Let The Sun Shine

Welcome back Rick; third time on Nai’a, third time the charm?

Where is the sun? Yes, ladies and gentlemen, don’t forget when booking your scuba diving vacation with Nai’a through any tour operator, click the sun button… we would all greatly appreciate it!

Because when it does rise and shine; all moods are elevated! 

And it is such a good time!

Fiji scene ~ Rick Scaletty

Moorish idols and coral grouper ~ Bruce Moore

Starting off strong! 

Healthy and strong corals; reminds you of Jurassic park vegetation growth, just hard coral style. 

Fiji sea fans ~ Bruce Moore

“That was one of the best check out dives I have ever done.” - was the general sentiment after an absolutely calm and lovely reef dive. 

Pink and red soft corals ~ Anne Moggre

Long nose filefish.

The most photogenic and social threespot blenny. 

Orange finned anemonefish ~ Bruce Moore

Blue dragons. 

Leopard blennies.

And bright yellow lemon lemony coral gobies. 

Anqi's 100th dive in a purple tutu ~ Rick Scaletty

Huge and small orange finned anemonefish ~ Bruce Moore

Crescent wrasses trying to mate; golden damselfish tending to their eggs; and realizing rabbitfish are in a whole family by themselves. 

Longfin bannerfin and golden damselfish ~ Bruce Moore

The little white pygmy sea shoes were not there today… and the lionfish were suspiciously still in the area… we leave theories open to the public. 

More Fiji scene ~ Anne Moggre

“The amount of fish on the reef reminds me of what diving was in the 90s!” - Inge

Anna was harassed by a flatworm for 5 minutes and nobody paid attention to them!

Regal angelfish (could be one of the most seen angelfish) ~ Bruce Moore

Devil scorpionfish, big blueberry stonefish, rose tip anemone with so many baby Fiji tomato anemonefish, and the fattest orange-finned anemonefish in Mount Mutiny!

“Omg, that safety stop!” 

Rick got the only turtle on the trip! ~ Rick Scaletty

Turtle, same one we believe, along the wall.

School of barracudas. 

And so much coral and fish!

Boobie! ~ Bruce Moore

Alan always comes back with the biggest of smiles! 

“Semi was amazing with me; I would have never thought to search for a pipefish that small!”- Susan

Brown banded pipefish ~ Sam Turland

Bernie came back from seeing his favorite pygmy sea horse: the Pontohi! 

Why hello there! ~ Sam Turland

Dragonets; hissing blue and black ribbon eels; just fish everywhere; sharks; big eyed trevally and longnose emperor. 

Blue stripped fangblenny ~ Sam Turland

I am calling the pygmy sea horse in the hidroids of Kansas Choco; he is so nice and brown, like a piece of chocolate. 

Barcheek trevally ~ Bruce Moore

Leopard shark in the bay, and then in the deep, and then in the shallows. 

That area has to be his home! 

Divers were especially excited at that sighting!

"Come on Bruce!" ~ Bruce Moore (he will take ANY moment to take that shot!) 

Lovely Johnny came to say hi a few times early in the morning!
We even enjoyed him from safety stop and on the surface until the skiff came to pick us up! He kept his curiosity going! 

Balled anemones with pink anemone fish, still sleeping ~ Anne Moggre

We thought manta day was over then, as no one came to see us on the second dive.

But fate had other plans for us. 

Johnny came back; followed later by a beautiful new to us female melanistic manta. 

To later be followed by Shirley accompanied by two of her admirers; Geo and M488. 

It had been so long since we had a cleaning scene like this one!

Shirley, Geo and M488 ~ Bruce Moore

We had a vote for our new lovely melanistic female and guests voted for Claudia... can't deny it... I got emotional. 

It was such a magical day. 

Lovely scene caught; Peni Junior having Tiffany smell a huge flower ~  Bruce Moore

“That was fantastic!” - Steve after a chilling with the fusiliers dive. 

Mellow Yellow! ~ Rick Scaletty

Anqi had a friend for almost the whole dive stuck to her tank; a baby remora. The rest of us were having a laugh at her complete ignorance about her cute little friend. 

Many spotted sweetlips and bannerfish ~ Bruce Moore

Vinaka vakalevu everyone!
It was a fantastic sunny time!

Bruce Moore