Woke to a noise in the bathroom and found a crab in our shower! Amanda saw to it that he returned home safely of course. It was a rainy morning which made us even more stoked we had planned our dive for today! So we were able to make use of the morning despite the wet weather. Fijian people live by 'Fiji time' and that is, they'll get to it when they get to it - no worries, no hurry. This nonchalant attitude was ever present with the dive company today. But in a way it was a good thing because it required more of us - putting that certification to use! Fiji is home to more than a quarter of the worlds reefs and is known for its spectacular soft coral.
Our first dive, White Wall, focused on both of these qualities. So many different fish, so many different types of coral, so many colors. We had a guest appearance by a Spotted Eagle Ray and a Sixgill Shark. They paid no mind to us but we were fascinated by them! The most breathtaking moment of the dive came near the end. We came upon a coral wall, a massive coral wall from top to bottom in a soft pink coral - looked as soft as feathers. The whole wall was dancing in the drift. As far as the eye could see in any direction - unbelievable.
Our second dive was called Coral Garden. We were exposed to more of Fiji's beautiful coral reef and had the distinct pleasure of swimming with sea turtles! These are, bar none, Amanda's absolute favorite. Nothing else quite like them underwater. So unique. There's an innocence to them. Only one in one thousand make it to adulthood so when you see one of these survivalist beauties, savor that moment. We also encountered two Whitetip Reef Sharks. They always seem to be moving with such purpose - as if they are late for something.
We dove with two others. Both on vacation from Australia with their families. Learned a lot more about life in the down under which has only further sparked our desire to spend time traveling Australia. Made an addition to our bucket list - diving the Great Barrier Reef. Fiji is a hot spot for Aussies on vacation - much like the Caribbean for Americans. Very few Americans here.
Spent the afternoon enjoying the little bit of sun that made an appearance. Defined ourselves as true resort goers by swimming up to the pool bar. Why is it so much more fun to sit at a bar while in a pool?! You're more susceptible to a chill but yet, it doesn't seem to matter.
Used our free themed buffet dinner voucher for Asian night. Turned out to be a wise choice! Amanda was able to enjoy stir fry veggies for the first time since we left the states! Oddly enough, despite the nature rich environments of Tahiti, NZ, and Fiji - none of these places are particularly vegetarian friendly. Had to rely on fish in Tahiti. NZ was gluten-free friendly but those Kiwis love their meat. And, so far, Fiji hasn't proved to be any better. Needless to say, Amanda was stoked for some stir fry veggies and rice! Felt like home!
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