Divemaster Diary

Fiji's reefs are all great for beautiful wide angle coral shots, so when guests ask "Which lens WA or macro?", you can always take great WA or macro on the dives. So this week at Jim's alley in Gau i recommended macro & even put my macro lens on, what do you know, the moment we hit the water a Manta turned up & refused to leave!!. So we all forgot about the Halameda Ghost Pipe fish that we had gone to shoot & got some great shots none the less. Non camera people would be forgiven for smirking at this point as they just enjoy the big & small no matter what. Geoff & Rae have the ideal partnership, one shoots macro & the other wide angle - marriage made in heaven. As you can see from the slide show Geoff & Alex got some great shots as the manta swooped in time & time again whilst feeding. We did make it back to Jim's & i had cunningly swapped back to WA in the hope that the manta was back, but alas no - although the Ghost Pipe Fish had a buddy.

Nigalli passage was awesome. The grey reefs have been mating. The females are covered in scars and very friendly. Waiting in the bleachers for the next fly by was non stop action. Great to see such a healthy shark population & judging by the scars long may it continue.

James M. was back from Canada, making his 16th trip aboard Nai'a. The happy friendly people combined with great diving is hard to resist & will always pull you back. Alex & Katrin had travelled from Switzerland to Fiji for there honeymoon - all 6 weeks of it!. Alex did really well with his little point and shoot, especially getting a great shot of the Soft Coral Crab. The Soft Coral crabs on the wreck at Cat's seem to be getting bigger & soon i may have to recommend a WA lens for these oversized critters.

Royston kept us all entertained during the trip. Always smiling and joking around he doesn't get many holidays but certainly knew how to enjoy his!. Working for an Aquarium & being a biologist he knew his reef life.

The village visit was hosted by Somosomo in Gau. The ladies in our party danced the mekke, whilst the boys sat & drank grog with the villagers. A beautiful village on an unspoiled Island surrounded by reef - what more could you want!

James

""Thanks for the memories. XV1, Vinaka Vaka Levu.""

Rae

""We had a great time in Tonga with the Nai'a crew, so we came back for more. We were not disappointed - great diving, awesome weather, top class food & excellent conversation!. Seen the best of Fiji & we will be back again, thanks Nai'a crew." Rae & Geoff"

Kathrin

""Great diving, excellent food, superb hospitality & just the best crew!. Thank you all very much for the great expierience & the joyfull time!." Kathrin & Alexander"

Royston

" "I'm coming back with more Roystons!. Now i'm sad that i have to go back to being a Zombie, but fear not i'm coming back!.""