Leaving Fiji

---

Well my time in fiji is up, but its been swell!! To sum everything up, I spent a week getting my scuba diving certification at Crusoe's Retreat on the Coral Coast ( South side of Viti Levu) then did 4 more open water dives, once I'd passed my exam. The most memorable dive we descended to 120ft in Beqa Lagoon and saw Leopard Sharks, White Fin sharks and a huge Moray eel. The people here are great, lots of ozzies and kiwis. The kiwis say fush instead of fish. it always cracks me up. Spent eight days surfing, 2 at Sigatoka sand dunes- these enormous black sand dunes that open up to Fiji's only beach break. After that went out to Yanuca island and stayed at a bare basics surf resort, that did daily charters to Frigates passage. It was a crazy feeling surfing in the middle of the ocean with no land around, especially when they warn you about tiger sharks and hammerheads. Lots of good times hanging with ozzies and kiwi expats who live here, and as always the fiji crew- shame about the rugby. everyone here is so sad they lost in the world cup. Today I drove up to Lautoka, about 4 hours away- was able to get here with out getting pulled over. I say that because I've been pulled over 4 times, no tickets yet tho- manage to talk my way out of it and switch the subject to rugby and how beautiful fiji is, and how all Canadians are fiji's biggest fans and whatnot. Tomorrow morning I board the Pacific Grace, a 130ft gaff rigged schooner- bound for Madang Papua New Guinea, with our first port of call in Port Vila, Vanuatu. It promises to be a good trip, so long as cyclone season manages to hold off a little longer. I look forward to meeting all my western Canadian crew mates as well as those bright south Pacific night skys. I'll try to get some internet time in Vanuatu and make another post.
Hope everything is going well for everyone!

---