Its Raining Again!

We are currently sitting on the island of Koro hiding from the rain. It seems to rain a lot in Fiji which is probably why everywhere is so green! Its a bit like Wales only much warmer!

We left Savusavu as planned and motored around the coast to a very protected bay called Dakanuba. The following day the weather was very calm so along with friends on Victory and Superted we snorkelled and then dived the pass through the reef into the bay. After that the weather deteriorated and so we spent the days working on boat projects and the evenings socialising. The day we were due to leave all the boats got together to help the family ashore fix their boat as the bottom had torn apart. This took most of the day so we decided to postpone our departure until the next day.

Our next stop was Viani bay which was only 7 miles away. There was a a passage there inside the reef provided the light was good so as it was a sunny day we went through it. We had to go slow and stand up on the bow to see the reef. It was quite tricky but we got through without hitting anything!

Viani bay is very protected by the island of Taveuni and seems to have it own weather systems especially, it is dry and mostly sunny!! Taveuni is very hilly so the rain stops on the hills and never makes it across to Viani. It was lovely being in a sunny dry anchorage!

Our first day at Viani we dived the famous White Wall with a local dive company. It is rated as one of the top 10 dive sites in the world and we were not disappointed. There is a local called Jack Fisher who lives in the bay and he comes onto your boat and guides you to the best snorkelling and dive sites. What is really important is that he understands the local tides and currents which are very strong. Jack always seems to know somewhere to go where they aren't a problem.

We took our boat to a site called the fish factory which was amazing. 7 of us went snorkelling while Jack watched us from the dinghy. Another day 8 of us went on a trip to Taveuni with Jack on board 'Victory'. Jack watched the boat while we all piled into a taxi really meant for 6 and visited the waterfalls. It was quite a long bouncy drive around the island to the falls so we only had time to visit the first of the 3 falls. Still, it was very pretty and we all enjoyed a swim in fresh water. On the way back to the boat we all did lots of shopping and somehow managed to fit it all in the van!

We left Viani to head to the north of Taveuni to anchor near the airport. A friend, Kevin, was coming to visit us the following week and we needed to ensure we could get ashore and meet him. Then we crossed to the island of Rambi where we spent a night in Katherine Bay. It was a fraught crossing as the charts are not accurate and it was too cloudy to see the reef clearly. After a rest we headed to the north of the island to Albert Cove. The channel on the west of the island is very deep and we caught a good sized Giant Trevally on the way there. Albert Cove is a lovely bay with a tree lined beach and is surrounded by reef. We went ashore to donate half the trevally to the locals but found only one elderly man. He was very hospitable and gave us some bananas but clearly didn't want company for too long. We had a lovely snorkel the following day but the remainder of the time it was raining and cloudy.

We left Albert Cove and were hoping to visit Kioa but within a short time of leaving the rain was so heavy we could not see the island. Fortunately we could follow our track back and stay in deep water. The visibility was very bad so there was no way we could explore new places and we had no option but to return to Katherine bay. The following day we had to meet Kevin's flight which meant a bash into 25 knots of wind and rough seas, not a pleasant experience as once again we could not see the reefs we were crossing.

Kevin arrived on time at Taveuni airport. After he had changed into clothes which could get wet we walked back to the dinghy and had a wet slow ride out to the boat dodging the reef as it was low water. We decided that it was best to head back to Viani bay and we had 4 lovely days there. 2 days we all went out with Jack on a Catamaran called Gypsy Heart with owners Sandy and Rankin. There were about 10 of us each time and some of us dived while others snorkelled. Kevin got to meet lots of our friends and it was a very sociable week.

We headed back to Taveuni for Kevin's flight to Melbourne. His flight was not until lunch time but we headed ashore early to go shopping in the town. On our way back we stopped at the airport to drop Kevin's bag before taking a walk. He was then told that his flight had changed and would not reach Nadi in time for his connection. At this point the earlier flight arrived and he was put on it and had left within a short time so it was a good job we had got ashore so early.

We headed back to Viani to rest and decide what we were going to do next. The anchorage was very busy when we got back and the following day the ICA rally arrived making it even worse. We managed to catch up with friends Ann and Mark on Blue Rodeo and Chris and Rani on Ladybug and get another snorkelling trip in before we left.

We decided to sail to Koro as most people were going the opposite way and we were looking for some peace and quiet!!. It was a 50 mile sail and we left at 5.30am to ensure we arrived with good light. However, the winds were very good and the passage was very fast but a little rough and we were moored by 1.30pm. The bay had mooring balls which are free for visitors to use which is good as the bay is very deep. There is a resort here but it is not for holiday makers. People buy plots of land and then build their own houses and the resort is for their use. We went ashore yesterday and met some of the residents who are from Germany, NZ, USA, etc. Some live here permanently while others use it as a holiday home. We are told the diving is good here so we are waiting for good weather to try it out. So far the weather has been raining and windy so not good for swimming or exploring!