Monday, November 27, 2006

Bula, bula bula! We've left the Nai'a this morning but here's a quick recap of the week! Pictures are still not able to be uploaded, but I'll keep trying at the next stop!

Thanksgiving dinner was fantastic as was all the food all week long. Eat, sleep, dive are truisms on the Nai'a as well!

We had the best weather the crew has had for the past two months....sunny skies, calm waters & fantastic visibility! Dive sites were varied with walls, blue water dives and bommies with fantastic hard & soft corals EVERYWHERE! The corals were incredible....the soft corals were hot pink, pale pink, yellow, purple, red, & white! The dives here are amongst the "fishiest" in the world! The tops of all the reefs are covered in thousands of fish, so many varieties and so many colors!

We added 2 new fish to our "life list"....a gorgeous bright red Flame hawkfish who has a black circle around his eyes...very small, very skittish but absolutely gorgeous. I managed to catch a shot of his small face so I'm very happy! I also found a "Leopard blenny" which was so darn cute! Much bigger than the usual blennies and a beautiful spotted green face with the back end of his body a beautiful red! Very, very unique....but very, very fast! Couldn't manage to catch a darn shot!

Sharks were seen on most dives....we did Nangali Pass and had 30-35 black tip reef sharks circling us! Some of the group managed to see a hammerhead so they were excited!

The crew, the crew, the crew! Smiling Fijian faces everywhere....every dive back at the boat we were greeted with "BULA, BULA, BULA!" On Satufday night they hosted a kava party and every dressed in their sulus and sat on woven mats on the dive deck and they all played guitars and sang beautiful Fijian songs. Of course the kava flowed the whole time but we had such a wonderful evening.

Isa Lei means "sorry to see you go" and they sang to us at the kava party as well as at the picture party last night. You come aboard the Nai'a as guests and leave as part of the Fijian family....what a wonderful experience!

It was a fantastic week with fabulous diving, lots of wonderful new friends and wonderful memories......Pictures to come as soon as I can find some way to upload them!

Off to Honiara & the Solomon Islands...hopefully they'll have boat e-mail access & I can get some pictures to show you!

Moce (good-bye in Fijian)....Our thanks to Grant, Sonia & the whole Nai'a Family!

1 comment:

Marsha P. said...

Beautiful photos! Thank you for sharing with those of us who couldn't make the trip! It sounds as if you are having a fantastic time - I have to admit, I am jealous!!

Have fun and keep sending us the photos and updates!!