A PASSAGE TO FIJI

Sport Diving - Australia, April/May 1998

Each dive offers something unique. After embarking in Lautoka the NAI'A visits either Sunset Ridge or Nukurauvulu Reef. Although yellow corals are found throughout Fiji, they are perhaps less common than the redder soft corals. At Sunset Ridge there is an entire wall of these yellow beauties between six and thirty metres. Multitudes of pink/purplish anthias cavort above the coral in brilliant contrast. Lionfish and flower cod can be found hiding in the crevices; the area is dotted with anemones as well. A night dive at Nukurauvulu revealed a type of ornate pipefish which we weren't able to classify and a prehistoric-looking shovel nose lobster.
 

Owner/skipper Rob Barrel discovered E-6 Seamount after studying oceanographic charts and aerial reconnaissance of the area. The area is so named because it is truly a photographer's dream. The mount rises from 914 metres and at low tide the tip of it can be seen grazing the surface. The perimeter is a site to watch for hammerheads, tuna and other pelagics. The surrounding wall features lionfish, saddlebacks, and puffers. Perhaps the most beautiful spot, the Cathedral, or the Sistine Chapel, is reached by a swimthrough. The crescent shaped passage featured huge gorgonians and a variety of soft corals. Depending on the time of day, shafts of light filtering through holes in the coral formations overhead bathe the passage in a otherworldly glow. For those not inclined to shoot wide angle, nudibranchs, lobster, and crabs are plentiful in the coral and crevices. Flashlight fish and cuttlefish can also be seen, but are less common.

Rob occasionally dos an exploratory dive like the one we did at Mystery Pass. We found a variety of nudibranchs, pyramid butterfly fish and a patch of garden ells. During a night dive at Namena's South Save-a-Tack we found a pair of leaf scorpionfish. The following morning on Namena North Save-a-Tack there were great bommies brimming with a variety of butterflyfish, emperor angelfish, puffers, an occasional whitetip shark and a small school of barracuda. For those looking for macro critters there was even a pair of porcelain shrimp. Nearby is an arch where there was a paid of clown triggerfish and a titan triggerfish busily biting chunks of coral.

If you're looking to cover a lot of territory on a single dive, start out at Grand Central Station where there's a massive school of barrracuda, grey reef sharks and titan triggers. Then float away to Kansas. Known in the US for its golden wheat fields, this bommie is covered with sinularia, a type of coral which give the appearance of wheat shimmering in the sun. There is a spectacular profusion of soft corals on the back side of Kansas - yet another treat for wide angle photographers. And if the current picks up, you might get blown over to Oz, a nearby bommie that is completely different but every bit as interesting.

A trip to Wakaya means blue ribbon eels. These fascinating creatures live in crevices, often surrounded by small sandy areas. Their cobalt blue colour makes them one of the most colourful and most easily identifiable of all eels. There are also pipefish and nudibranchs here. But as with much of Fiji, Wakaya is another photographer's dilemma - not only are there small animals, but mantas, schools of barracuda hammerheads and other sharks frequently cruise the area. Look for Stubby, a reef shark with part of his pectoral fin missing.

There are at least three excellent dive spots located near the island of Gau. During a dive on Anthias Avenue, we found plenty of the titled fish but also a pair of mating nudibranchs, a juvenile clown triggerfish, a multitude of lionfish and several colourful tridacna clams. Jim Church did an exploratory dive at a spot that became known as Jim's Alley. The site has several bommies loaded with soft coral. We also found a curious black goby, a number of blue dash butterfly fish and a pair of long- nosed hawkfish nestled in finger coral.

The most exciting dive around Gau has to be Nigali Passage. The pass itself carries water from the deep ocean into a more shallow lagoon. The area always attracts a variety of sharks. The dive starts calmly enough at about 24 metres on a coral- strewn sandy plain, usually with a little bit of current. The further into the pass you go the more interesting the fish become. First to appear are the snappers followed by the occasional flower cod. As the current begins to increase, a school of barracuda appears. At about the same time grey reef sharks whitetip and blacktip sharks also enter. The NAI'A does several dives at Nigali Passage so that divers can get used to the orderly nature of events. Following a thorough dive briefing, the last dive there is a shark feed. To exit Nigali Passage you just let the current take you through one of two openings into deeper and calmer waters. One of the exit sites is known as the Cabbage Patch because of the leafy appearance of the coral.

One highlight of a trip aboard the NAI'A has nothing to do with diving. Arrangements have been made with a village on Gau for passengers to visit. The friendliness of the Fijian people cannot be overstated. They greeted us as we left the skiffs and escorted us through the village, even taking us into their homes and into the oldest church known to exist on Fiji. We then sat and talked with the villagers while drinking kava. This trip only takes a couple hours and is well worth every minute.

The NAI'A carries you to some of the most pristine and unique areas of Fiji in great style and comfort. They have one of the great crews among all liveaboards friendly and hard working. There's nothing like sitting out with them on the bow after a night dive, drinking kava and listening to their sweet three-part Fijian harmonies under a starlit sky
 

A closer look at the beautiful growths at Kansas.	The strange-looking shovelnosed lobster we found during a night dive on Nukurauvulu.	A lionfish stares down the lens at me during a dive at Anthias Avenue on Nukurauvulu near the island of Gau.
The Cabbage Patch at Nigali Passage, one of several exit sites used on a superb drift dive.	The closer you look the more there is to see; coral macro.	The blue-ribbon eels at Wakaya; this reef has an amazing variety of fish life from small animals right through to mantas, schools of barracuda; hammerheads and other sharks frequently cruise in.

The NAI'A