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— March/April 2018AIR OF AUTHORITY
Red snapper, and even the reef sharks glimpsed in
the background, defer to Bill. A massive Malabar
grouper, it is he who bosses the Nigali Passage.of Fiji’s vegetables are grown here.
The swift-flowing Somosomo Strait between
Taveuni and Vanua Levu promises fast-paced
drift dives. But this current also guarantees an
ever-rolling buffet of life which in turn guarantees
fantastic soft corals. The Great White Wall, in
particular, has become world-famous.
Our dive started by finning through a
20-metre tunnel, exiting right on the wall. Left
was an abundance of soft corals – first coloured
then beyond, more like snow-covered peaks
in the Alps than a steep wall in the depths of
the Pacific. The entire surface of the wall was
incandescent with coral though the current soon
pulled us past its 40-metre width. We promptly
circled back to do the same dive a second time.
Our heady underwater experiences met
their match though with a visit topside to the
International Dateline. Though the arduous
winding drive into the highlands of Taveuni
quickly had heads slumping to chests after three
dives and 90% humidity, at the top we wererevived by a fantastic view of the Somosomo
Strait. Here, at this auspicious spot, sat
monuments to Fiji’s two cultural pillars: a church
and a rugby field.
Reinforcing the sacred feel, an incredible
fragrance hung in the air, fresh and sweet. Our
minds raced as we moved from the church to a
plaque marking the spot, split down the middle.
Today on the left. Yesterday on the right. Who
hasn’t dreamed of travelling through time? To
make like Marty McFly and Doc Brown in “Back
to the Future”? Drinking a beer today and not
regretting it yesterday...Namena – a class of its own
After Taveuni, we circled back towards Viti Levu,
heading south once more. The Namena Marine
Reserve, located between Viti Levu and Vanua
Levu, is part of the traditional fishing grounds
or qoliqoli of the Kubulau people. A few years
ago, this community had a vision of how to
better manage its natural marine resources. Theywanted to protect their fishing grounds – not only
to prevent overfishing and the use of destructive
fishing methods but also to develop the tourism
sector as a means of providing sustainable
livelihoods and benefits to the community.
In 1997, the 70sqkm Namena Marine Reserve
was founded around the tiny islet of Namalala.
The reserve and its barrier reef system are home
to a remarkable variety of fish, invertebrates, and
coral species while the beaches of Namenalala
are an important nesting site for endangered
hawksbill and green turtles.
It seems the reserve has done its job. When
Tom Ingpen, a widely travelled Australian
guest, started talking about the Namena Marine
Reserve, he could hardly contain his enthusiasm:
“Such biodiversity and variety in such a relatively
small area is highly unusual. On the north side,
you have fantastic current dives. Large schools
of mackerel, grey reef sharks, large tuna, and
other pelagic fish in only one dive? That’s what I
call a dive full of adrenaline,” he raved. “Then, in