Dolphin Bay Divers Retreat

We'd planned to stay at Dolphin Bay for about 6 days, to learn to dive, as we hear it takes about 4 days, then head to New Zealand. But as always, things didn't quite pan out like that!!

Also staying at the resort were Rob and Judith, a Kiwi guy and Dutch girl. They were also travelling but were working at Dolphin Bay for a few weeks. Rob was a dive instructor and Judith was a dive master. It was them that would be taking our diving course.

The resort was a really nice place and we were well fed by Sandro, a German / American chef who liked to tell us all about his dishes. We had many late nights with Sandro and beer!! Rich has asked him to do the catering at our wedding, his food really is good.

So, the diving begins and the theory is all fine. There are a few tests to do and we manage them no problem. Rich was pretty OK with all the confined water stuff too, but me.....well, I was a different story!! After about day 4, I was in tears as I just couldn't do the mask clearing skills necessary to the course....everytime I tried I panicked and snorted water up through my nose and bolted for the surface....not good. I was really lucky to have Rob and Judith to teach me though, as they were both very patient....and determined and gave me plenty of encouragement. I eventually managed it after having some basic 'face in water' lessons with Rob. Rob kept saying that I had plenty of time....well in total it took me 12 days....a record in Robs experience!! Because the course had taken me so long, and we were enjoying our stay at Dolphin Bay we decided to extend our stay in Fiji to another 10 days.

Whilst I was struggling to complete my open water course, Rich completed his then took it a bit further by doing an advanced course. This meant him doing 5 speciality dives, one of which was a night dive! Rich saw some cool things on his dives, lobster, octopus, stingray, lionfish and his favourite, the 5 foot white tip reef shark!!! I saw some great things on my dives too, but not as much as Rich. Really pleased with myself for completing the course though, it's been one of the most challenging things I've ever done :-)

So, all in all we had 2 weeks there. Days were spent diving and lazing around, evenings were spent eating, drinking, chatting and playing shithead (cardgame). We got on very well with Rob and Judith, and a british girl called Lesley who was a course director. All 5 of us got on well and on our last night, we were on a mission to get drunk, and oh we did!!!! Rich, myself and Lesley were the last up and decided to go skinny dipping about 2 in the morning......and that was cool....although we both fell over in the water and cut ourselves on the coral!

When we came to leave we were expected a really hefty bill, as we'd been there 2 weeks, taken 3 courses and a couple of pleasure dives, drank a shed load of wine and beer and bought other stuff....including a Cava bowl made by the local village. But the bill was quite good all things considered.

So we bid farewell to our friends made in Dolphin Bay, we'll definitely keep in touch with Rob and Judith, and Lesley and hopefully meet up with Rob and Judith in New Zealand. And off we went on our journey back to Nadi....again there was another 12 hour ferry but we got first class this time....it had air con which was great during the day, but was freezing at night and I'd left my hoody with my luggage and all I had on was a vest!!!

So after more buses and ferrys we arrive in Nadi and stay in a hotel....and for the first time since we left England.....we have a hot shower......oh what luxury!!!

Next day it was pack up and head for the air port......New Zealand here we come!!

And so to Taveuni

We'd read that getting to Taveuni was difficult and slow, and blimey was that right!! It was bus and a ferry and another bus and a very long ferry journey (12 hours) on a ferry that looked like it was falling apart, there was welding being done on it continually!! On one of the smaller ferries we took, as we were getting on it, there was a cow, in 3 pieces on the wharf.....eek!!! All the locals were just stepping over it, not appearing to be surprised by it!!

On the way to Taveuni, we decided to stop in a town called Savusavu for a couple of days. Whilst there we bumped into another couple, Lawren and Kieran. We'd bumped into these guys loads of times, in Levuka, Caqeli, Suva and now here!!! We spent an evening with them at the resort they were staying at. Didn't reckon much to it, it was an expensive resort and the people that stayed there were generally going to be sticking to the resort and it's trips and not really getting to see Fiji properly. The food we had was expensive and rubbish too and I ended up with a bit of a dodgy tummy later that evening. We were walking back to our gaff at about 1am in the rain when some guys who were drinking Cava in the street invited us to join them, so we did!! Had a bit of a chat to them, then the local policeman turned up, and he joined in!! He was telling us stories of when he was in the British Army...it seems a lot of Fijian men join the British Army. Honestly, the friendliness of the Fijians is outstanding! They're not material people, so long as they've got food on the table and Cava in the evening, they're happy....and will gladly share it with you!

And so the journey continues, with another bus and a ferry and a bus and we finally arrive in Taveuni. We have a bite to eat and phone susies to book ourselves in for a few nights and to do some diving. Now this is where it gets a bit complicated. We've been using our lonely planet book to find places to stay and things to do and stuff, as well as taking recommendations from people we meet. We ring the number for Susies as it is in the book and the lady there tells us to go to the new wharf (where we'd just come from) and a guy will pick us up in a boat and take us to the resort. Now, we were a bit puzzled by this as according to our book and other people, Susies was on the south part of Taveuni, so couldnt' understand why we'd need a boat. But went to the wharf anyway and met the man with the boat....Bertie. Before we set off though, we dashed up to where the international date line was just to make sure we got there. Took a few photos, jumped between today and yesterday and then we were off.

It all became clear when we arrived back at Viti Levu (the 2nd largest island) as the owners explained about Susies and the number in the book being wrong, I can't quite remember the detail now. But, nevertheless, they were a dive resort that ran PADI courses and that's what we wanted. We were shown to our Tent (a big tent in the forest under a cover with a bed and wardrobe and stuff) and settled in.

Farewell to Leleuvia

We spent a couple more days on Leleuva cos we liked it that much. Our time there was spent lazing around, chatting, reading, swimming, and playing about. We had loads of great food there and we were sad to leave, but it was time for our next adventure. The Fijian ladies there were sad to see Rich leave as he liked his food and they loved to cook for him!! On our last night a few more Fijians, family members I think had turned up. There was Cava going on as usual and they sang us a Fijian farewell song, before asking us to dance to a couple of other Fijian ditties, which of course we duly obliged with!

Next day, a few more peaple arrived on the island, including Sophie and her mum who we met in Nadi. When we were heading out on the boat, everbody was lined up on the beach waving us goodbye, the guys were singing the farewell song, with Randy in the middle playing a shovel!!! After a hairy boat ride we arrived back at Levuka and stayed at Mary's lodge again. We met a girl there who'd been to Taveuni (where we were headed next) and we'd told her we wanted to do an open water diving course, she recommended a place called Susies, not the first time we'd heard of it, so decided that's where we'd head to!

Off to Church!

After breakfast we get showered and appropriately dressed (ladies should have their shoulders and knees covered). Rich was given a sulu to wear (mens skirt) and very fetching he looked too!

We head out on a boat to a neighboring island - Motoriki - stopping at Caqeli en route to get fuel. This journey takes about an hour. When we arrive we have to walk through the shallow waters and mangrove, then through the 'junlge' to reach the village. Once there, we're seated in church. It's fathers day and so there was a special service. It was all in Fijian but about halfway through we had to stand up and introduce ourselves. They welcomed us into the church and thanked us for coming. Whilst it was in Fijian it looked like the stories being told were really interesting and the songs were beatifully sung by the men.

Afterwards, we were invited to join the fathers day feast. Set in one of the huts all the villagers bought a dish and it was a real community thing. All the men ate first (cos it was fathers day) and we sat with them to eat. The feast was laid out on the floor and we sat cross legged to dine. It was proper Fijian dishes. Octopus (Rich tried but I didn't), spinach and fish, noodles and meat, cassava, loads of whole fish, noodles and corned beef.....and a load more!! I did find it difficult to eat (being so funny about meat and stuff) and tried to eat mainly veg, but Rich got tucked right in!! He had a bit of a moment with the fish bones as they kept getting stuck in his throat which made him gag, that was a bit embarrasing for the poor lad!!

After lunch we were shown by another villager to a different part of the island, where recently a womans remains were discovered. Her bones were sent to New Zealand for analysis and it turns out they were from 3000BC, the oldest Fijian to be found. She was returned to the island to be laid to rest properly.

Later that night, another Cava session was in full flow, Rich and Randy made a very important discovery. Don't drink Cava with beer!!! They did and were in a right mess, not just drunk but a pair of dribbling idiots!!!

It's coming, honest!

I know we said that we were going to update the blog yesterday, but obviously we didn't as things didn't go quite as planned!
But tomorrow, tomorrow is a different story, I promise faithfully that there will be updates tonorrow, honest.

Rich and Kaz