June 28, 2013
The storm had passed, and we had a beautiful day for our first outing with Jack. Today we were going to the Rainbow Reef, first to dive at a spot called the Fish Factory, then to snorkel at a spot called the Cabbage Patch. Gato Go had volunteered their catamaran for the trip, and Jack would take the helm because he knew the way through the reef to the secret underwater moorings the dive operations use.
We had about 15 people on Gato Go. A great benefit of having my dive teacher (Helena on Merilelu) here was getting to borrow the equipment I’d used in my dive course. On top of that, Helena and Kari refilled everyone’s dive tanks while they were here. What a kind and generous thing to do!
Our first challenge was to find the underwater mooring. Jack knows approximately where it is, but a good swimmer needs to dive in and actually find it, then run a line through it. Bruce volunteered for this mission and, after some hunting, managed to find the mooring. Tied up at last, it was time to dive.
We jumped in and descended about 30 feet to the Fish Factory. I could not believe all the fish! The soft corals, the colors, and the multitude of fish everywhere made this a magical place! (You can use the link below or simply go to the next post.)
https://twoatsea.com//the-fish-factory/
After we finished our dive, we got back on board the boat and motored over to a place called the Cabbage Patch, so called because it has coral that looks like giant cabbages. It was amazing to see, but just as amazing was the reef nearby. So many fish and corals, and shallow enough that dive equipment wasn’t unnecessary. We snorkeled there for about an hour, until it was time to go back to the boat. You can use the link below or see the post after next.
https://twoatsea.com//the-cabbage-patch-fiji/
We’d had a wonderful day, and to cap it off we were invited to Gato Go for Craig’s wonderful beef curry and rum drinks. After dinner, Craig suddenly told Bruce to turn out the lights. When he did we saw why: it was one of the starriest nights I’ve ever seen! We could see stars all the way to the horizon, and some were reflected in the glassy water below us. Nights this clear, still, and starry are a rare sight, even on a cruising yacht. Later as we motored back to Legacy, there were bits of phosphorescence trailing in the wake our outboard engine. The combined effect of the stars in the sky, stars on the surface of the water, and phosphorescent “stars” below the water created a magical effect. –Cyndi
