September 19 – 23, 2013
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
