Breaching The Surface

Bula Vinaka everyone! Welcome into the NAI’A family!

Denise decided she still had things to check off her list of underwater creatures, so she hid in the engine room during the turnaround between charters and we found her when it was too late, already miles away from Lautoka wharf! [Real lame story, she was able to book herself a spot on this charter.]

Joining her and us are Barry & Rose; Allen & Becky (who’s ideal vacation, as he states, “would be your worst nightmare”); Peter senior and his 15-year-old grandson Peter 2.0. Jason & Holly (roadies who were able to get onboard because Billy Joel cancelled his concerts and they had time off). Pablo & Pauline, father and daughter, and the best of buddies (Paulina lives and works in Hollywood as a middle school teacher and does fantasy makeup on the side.) Peter & Lena from Germany with such a beautiful sense of humor; and Mr. Simon from the UK (aka Mr. Salamander as he loves basking in the sun). Last yet not least, Cristiana & Otavio came to us all the way from Brazil.

First diving day and we were already celebrating Cristiana’s birthday, who expressly booked to celebrate her 61st onboard.

Immense puffer fish in the shallows ~ Simon

We had octopus already at Vatu-i-ra, pink eyed gobies, some white tips around and color color colorful corals all around, both hard and soft.

Octopus ~ Simon

Sea mount day commenced with hammerhead shark, silver tip, and turtle encounters; added on to the natural beauty of Mount Mutiny, both hard coral and soft coral sides. 

Leopard blenny hiding in the hard coral ~ Denise

Long nose hawkfish ~ Paulina

Right handed hermit crab ~Denise

After that we swiftly made our way to Ellington as the rain the night before completely fried the cooler for the main fridge. 

Oh no, we have to eat everything NOW! 

We found another solution, got an electrician and parts on board and passed the time reading, flappy flappy presentations and enjoying each other's company before dinner and a night dive at Nanau-i-ra. 

Blue dragon crawling on top of a sea cucumber ~ Denise

Such a pretty scorpionfish ~ Denise

Cristiana and Pablo found a long snout flathead that night, as well as the unpronounceable creature for all divers: plurobranchus!

Crazy decorator crab with anemones on its back! ~ Denise

Peter and Lena saw their first hammerhead at Wakaya! Lena’s face still hurts to this day from all her smiling.  I was even surprised, taking everyone for an interior safety stop and running into a lonely Dory. 

Another beautiful octopus ~ Denise

So it seems that mantas are a bit lazy… for the last charters the first dive of the day has been quite silent and from the second on the big flappy flappies are so active. 

We got a show from Nai’a Blue, Johnny, Gaeta, Mantanomi and Polyp!

This is the German way; telling NEIN to the remora ~ Simon

Orange-finned anemonefish ~ Simon

Such a beautiful octopus ~ Simon

Yet that wasn't the day’s highlight… While Peter and Peter 2.0 were getting picked up by the skiff 10 minutes before the rest of the divers underwater, a humpback whale, FIRST of the season, breached the water next to the skiff! 

“Is that a whale?” - Becky who observed the whole scene from the other skiff. 

Young Peter could not believe his eyes and jumped in so fast he forgot everything on the skiff! He was ostracized by the rest of the boat for some hours (pure envy of course) and he didn’t care. 

Crinoid with squat lobster ~ Denise

So the amazing zebra dartfish have returned to Grand Central Station by the hundreds! 

They are so fun to watch. 

Sexy sexy shrimp ~ Paulina

Another double-ringed flabellina ~Paulina

We saw some baby sharks passing through: “They were brother and sister, they told me.”- Jason

Scorpionfish ~ Simon

Holly and I almost missed them as we were enchanted around Tetons 3 finding all the spaghetti noodles (pipefish), clown worms (Fiji clown blennies) and 3 (!) juvenile Morrison’s dragonets around the area. THEY ARE SO ADORABLE. 

Everyone got an amazing view of all the square spotted anthias; —- angelfish; blue tile fish everywhere; and three decorated dartfish that threatened breaking our depth limits. 

Square spotted anthias (male) ~ Denise

[ Both dragonets and zebra dartfish seem to be at it like bunnies, as we have noticed such an increase in population these last charters! ]

Juvenile mover wrasse ~ Simon

Hissing blue ribbon eels ~ Simon

While trying to get Denise to see a beautiful green yellow leaf scorpionfish I began to doubt she saw it as she was taking photos from afar. On later inspection I saw she had only seen ANOTHER white leaf scorpionfish on the coral next door! Hilarious! 

Leaf scorpionfish ~ Simon

Leaf scorpionfish ~ Denise

Second dive at GCS can be described by Simon’s comment: “ So you always brief about no banging and shaking so as to not scare the animals away… yet when those two enormous hammerhead sharks came up to us I heard you screeching like a mad woman!” Oops. 

Thanks to Jason and Holly, shenanigans kept on for this charter. They brought with them an assortment of tutus to wear underwater (which we partook) and regulator mustaches!

Denise, Clau, and the culprits; Holly and Jason: tutu gang

Congrats to Peter & Lena on their 300th dive, and of course, tutus. 

“Fishes running after each other like children!” - Cristiana (Schoolhouse)

Spade fish ~ Simon

Charter finished with the melodic singing of a pod of pilot whales nearby. 

Vinaka vakalevu everyone!

Hope to "sea" you again!