Outshining The Weather

Welcome back Ellen and Matthew; who were here on Chad and Vanessa’s last trip in 2019. 

We got a nice cocktail mix of Americans, Australians (with a bit of Canadian in one of them), Scottish (yet English), Swiss and Germans. 

It is a good thing that the group’s energy does not match the weather, as we had a smidge (a lot) of wind and rain to start off our voyage. Yet moods remained high.  

School of barracudas hunting around like darts, just so mesmerizing. 

Four lemon coral gobies in ONE staghorn coral; huge blue dragons; big groupers; sea fans, corals, schools of fish: such a lovely start to the charter. 

Lovely big blue dragon ~ Michael

Amazing sea fans ~ John

File clam ~ Michael

We also had a bit of a blenny obsession on this boat... in particular towards the Fiji fangblenny and Midas blenny, with their little heads poking out of holes. 

One of the  before mentioned culprits (blenny in a hole) ~ Karin

Furry hermit crab ~ Gil

“That was such a beautiful dive!” - Janice (Mellow Yellow)

On top of a classical safety stop reef, orange-finned anemonefish in their home ~ Keith

Picturesque cathedral ~ John

It was dark, rainy, cloudy… that didn't seem to change our dive at Coral Corner at all… “The big guys were out to play!” - Shai 

Grey reef sharks, white tips AND the biggest nurse shark I (Clau) have ever seen… we were all mesmerized. It made that crazy current worthwhile. 

Common lionfish ~ John

Anthias, damsels, and sea fans ~ John

Posing scorpionfish ~ Karin

Manta cleaning station was not incredibly busy but divers got footage and moments with Mickey Manta.

Mama Shirley came to clean for a while. 

Michele, who we hadn't seen again since we named her, was being chased around by Snowflake, new to us!

Thanks to Janice, beautiful tummy photos of a new manta for us (only seen before in Gau). After Janice's three name options for her, the guests voted to name her Dezzy Ray! Beautiful melanistic female.  

" It doesn't get better than that!" - Janice

Coral banded shrimp and anthias ~ Karin

Spa moments for our hands: shrimp manicure time, octopus, box fish, puffer fish, our allotted amount of turtles swimming around, clingfish and squat lobsters inside crinoids and wrasses “wrassing” divers, as they do. 

Fun cheek lined wrasse (such a cheeky fellow) accompanying us as we waited for mantas to appear ~ Gil

Whip coral goby ~ John

Divers couldn't really decide what was most impressive: school of hammerheads or pygmy sea horses.

Such a great shot of Pontoh's pygmy sea horse ~ John

"So cute; two of them (pigmies). I could have spent all day there searching for little things." - Nick (Kansas)

In all fairness, half the boat thought they had seen schooling grey reefs while half hammer heads… the deciding vote went to Semi, as a guide and reliable narrator, who confirmed the school of scalloped hammerheads. 

Adult male ribbon eel ~ John

Long nose hawkfish ~ John

Fiji clown blenny ~ John

The day kept on full of schools of fish, sharks getting real close, baby sharks around as well; along with your miniature suspects. 

Pipefish, dragonets, ribbon eels, juvenile Randall’s shrimp gobies, juvenile longnose hawkfish, right-handed hermit crabs, and so many Fiji clown blennies. 

Pipefish ~ Karin

Morrison's dragonet ~ John

On the second day at Namena, Nick and Cate got their first hammer head! And all divers got to see and enjoy the two leafy scorpionfish; as well as all the Dorys, all sizes, at the safety stop level. 

Leaf scorpionfish ~ Gil

Another leaf scorpionfish ~ Karin

We even got some 3 inch yellow-spotted scorpionfish on the top of the bommies, hiding out like blennies. 

"That was unbelievable!" - Nick and "That was like a waterfall of colors." - Robyn, both after Rainbow wall at Mount Mutiny

The cascade of colors ~ Karin

Gorgeous flabellina ~ Karin

Vinaka vakalevu everyone!