Day 50, Year 2: Snorkel in the Morning, Snorkel in the Afternoon
Date: Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Weather: Unbelievable–Another Beautiful Day
Location: Korolevu Bay, Kadavu Island, Fiji
We’re still here. We are having such a great time snorkeling in the marine reserve around Waya Island that we just can’t pull ourselves away. Plus, we have great company. Ranger and Safina are still here, and Scot Free II came in today. We all came from Riverside Drive Marina in Whangarei, to Opua, and then to Suva together, so we have bonded. We didn’t expect to be together here in Kadavu, but it is great. So we delayed leaving for the Lau Group for a day or two or three–all depends on the
weather. The wind right now is moderate, but we would close-hauled all the way. Jean-Pierre thinks we might have a window with wind from the south or southeast in a couple of days, so we will continue to snorkel, socialize, and just enjoy this beautiful weather–and what for that window.
Mark, Marie of Ranger, and I went snorkeling at almost low tide this morning on the northwest side of Waya Island. At low tide, much of the reef close to the island is exposed, but there is a shelf that quickly slopes down and we were able to snorkel the top edge of the slope. The clarity was good and the coral and fish were once again amazing. Marie, Mark, and I are compiling a list of all the fish that we are seeing here, and I will try to find a way to share that in a log in the next day or
two. We got to visit our favorite anemonefish again, plus we found a new group of anemonefish. They are just so much fun to watch. After about an hour, you start to feel cool, almost cold. Mark went back to the dinghy first, but he told Marie and I to continue snorkeling. We went around the west end of the island and headed toward the south shore. We saw that we were not going to be able to make it all the way around that side, and about that time, Mark showed up to pick us up. It was time,
so we all headed back.
We hadn’t been back long when we saw a sailboat coming around Waya Island. We thought it must be Scot Free II, so we called on the radio. Indeed, it was them. They got safely anchored and we went over to say hello. We told them that Safina and Ranger were going diving with the Matava Resort dive master in the afternoon, so we invited them to go snorkeling with us. It was a date and at 2:30 we picked up Jerry and Donna and went back to Waya Island. Just when we got into the water, the dive boat
from Matava came by to see if we were going diving. They thought Safina and Ranger were coming to the resort to go diving, but Safina and Ranger thought the dive boat was coming to them. We explained that we were the wrong people, but that the right ones were anxiously waiting on their boats. We then went about snorkeling at almost high tide. It was very different. We could snorkel on top of the coral, but the clarity was not what it had been in the morning. There were many fish, but I think
the greatest variety seems to hang out just over the edge of the slope. It is easier to see them at lower tide, so we will go back in the morning to make a comparison.
After our snorkeling and diving adventures, we met on Ranger for “Happy Hour.” They shared their reef shark sightings while diving, and we shared our “fish stories” from snorkeling. We also told Donna and Jerry of our adventure last evening. I neglected putting in some of the details in last night’s log, but Donna and Jerry got a real kick out of hearing about Marie’s foot getting stuck in a hole in the mud flats. Mark and I had turned back to help her, but then I got my foot stuck. It was like
quicksand and pulling your foot out was no easy task. They also enjoyed the part of the story where Marie stood aside to let someone get into the boat and then found both feet stuck in a hole. She went down and her plastic baggie with her camera went with her. Fortunately, both Marie and the camera seem to have made it through the incident with little damage. I have to say that it was quite an interesting evening.
It looks like tomorrow will be more snorkeling for us. Paul and Marie are taking the resort shuttle boat to the next bay over tomorrow to pick up Paul’s daughter. Cindy is coming to spend about eight days. The Matava Resort is taking two people back to the airport tomorrow, so Paul and Marie will go with them, pick up Cindy, and bring her back here. I have so many things to share about the Matava Resort, but that will have to wait for another evening.
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| 070613 Day 50 Kadavu Island, Fiji–Korolevu Bay Anchorage |
