What is it about long awaited dive trips that says you have to get up at stupid o’clock to get to the airport…? Anyway, by 5am on a crisp Christchurch morning, 6 of us are checked in to Nadi, 2 more divers to be collected in Auckland on the way. 7 hours, a movie and a nice meal later, we all arrive in Nadi to azure skies and high 20’s and wondering why we have so many clothes on…what a contrast…! Customs quickly sorted, trailing heavy cases we quickly find the shuttle driver , load up and settle in for the 3+ hour air conditioned trip to Voli Voli resort on the Northern coast of Viti-levu, one of the 2 main islands in the Fiji group. A quick comfort stop and liquid refreshment purchase in Lautoka gave us some impression of the cost of things here. Continuing the journey on the Kings Highway it soon became clear that driving is a different kettle of fish here… 80k is the limit , but that is nigh on impossible to attain, and maintain, every village has 3-5 speed bumps to be negotiated, then there’s meandering Prius’s, not to mention free-range cows, goats, people, and horses. Indian mynah birds play chicken mid-seal ,just like at home, and over-taking is change of underwear material. Some of us took the opportunity to catch a few zzz’s…..it was now 12 hours since we started in chilly Christchurch.
Travelling through small villages, past brightly painted schools and endless fields of sugar cane , blowing green brown in the breeze, random patches of burn-off filled the van with scents of wood-smoke,while glimpses of blue seas gave us reason to hope.
Finally, at sundown, we reached our destination, down a last stretch of rutted and pot-holed road, to this sudden utopian vision of hospitality, nestled on the side of a hill, sloping down to the water of the Bligh Passage. Given a quick orientation talk and waiver forms filled in, as our luggage was carried to our suites by strapping young things… As it was Sunday evening..already..? dinner was a beach BBQ, so we hastily changed into more suitable “tropical” attire descended to the beach side bar and restaurant area for an excellent meal and the chance to socialise. As we were part of a package, there was no bill to pay and we made our weary way up the path through rustling palm trees and hibiscus bushes to our well appointed units, and a chance to sleep and dream of the coming days diving…
Next morning, having risen with the sun at 6am- a small breakfast consumed from the well stocked buffet, all dive gear carried to the onsite dive zone, cameras assembled, wetsuits wriggled into, we gather for a boat briefing- walk all of 50 m to the shore and on to the all-aluminium craft that will be our wet happy place for the next 5 days. It’s a noisy, bumpy 1 hour trip out to the Marine Park…tanks clanging, space limited with 14 divers and 4 crew on board. A short dive briefing, and then the hurried donning of gloves, hoods, fins etc, buddy checks and then the awkward shuffle to the “gate” on the side of the boat, a big stride out and your in that bubble-mad shock of water. A quick self check-all is ok- we assemble on a trailing line and descend together under the guidance of ‘Jah’…our 6’2″ 120kg second-five! from the local rugby team/dive guide. Initially it’s a bit hazy at “Mellow Yellow” , our first dive site, but as we reach 18m and our senses adjust, we are instantly astounded by what greets us. Teeming life, endless variety, 26 deg temps and a realisation ..”we aren’t in Kansas ,anymore…Toto ” This dive site is named after the walls covered in yellow, cauliflower like soft corals. Using a torch, the colours just leap out at you. Colourful Anthias, in their myriads, dart over huge healthy coral heads, green parrot fish bustle around producing trails of new sand…we fin into the current initially- to look at skunk clownfish in purple tipped anemones, or peer closely at multi-coloured nudibranchs gliding over colored rocks. Out in “the blue”, Trevally and predatory Spanish Mackerel cruise by. The bottom is a vague35 m or so, but most of the life is above 22m. Most of us haven’t dived for a few months so after 45 mins it’s a safety stop at 5m and then a scramble back on board to a hot drink and cake and excited chatter as to what we have just experienced. The crew change tanks efficiently and just like that you are ready for the second dive, an hour SI later and we are at “Pot-Luck”, our 2nd site, where the tide is slack and we effortlessly swim between rock pinnacles covered in corals and gorgonians in pinks, purples and orange, 55 mins of sublime diving later we surface again and prepare to motor back to land. Back at the resort we disembark into tenders, because the tide has receded, waddle wetly back to our rooms, and change ready for an excellent 2 course lunch in the NUKU restaurant, before an afternoon of unwinding and pursuing more relaxing ‘holiday’
activities. A 3 course dinner at 7ish, prepared by the skilled chefs completes our first day and we all retire to our villas, dodging the liberally scattered cane toads on the path….!