Momi Bay, Viti Levu Island, Fiji
The motor stops. We nod at one another. Leaning back, we drop below the surface and are immediately immersed in the underwater realm of Fiji reef life. As we snorkel along, dinghy in tow, we’re greeted by a school of drop-jaw mackerels who number in the hundreds. They swim past and around us, moving in synchrony as if one giant creature, all with their mouths wide open as they feed. You just can’t help but giggle.
Since first encountering these fish decades ago, we’ve referred to them as the “boys choir”; they make us think of the Rolling Stones’ You Can’t Always Get What You Want, when toward the end the choir choruses in for some seriously fun artistic contrast to ol’ Mick’s voice. Anyway, suffice it to say, each time we are lucky to swim with the choir, we come home and crank that tune. These fish just make us smile!
Speaking of smiles, some other fun fish we’ve encountered on these reefs were Oriental Sweetlips, Clown Triggerfish, Boxfish, and one large Moorish Idol. (photos below for reference – spectacular!). A friend remarked of the Sweetlips: “they just look like they’re going to a fun PJ party!”
One particular moment that will stick with us for a long time was having a school of neon blue Chromis swimming just over some blue coral, the shimmering morning light filtering down through the surface and making it all appear like a lavender field swaying in the wind. We’ve seen rare pink and orange anemone, and layers of pancake coral appearing like a giant stairway leading up to the top of the reef. Healthy coral reef life the likes we have not seen in quite a while.
We even had a rare bucket-list-worthy overnight at Navadra Island, one of our favorite spots here in western Fiji. Typically a “sleep on the floor” type of rolly anchorage, we were blessed for the first time ever with a beautiful and magically calm 24 hours. Upon anchoring we were welcomed by swarming reef sharks that circled around us many times over. They were so excited to see us that one actually jumped out of the water – we have never seen that before!
So has the last couple weeks gone as we’ve made our way southward to get ready to leave Fiji. It is the end of the dry season here, so all around the locals have been doing “controlled” wildfires on their islands to keep the bush down in prep for the wet season. For a cruising yacht, this means each night as the wind shifts we can get inundated with smoke and black ash all over the decks, all whilst looking out at entire hillsides ablaze in orange flames.
We take our cues from the nature: the boys’ choir sang, the sharks have circled, the hills have burned … it is time for us to set sail from Fiji, bound for New Caledonia.
17 54.9 S 177 16.1 E
Momi Bay, Viti Levu, Fiji
Fabulous!
Thank you for the vicarious vacation. 🌸