Two At Sea

August 12, 2013

We’d been hearing about a little island offshore called Namena (Formally: Namena Lala). It’s a marine reserve reputed to have some of the best diving in Fiji. Since there are many great dive areas in Fiji, that’s saying a lot.

After our scary close encounter with the Cousteau Resort people, we called Koro Sun Dive, who had been recommended to us by other cruisers. At last, nice, normal people! They dive at Namena Island all the time, and while their dive shop is a few miles away, they’re happy to provide transportation to and from their shop.

This morning, we were booked for a dive with our new friends from the boats Navara and Boundless, plus a nice lady staying at a resort nearby. The Koro Sun guys came by in two trucks to get all of us and our gear. I was thrilled to find out we’d be diving the Chimneys (aka the Pinnacles) and Grand Central Station (aka Grand Canyon), two places we’d heard lots of good things about.

The drive to the shop took us several miles out of town, down to the pretty Hibiscus Highway which runs along the south side of Vanua Levu. On the way we had a bit of a Tony Robbins Country Safari as we got a look at his exclusive Namale Resort, and then, across the street, his other “resort” (which looked suspiciously like dormitories) where the seminar guests often stay. (Note to anyone coming to one of his events: try to stay at the Namale.) Later from the dive boat we could see his house, which hangs on a hill and is pretty spectacular.

Once at the dive shop, we all signed in and picked out any extra gear we needed while the dive boat was loaded up. We had one more couple join us from the Koro Sun Resort across the street, then we all headed off to Namena Island, about 23 miles away.

It had been a cloudy morning, but it was lightening up some by the time we got to Namena. It’s a small island but strikingly pretty, especially with the white birds that flew alongside its green hills. We weren’t here for the island, though, and it was time to get into the water.

I was nervous as this was my first time on a professional dive boat, and all the other divers were way more experienced than I was. I just focused on descending, getting used to my rented gear, and keeping up with the group.

My nerves were forgotten as soon as we descended to, then down alongside, the wall at Grand Central Station (aka Grand Canyon). What an amazing sight! The vertical wall went down as far as the eye could see. The light gray cloud cover outside resulted in a blueish light down here, giving the scene a mystical feeling. We started to swim along the wall, which was covered with coral and fish of all kinds. Off to our right, away from the wall, swam bigger fish in the endless blue. It was a fantastic world, its beauty at times overwhelming.

We continued along the wall for a time, marveling at an astonishing number and variety of fish, some familiar to us; some not. After the wall, we crossed a large patch of sand, over a school barracuda; and through a school of redtooth triggerfish swimming dreamily through the water. We finished by swimming through an arch, then around and over a large mount covered with brightly-colored fish and coral. We shot some video with our GoPro. It doesn’t do the place justice, but it does seem to convey the dreamlike feeling of this dive.

Our previous post with a video of Grand Central Station is here.

After taking a break to enjoy the lunches we’d brought, it was time for our next dive. We’d be diving at the Chimneys, which our dive leader, Colin, said would be even better than the last dive. I couldn’t imagine any dive better than the one we’d just been on–I’m not sure my heart could take it!

By the time did the Chimneys dive, the sun had come out. This dramatically lit up the endless numbers of small colorful fish, hard and soft corals, and sea fans that covered the surface of this underwater hill. Many larger fish hovered nearby. After getting near the bottom, we swam among several mounts to another “chimney.” This one was even more dramatic with more fish and a multitude of sea fans. We spiraled up around the pinnacle, making our way to the top. Up there was the grand finale, an explosion of color and life. Once again, we used our Gopro, and once again it doesn’t begin to do the dive justice. I understand now why some of the divers are willing to carry bulky camera equipment as it’s nice to have your pictures match your experience.

After all the divers were back aboard the boat, it was quiet for awhile as everyone seemed a bit dazed. I’ve noticed people often need some re-entry time after a dive, especially when it’s been like the dives we had today. Soon, everyone was talking again and comparing their experiences. I asked Rich, who’s been diving all over the world, how he would rate Namena. He said this is second only to Palau, which he considers the best diving he’s seen. Maybe we’ll take Legacy to Palau someday, but for now I’d be thrilled just to get back here.–Cyndi

August 6, 2013 – Savusavu, Fiji

(Please note that the following represents only our opinions – please don’t have us wacked Mr. Cousteau!)

After a four mile walk, we were finally at the much-anticipated Cousteau resort.  We were just planning to have coffee and get a look at this retreat with the wonderful reputation. Surprise!

Upon our arrival, we were greeted at the main gate – well, not so much greeted as interrogated – by the bouncer (at least he looked like the bouncer).  He wanted to hear each of us articulate our name and the exact intention behind our proposed visit.  I guess we passed muster as he commanded us to walk to the second driveway where we would be “greeted” by the next representative.

She said a brief hello and handed us a sheet of paper. “Familiarize yourselves with the rules.”

“Ah, OK?”

“Follow me – I understand you want a coffee drink?!”

“Yes please?”

We were told where to sit, how to order and instructed not to roam the grounds unattended.  We sat, read the rules, ordered coffee and kept our mouths shut.

Most of the rules were almost reasonable but some were not.  We were particularly taken aback by one rule stipulating that families will be accommodated in the area reserved for “Families,” away from the “Serenity Area” which included the main pool, bar and dining area (aka all the nice areas of the resort), and that children are required to remain seated. While I’m not a big fan of kids running around restaurants unsupervised, I do feel sorry for any poor kids who are sequestered here and can’t run down the beach or play on the grass or around the pool.

When the coffee came, the server looked nervous.  We think that he once spilled a drop and was severely beaten.  In fact, all of the visible staff looked nervous – like victims of frequent scoldings.  It was a striking contrast to the usual Fijian manner: easygoing with a big smile.  Even the guests, the few who were around the pool, none swimming – only quietly reading, looked nervous.  One came into the bar to ask if he might please have a beer out by the pool.  His request was evaluated and granted.  He quietly walked back to the pool, probably wondering if he should have waited for it of if someone might bring it out to him.

The buildings we saw were pretty and the grounds were nice yet there seems to be something so wrong with the place.  There were no children playing, no people talking or laughing – in fact no one there seemed to be moving at all.  Employees dressed in their ghastly bright blue and red polyester uniforms were stationed around the grounds and kept watch like armed guards at a prison camp.  We didn’t discuss our feelings about the place with each other while on the inside but once released, we both said the same thing… “that was creepy!”

To our great surprise, on the four-mile walk back to our boat, we received two phone calls from the resort.  (We’d inquired at the dive shop about going out on a dive with them and left our phone number there.  The hotel guards, ah, I mean staff, must have acquired our phone number from the dive shop.)  The first call was something to the effect of “Hey brother, I’m calling from the Cousteau resort.  What kind of coffees did you order?”  He seemed satisfied with my “two cappuccinos” answer, thanked me, and hung up.  The second call just five minutes later went something like “Hey brother, how did you settle your bill – cash or credit card?”  I told him I’d paid cash.  We walked a little quicker as we were now a little more afraid.

I can understand that their first responsibility is to those staying at the resort and that they can’t have us “boat people” taking over the bar but I think they may be going a bit overboard.  We have been graciously welcomed at so many wonderful, high-end resorts during this trip.  Sometimes we’re told that the facilities are for guests only, but it’s always been done with class and a smile.  I would say if you’re here in Savusavu, don’t waste the cab fare or the calories for a visit to Cousteau – even the 70 cent bus fare is too high a price to visit this resort – in our opinions.

To sum it up with two popular media references: Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi must be involved with the management of this resort, which exemplifies LA Story’s “new cruelty.” -Rich

Cyndi’s Addition to the Jean Michael Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort Post (July 2015):

There’s even more to this scary story. It started when we were escorted to the resort’s dive shop to enquire about the week’s dives. If there’s room on their boat, they will take non-guests on their dive trips to Namena Island. We met a stern woman who told us there was a dive the next day.  She told us to give her our phone number and she’d call us later to let us know if we could go. We complied with her order, but we told her we’d like to know more about the dive before we signed up.

An American man came to talk to us and was very condescending. By now we weren’t liking these people at all; so Rich backed out by telling them, with the iffy looking weather tomorrow, and the full boat, we had decided not to go. The woman did not seem to hear this, and she kept saying she’d call to let us know. Rich finally had to tell her definitively: “We do not want to go on the dive tomorrow; you do not need to call!”

We both left with the gut feeling we’d get a call anyway. Sure enough, she called later in the day to tell us that we were on the dive tomorrow, forcing Rich once again to tell her no, we’re not going! We were so glad Rich had “broken the rules” and paid with cash for our coffees. We suspect we would have found a cancellation fee for the dive charged to our card if we’d used it to pay for those coffees.

Overall, I’d say there is something very wrong with this place. It’s dark, oppressive, and it has a bad energy. If a new group ever takes over, they’ll need to do some serious redecorating and perhaps hire some sort of energy “exorcist.” I don’t know that the place is haunted, but something feels very wrong there.

One more note: Some friends of ours read our blog, decided that it couldn’t be all that bad, and they’d go see for themselves and maybe prove us wrong. I talked to the wife after they went, and she seemed shaken. She exclaimed, “We were treated like criminals!” This was around September 2014. It would be nice to hear someday that they’ve overhauled the place and gotten new management, but I suspect things will remain the same. -Cyndi

August 5, 2013 in Savusavu, Fiji

After two weeks of being out and about, cruising the local islands, we’re back in Savusavu for some reprovisioning.  This is last night’s sunset from the bar on the deck of the Copra Shed Marina.

August 4, 2013

We woke up at dawn to a light rain and the small fishing canoes still around us. A pod of dolphin came by and hung out for awhile, actually feeding near the canoes. The whole scene had a dreamlike feel to it. It was a shame to break the spell with the noise of our engine, but we needed to get an early start back to Savusavu before the wind picked up.

We ended up having a terrific trip back to Savusavu, motor-sailing with 17 knots of wind on a broad reach, while a strong current that pushed us along.

It’s an interesting feeling returning to Savusavu after being away for awhile. It’s such a social hub, and you wonder who’s arrived, who’s left, and who has yet to make it out. Unfortunately the challenges of Fiji overwhelm some people, so much that they don’t leave Savusavu until the end of the season. (This inspired us to do our Fiji information pages so this wouldn’t happen to our friends behind us).

As for returning, there are people we hope to see, and people we hope not to see. Of course there are friends we’ve yet to meet, but invariably there are troubled campers we’ve yet to meet, too. Sometimes it feels a bit like high school.

We opted to get a slip at the marina, which made it easier to quickly get to Savusavu Wok for our favorite dumplings. We hadn’t had these for a couple of weeks and were starting to suffer from withdrawal. Later we met friends at the bar for a sunset drink before we all headed out for dinner. We love getting out for some cruising, but we love coming back to our “hub” just as much. –Cyndi

August 5, 2013 in Fiji

The waters in Fiji are not well charted and we often find ourselves motoring in shallow water where there are coral rocks (called bommies) that are shallow enough to be hit by our keel.  We need to keep a good lookout while going through these questionable areas.  We try to only travel in the shallows when the sun is high so that we can see the bottom.

Cyndi often keeps a lookout by standing on the boom or climbing the mast.

Another example of the hardships of the cruising life! 😉 -Rich