One of the most notable features of the Bay of Islands area is the distinctly dark and round body of water we called the Deep Blue Lake. Below, an interactive map of the area.
Its color stems from it being very deep (and as thus far as we’re concerned not a suitable anchorage). This doesn’t mean that it wasn’t worth exploring, though. The perimeter had some vividly-colored water amidst its offshore motus, more hidden worlds of beauty to discover. –Cyndi
Below, a collection of photos we took from exploring the area around the Deep Blue Lake. You can click to enlarge and scroll.
The Bay of Giants is not an official name, just a name we made up for this area. It’s an area of water less than 1/4 mile wide between the islands bordering our anchorage and shoreline of Vanua Balavu.
We first caught sight of it as we went through the pass between our bordering anchorage islands, which felt like entering a different word. Not far in the distance, we could see scattered islets, tall rock pillars that looked like they’d be right at home in Thailand, not something we’d expect to find in Fiji.
On approach, this area is at its most impressive on days with some cloud cover. When the sun peeks out it spotlights the islands while the large mountains in the background remain shaded. The effect is dramatic. (You can click to enlarge and scroll through galleries below.)
Up close, the pillars are imposing, some of them maybe reaching a good 40 feet high (just a guess). In full sunlight the water at their bases turns all shades of blue and green. But cloud cover provides its own beauty: the vegetation on the pillars and the surrounding mountains take on more dimension, and the water beneath the pillars illumines with an ethereal blue glow.
We made several trips here in various light, and all were beautiful. These pillars (in our opinion at least) are one of the most impressive sights in Fiji. –Cyndi
It’s probably obvious that we were pretty enamored with the Blue Pool, but that’s not to say the areas closer to us were chopped liver. The ride around the island that partly enclosed and created our anchorage could be pretty stunning. We’d take a pass through two small islands and find ourselves in a fairly wide open area dotted with little motus and, a short distance away, the pillar islands of the “Bay of Giants”. (Below, an interactive map approximating our favorite route around the island.)
The mainland around this area was fairly mountainous, creating a dark backdrop as the sun and passing clouds would alternately light and darken various islands. When the sunlight hit the area around our island, the blues and greens would light up dramatically.
A bit further around we discovered a bombie the size of a small living room. We made plans to come back and snorkel it as soon as we got the chance, but the water was so clear we could see much of it without leaving the comfort of our dinghy.
Definitely a beautiful area, and very close to probably the most impressive place: The Bay of Giants coming up in the next post. -Cyndi
We weren’t deterred by the cloudy sky when we first decided to snorkel at the Blue Pool, and this turned out to be a lucky thing. Under gray skies, the water had taken on a blue-grotto glow, making the area look even more exotic and magical.
We got into the water and snorkeled around the little island, the walls of which seemed to serve as a nursery for multitudes of baby fish, especially blue damsels. Next, we swam over to the sides of the pool. Here, we saw butterfly fish, fascinating transparent fish with bright blue eyes, and small damsel fish of all kinds.
The standout feature, though, was a rock shelf covered with coral that was shaped like mushroom caps, each about 8 to 12 inches across. It looked like these “mushrooms” had been scattered across the flat area of the shelf, nearly covering it. It was bizarre but not surprising that this strange and exotic place would look like a fairyland below the water with small colorful fish and mushroom-shaped coral. (We’ve never seen anything like this before or since.) Below, a few photos from this beautiful and exotic underwater world (click to enlarge on this or any photo galleries in this post).
After we finished snorkeling, I took some extra time to swim and get more photos. Of course the camera was now wet so the photos look a bit watery, but I like them anyway.
Of course we shot some video: below some footage of the Blue Pool on a cloudy day.
The time came to leave the pool and head back to the boat. As we motored out we passed a cave full of swallows darting about. This would not be our only swim here during our stay in the area, but it was the most magical one. – Cyndi
This particularly lovely spot was just around a corner from us (see map in previous post) and was actually part of an anchorage we’d considered as we made our way to Legacy’s current location.
The anchorage itself was beautiful, teal blue water surrounded by steep, stony cliffs draped with green vegetation. At the back of the anchorage sat a large, boulder-like motu. It was behind this motu that we found the magical place we called the Blue Pool. (Below, a few photos of the anchorage outside the Blue Pool. Click to enlarge and scroll through the photo galleries to follow.)
While the boulder island was large, there were channels around both sides of it leading into this special place: a large pool of water surrounded on three sides by vertical rock cliffs and hanging greenery. On its open side the boulder island separated it from the larger outer bay. (Below, a few photos of the channels leading into the Blue Pool.)
What made this spot so extraordinary, beyond merely being beautiful, was the water’s luminescent, ethereal glow. The glow seemed brightest in the sunlight, but even on cloudy days the water still seemed lit from within. Mostly this glow was a light, almost neon blue, but other times it glowed a vivid green. In the shadows the hues ranged from a rich blue to emerald (thus, the “Blue Pool” is a bit of a misnomer). The combination of rock walls, draping vegetation, glowing water, and the enclosed feeling made it seem like a dream world. (Below, a few photos of the Blue Pool)
Some of the brightest water was under the ledges beneath the cliffs. We were very anxious to return and do some snorkeling.
Below, a quick video from one of our visits to the Blue Pool. You can see how it changes color depending on the light, shadows, and viewing angle. Maybe we should have called it “The Blue or Green Pool Depending.” -Cyndi
