September 19 – 23, 2013
In our opinion, Fiji’s Northern Lau group (Vanua Balavu in particular) definitely held its own against the spectacular beauty of the Southern Lau. The landscape was exotic and beautiful, and the feeling of being tucked in amid islands and mountains in the calm seas of the lagoon was very special.
For me, the area’s standout feature was the lit-from-below quality of the water. I could almost imagine the glowing blues and greens were battling it out to see which could be the most electric, and it would inevitably be a draw. (You can click to enlarge/scroll through photo galleries below.)
Then there were the softer celadon greens of the shallows and the rich royal blues of the deeper areas. Any given dingy ride would take us over a kaleidoscope of colors.
Some of the most beautiful shades were found under the ledges . . .
As anyone who reads our blog can tell, I’m a sucker for brightly colored water. I think it comes from living in Los Angeles all my life. The ocean there is amazing for swimming and body surfing (and definitely has its own wild, kelp-forested beauty), but its color tends toward a washed-out navy blue or dusky green. It wasn’t until I traveled to Hawaii at age 19 that I saw just how colorful the ocean can be, and my fascination with these colors continues to this day.
Vanua Balavu not only has all those pretty colors I love, but they actually seem to glow. I’m not sure what causes this effect; I just call it magic. –Cyndi
