Travelogue - Dive Fiji! (June 2003)

Crystal clear blue waters. Coral-reef lined tropical
islands. Sun. Sand. Adventure. Bula! (hello), and
welcome to Fiji. I just spent the past five days
visiting this beautiful South Pacific paradise.
Business meetings last week in Tokyo, and other
meetings next week in Sydney, provided the perfect
excuse to break away and savor a taste of Fiji.
Reconnecting with a long-lost friend also added to the
incentive of stopping over in this island nation.

Fiji encompasses over 300 islands in the Southwestern
Pacific ocean, some 2100 km north of New Zealand. The
largest island is Viti Levu, which is home to 75% of
Fiji’s population of 775,000. The balance of the
citizens reside on the other 100 or so inhabited
islands. Indigenous Fijians comprise 50% of the total
population, with Fijian Indians making up 45%. The
Fijian Indians were initially brought to the islands
as indentured servants to work the sugar cane fields
between 1880 and 1919 during the British colonial
period. Agriculture is Fiji’s primary industry, with
sugar cane as the main product. Tourism is the second
largest industry for the country. English is the
official language.

I had long heard of Fiji as a scuba paradise, and I
was readily happy to dive in and sample the offerings.
Beautiful and varied coral – brain, crown of thorns,
sea anemone, parrotfish, clownfish, angelfish, and a
host of other common tropical varieties call Fiji’s
warm tropical waters home. Water temperature and
visibility was excellent. The sighting of an
occasional octopus, stingray or giant sea cucumber
provided additional moments of delight during the
dives. Next dive holiday: the Maldives in late ’03 or
early ’04.

May through October is the dry season in Fiji,
providing hot, sunny days, and cool, comfortable
nights, all with low humidity. June is a perfect time
of year to visit.

I spent a couple of days visiting a friend from my
high school years. James, and his wife Ima, recently
relocated from Hawaii to oversee a missions program in
Ima’s native Fiji. It was fun catching up on the
events of the past few years and reminiscing about old
times growing up in Upstate New York. James and I did
a day tour along Viti Levu’s southern Coral Coast, and
on to Suva, the island’s political and commercial
capital, some 190 km east of Nadi (pronounced Nandi in
Fijian). The city of Suva is busy preparing to host
the South Pacific Games, a sort of regional Olympic
games. Over 4500 athletes from 22 member countries
will converge on the capital city June 28-July 12.
The entire country of Fiji is extremely proud to be
hosting the event.

Numerous outdoor adventurous activities are available
in Fiji. I enjoyed a peaceful post-breakfast sea
kayaking tour across the bay at the Sheraton resort to
a nearby offshore island. What a exhilarating way to
start the day! Also took a ride on JetFiji, a
jet-powered speedboat that zooms along the narrow
mangrove-lined canals of the Nadi river, spinning
periodic 360’s on a virtual dime, and providing riders
with quite a thrill. JetFiji is affiliated with the
world-famous Shotover falls jetboat of Queenstown, NZ,
and the watercraft of the same genre.

Finished off the Fijian holiday with a day-long cruise
aboard the SeaSpray, a 40’foot schooner that plies the
waters of the Mamanuca island chain, located west of
Nadi. A highlight included a 2-hour break on Monuriki
island, made famous as the shooting location for Tom
Hank’s recent film, Castaway. The uninhabited,
windswept island provided a perfectly peaceful respite
of relaxation for a couple of hours. Coconut palm
trees swayed in the steady tradewinds, and the
surrounding waters proved to be a snorkeler’s tropical
delight. I went on a brief scavenger hunt of the
island, but failed to locate any lost FedEx packages
or smiley-face soccerballs. Sorry, Tom!

Happy Travels!

Mark