Fiji Through My Eyes - By Max, 17:
After a midnight plane ride followed by another, smaller plane ride, we arrived on Taveuni island, the third biggest island in the Fiji archipelago. Already, a gentle blanket of heat had dispersed over our family, followed by a slight aura of relaxation, brought over us by a soft breeze that remained a friendly constant during our luxurious stay at Paradise Resort Taveuni.
Ushered into the car, I forced my drooping eyes to stay open to watch the passing scenery, a dense compaction of lush greenery and hillside homes, mirrored on the opposite side by some of the smoothest, glassiest water I’d had the pleasure of seeing.
"After arriving at the Paradise Taveuni Resort, we were greeted by a lovely array of staff and a fruit platter during our briefing, during which my brother and I shared many excited glances, namely at the mention of the extensive food and drink options available during our stay."
We quickly unpacked our suitcases, had a short nap in a gorgeously furnished (and extensively air conditioned) room, then my family and I donned our wetsuits and our dive gear to go on a brief check-out dive. This dive was also already part of the Advanced Open-Water diving course I and my brother had decided to undertake during our stay. The first module was all about bouyancy control.
Even while lacking as much awareness as I could have had with a good night’s rest that I had forsaken on the plane ride to Fiji, our introductory dive stunned and amazed the senses. We were diving less than 50 metres from the dining area of the resort, and we were swimming alongside fish, coral heads, and all kinds of diverse marine life. After our dive, a delicious dinner, and a well-deserved sweet dessert, our family hit the hay early, in preparation for a morning dive the next day.
The next morning, we were up with the sun. After choosing our breakfasts, we also choose our lunch and dinner, so the kitchen had time to prepare our meals. Then, it was a quick change into our swimmers and wetsuits, and before the sun had time to leave the horizon fully, we were out on glassy water, chatting and laughing with the other divers on the boat.
Our first dive was on a reef known as Rainbow Reef, where we visited a little segment called The Fish Factory. Aptly named, the pleasant site was full of juvenile marine life hiding in nooks and crannies, and an assortment of vividly colourful fish was never more than a head turn away. Dad brought his camera on all our trips, so he made sure we always had something to remember our dives by!
It was on this dive that I discovered what I think might be my two favourite species of fish: the purple Scalefin Anthia and the Midnight Snapper. Their vibrant colours weren’t the thing that stood out the most to me, though it did help, it was the way their fins and movement through the water made them unique, like how the slow, articulated movements of the Midnight Snapper made its fins sway in a manner that almost made it look like it was wearing a dark ball-gown. I kept an eye out through all the dives, and always gave the Anthias a gentle wave whenever I saw them hanging out by a coral formation.
Back on the surface, we were served snacks and water before our second dive, to make sure we were replenished and hydrated. After a short break, we were back in the water. Everything felt much more comfortable, and I’d begun to feel a bit more confident in my buoyancy and air control, giving me more time to observe and ask questions, (consisting of pointing at an unknown creature and tilting my head), to which our dive instructor Mamasa would use his slate to give me the name of whatever marine life I was unsure about.
After we returned and had lunch, my brother and I were instructed to complete some online learning modules for the more advanced dive-types we would be undertaking, to fulfill the theoretical requirements of the Advanced Open Water course. Like the teacher’s pet I am, I promptly completed the modules, and my family and I spent the rest of the day playing card games together and swimming in the pool, until dinner, where the wonderful staff were incredibly accommodating to our needs, as would be a standard throughout our stay. Setting our alarms again, we went to sleep, ready for our dive the next morning.
On the third or fourth day of our stay, we decided on doing a night-dive, which was as exciting as it was daunting, as this would be my first ever one!
A short briefing followed an early dinner, and we descended into the water with some new pieces of equipment, most notably the large flashlights, as well as some pulsing coloured lights on our tanks to help us identify each other. Other than my dad’s flashlight being a *little* too bright, I was in complete shock and awe, 10 metres or so below the surface in near darkness, aside from the occasional moonbeam shooting through the water. To any readers considering a night dive, take this as a strong recommendation to partake in one; a brand new cast of marine life such as moray eels, crustaceans, and cleaner shrimp, as well as being surrounded by a tense atmosphere creates an unforgettable experience, and one I’m so glad I participated in.
On one of our dive trips, on our way back to the resort, the captain stopped the boat, and made a specific gesture, pointing off to the side of our boat. Mum, expecting dolphins, gasped and ran to the side. She was pleasantly surprised by a half-right answer to her expectation, a pod of Pilot Whales resting not far from us. All the divers and the crew donned masks, snorkels and fins, and hurried into the water.
"We were lucky enough to be able to swim with pilot whales, watching mothers and their calves swim together"
This relaxing cycle of good sleep and morning dives continued almost every day in our 10 day stay, accompanied by a variety of choice in all our meals, a speckling of activities such as fish-feeding and snorkelling, and Fiji night, where we learned about Fijian history and traditions, such as chicken prepared deliciously in a process called Lovo, not entirely dissimilar from the western understanding of slow-cooking.
All in all, the stay involved regular dives, delicious meals, fantastic interactions with staff members and marine life, and a diverse array of opportunities made available by the fabulous team at Paradise Taveuni resort. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to visit Fiji and experience a whole other facet of life, and I feel incredibly fulfilled by having the opportunity and materials to complete my Advanced Open Water Diving course!
Photos by Tim Hochgrebe, using his smartphone in a Sealife Sportdiver Ultra
