Unknown Sites & Usual Suspects

Unknown Sites & Usual Suspects

This is quite the turnout! Welcome for the first time on board Elliot and Theresa! And welcome back to Nai'a all of the rest of the 15 divers! 

Two weeks of diving and diver/s of the day, ai ai ai!

First night Heidi presented not one, but two kava roots (one nicely and freshly harvested) to the crew. 

She and Mark handed out t-shirts to all the guests and crew: Fiji Butterflies shirts, made by Mr. Mark. 

And to finish it off, Heidi came with stickers! We love stickers on this boat!

Please choose from the oxymonacanthus longirostris (long nose filefish); canthigaster valentini (black-saddled toby) ; paraconthurus hepatus (palette surgeonfish aka Dory); amphiprion barberi (fiji tomato anemonefish); and oxycirrhites typus (longnose hawkfish). 

And no, both of these (lunatics) don't believe in common names for fish. 

Cloud of anthias ~ Elliot&Theresa

Fiji blue devil demoiselle ~ Elliot&Theresa

Cloud of slender magenta anthias ~ Elliot&Theresa

This trip was a balanced combo of both known and loved dive sites (usual suspects) and exploratory dives (unknown dive sites). 

Started off at Namena… whoever has been there can tell you; that was such a start to the trip!

“When they invented heaven, they based it on this divesite!”- Elliot (Schoolhouse)

“More fish that I could count in one lifetime!” - Jenny (Two thumbs up) 

As tradition dictates, all during this trip, we have had DIVER OF THE DAY, with both Heidi and Doug presiding as judges. 

Decorated dartfish ~ Elliot&Theresa

Cruise Director Chris at Lima Punch ~ Elliot&Theresa

Dory Palette surgeonfish ~ Elliot&Theresa

Taveuni was interesting. Full of first timers for most of us; and for those who had been there in the past, almost new as well. 

“I never knew that schooling bannerfish and pyramid butterflies went to school together.” - Heidi

Elliot and Theresa were the first night winners of DIVER OF THE DAY as the only divers new to the Nai’a family. 

Rainbow’s end was blooming with color and so much fish all around! 

Octopii; blue spotted stingrays; moray hunting; porcupine fish; white tip sharks; filefish; leopard blennies; raccoon butterflyfish; and juvenile midnight snappers. 

We ended our time here with a bang: a sweet white wall reversed! 

Barchin scorpionfish at night (maybe) ~ Elliot&Theresa

Clown coris wrasse ~ Elliot&Theresa

Comet devilfish ~ Elliot&Theresa

Chris and Ardelle won their prizes as mother and son combo on the third night for finally reaching symbiosis!

We got to add two more dive sites to our Makogai rotation roster: Semi Leli & Lima Punch. Leopard blenny found on top of both, everyone applaud! 

Wakaya was not the flappiest of days; divers interrupted some mating behavior with last charter’s suspects and Delilah was seen on the cleaning station through the manta cam. 

Yet two winged pipefish were found; hammerhead shark was seen; and so many white tip sharks were enjoyed, circling around divers all dive long. 

“They should call that dive site Shark Reef!” - Elliot ( Hammer House) 

Fiji soft coral sea fan reef scene ~ Elliot&Theresa

White tip shark in eel garden ~ Elliot&Theresa

Intermediate phase spotted parrotfish ~ Elliot&Theresa

Dave got nominated as DOTD for teaching the rest of the boat the game of shithead. Jen got nominated for teaching the “proper” wetsuit donning etiquette (and pushing Chard off the skiff by body slamming him in…) 

Nigali gave and we received. 

Top notch shark dive; we got to enjoy at least five very pregnant grey reef sharks for the whole time at the bleachers, boldly crossing front and back of the divers, while red snappers swam all around enjoying the current as well. 

I, Clau, personally got very excited about seeing a few hyper active white-cheeked surgeonfish outside Nigali. Made sure Mr. Mark saw them (taking advantage of having Sir Fish Nerd on board!). 

Another new one for us in Fiji; Chris finally got flashed underwater! Don’t get excited, both him and Mark got flashed by a flasher wrasse. 

Juvenile axilspot hogfish ~ Elliot&Theresa

Longnose filefish ~ Elliot&Theresa

Lemon coral goby ~ Elliot&Theresa

Three nominations in one night! Congratulations to Linda, Jan, and Chard for divers of the day. Their merit, distance. The closest and farthest divers underwater! 

Octopus mating was a huge highlight and so fun to watch; getting pestered by a shy yet curious grouper. 

“I wanted to look at the reef and couldn't from all the fish.”- Mark (Coral Corner)

Comet fish, orangutan crab, scorpionfish, massive and tiny blue dragons all around, double ringed flabellinas, turtles, and porcupine fish! 

“Those hard corals just kept going and going; and they are just so huge! We saw a coral head in which we found 18 (!) anemones clustered together!” - Dave (The Wholeshebang)

Orangutan in bubble coral ~ Elliot&Theresa

Lori's anthias ~ Elliot&Theresa

Longnose hawkfish ~ Elliot&Theresa

Congrats Mary and Moose: the overlooked divers. They get ready, listen to the briefing, go down, look around, and come up. Applauses! 

“The three dragonets together were definitely the highlight.” - Heidi (Teton 1)

Hammer heads swimming along the wall; pygmy sea horse (tiniest one yet); baby Dorys; juvenile pixie dwarffish; pipefish; schools and schools of fish. 

“Chris (CD) physically grabbed and turned my head, and there it was; a hammerhead!” Chris (Grand Central Station)

Two giant malabar groupers, hammerhead shark on the plato, near twenty hunting grey sharks, school of barracudas and scads, together with spanish mackerel and dogtooth tuna! Could you ask for more? (That is rhetorical.)

Both Dave and a thorny stingray were greatly surprised by each other’s presence! So beautifully white against the sand. 

Another first great sighting at Namena! 

Big eyed trevally ~ Elliot&Theresa

Morrison's dragonet ~ Elliot&Theresa

Wire coral gobies and eggs ~ Elliot&Theresa

The chill divers; no hustle no bustle underwater: Janel, Bill and Michelle!

Peek a boo with an octopus. 

Attack of the scorpionfish. 

Nudi findings. 

And lots and lots and lots of coral. 

Even Chris and myself (Clau) got divers of the day! Mistress of charades and the most German of Germans on board (as well as being the only one). 

Hammer head shark ~ Mark 

Zebra dartfish ~ Mark

Sharp nose pygmy wrasse ~ Elliot&Theresa

ODE TO THE FISH GEEK OF THE WEEK ~ By Heidi and Doug for our dear Mark

(with apologies to Gilbert and Sullivan)

He is the very model of a Fiji Reef Fish Specialist,

His comprehensive field guide will help you build your own life list.

He knows the sites the NAI’A dives from twenty years historical,

From Makogai to Vatu Vai in order categorical. 

He’s very well acquainted with every type of habitat;

Regarding fish behavior, he’s teeming with lots of facts.

His encyclopedic memory apparently knows no bounds:

He can tell you date and place for almost every fish he’s found. 

To photograph a rare species sometimes he goes a bit too deep,

At night we’re pretty sure he counts goat fishes as he falls asleep.

And if you show a modicum of interest, bet your asses-

He’ll tell you all he knows about those blasted flasher wrasses!

He understands taxonomy and thinks it’s simply lot of fun;

He knows fish scientific names better than the common ones. 

In matters ichthyological, again we simply must insist:

He is the very model of the Fiji Reef Fish Specialist! 

This trip would have not been possible without everyone, crew and guests, working together and having a blast through the wind, waves and sunshine! 

Vinaka vakalevu everyone! 

"Sea" you soon!