungle shrouded dark river. Then emerged into an open, gray-skied inlet. The captain raised his throttle to gain the momentum needed to enter the angry sea ahead. Six-foots wells lashed our port side as soon as we left the cut. The captain gunned the monster engine for a 4-mile trip to our first site. (The engine looked entirely appropriate at this point.) I was properly braced when a rogue wave rolled the boat 50 degrees to starboard, and a cresting arc flew completely over the hull. WOW! That’s when the hanging on for dear life started. There would be three more big rolls on the way to the site.

Once we arrived, we quickly geared up to get out of the rolling boat and into and under the water. Our initial descent was 50 feet down to a flat shelf with a drop off to one side. This would be our viewing platform for the shark show. In order of appearance: Lemon nurse shark, Black tip shark, White tip shark, and finally a big Bull shark.

It was the first Bull shark I had ever seen, and it was much bigger than me!! It was thrilling, but not scary. The sharks generally are not interested in scuba divers, but both guides had long stainless-steel prodsjust in case. The sharks apparently eat something at this site because the seabed was littered with their teeth.

After 10 minutes, we turned to our right and began exploring a towering coral reef sitting atop the shelf. We saw lots of long fin Angelfish, a green turtle and a 6-7 foot long, Yellow-lipped Sea Krait wrapped amongst some coral bases trying to hide itself from us. Their venom is the deadliest on earth BUT they do everything they can to avoid interacting with humans.

Soon it was time to rejoin the boat. At this point, conditions up top had only worsened and the dive master made the decision to cancel the second dive. The return ride to the shop was much easier as we were traveling with the swells, not against.

I made it back to Suva around 5:30, just in time to visit the city market. It’s a full city block of stand after stand of wonderfully colorful tropical fruits, vegetables and flowers. I picked up a lovely flower arrangement my room for $10 Fijian dollars, $4.43 US!!

The Volendam had not been fueled since leaving Vancouver, and Suva would be our only refueling point before San Diego. A few minor hiccups occurred during the process. 1) Once we docked in the morning and were all tied up, it was discovered that the refueling line was not long enough to reach the fuel hatch! All the mooring lines had to be removed and the ship repositioned 15 meters to the aft. 2) Once the refueling commenced, it was discovered that the pump was running slow. We could do nothing about that other than give it time. We sure weren’t leaving Suva until the tanks were filled to capacity – no one wants to row the last 100 yards in San Diego! Tanks were filled and we waved goodbye to Suva at midnight.

Dravuni Island, Fiji: Oct. 25

Dravuni Island lies 44 miles south-east of Suva and is less than 1 square kilometer. Just a handful of families call this idyllic spot home. For those who live here, it is a place of sustenance existence. For those who visit, it is a paradise. In either case, it’s a paradox. It reminds me of the old Italian saying: “A man travels the world to find what he is looking for only to return home to find it.”

This was a tender visit, but we stayed all day from 8 to 5 so there was plenty of time to enjoy.

A lovely beach with water clear as glass and a great reef for snorkeling.

The steep hike to the top of the hill was arduous, but well worth it!!

Cotton grows wild across much of the South Pacific as a perennial shrub. Here you see it in the foreground.

Mahalo and Aloha!