




The Starboard SUP Team joined us last week to check out Fiji’s amazing waves onboard the Tui Tai.The weather gods were working with us as the bad weather from last weeks passing cyclone disappeared for the first day of the trip.
The waves were really fun, glassy, uncrowded and provided the perfect playground to test different boards, equipment and catch some good waves. We roamed around and surfed numerous spots seeing which were working best with the conditions and to mix things up.
Making the most of the elements a windsurf sail was rigged up to a SUP board transforming it’s versatility when the wind picked up one afternoon, Scott Mckercher demonstrated that wind Sups were not only for flat water fun as he pulled into some decent sized waves at Cloudbreak and Numoto Lefts.
After huge days of surf and too much sun everyone made the most of the boat’s sundeck, lounging with an ice cold Fiji Bitter (or Coopers) watching the sun set into the ocean. We also received a few invitations to some small islands and had some random adventures including meeting locals, bad dance moves in sulu’s and group karaoke performances (which almost had everyone kicked off the island).
In typical irony after the biggest night also came the biggest day, but when everyone saw the conditions we were straight out in the water. Cloudbreak delivered some waves of epic proportions with double overhead barrels coming through. They were a solid 8ft of glassy perfection but the reef was shallow and soon the numbers dwindled until Scott McKenner and Dave Muir where the only ones left in the lineup. They both scored some amazing waves so hopefully the photos do it justice.
The mix of great people, abundance of fun waves, snorkeling, diving, amazing food cold beer, kava, island experiences and relaxed Fijian atmosphere made it a fantastic week overall. Starboard left us with a few paddleboards and pretty soon some of the crew were mastering the art of riding small waves, falling off and having lots of laughs.
For more info on Starboards different SUP,surf and windsurf gear contact their team or check out their site
If your keen on organizing or joining Tui Tai surf charter let us know…
To see more of my photo and video
www.gemmamolinaro.com
Soft Corals are soft-bodied polyps that lack limestone skeletons of their hard coral relatives. They retract into the reef so they appear invisible but when tides and water movement is running correctly, they inflate with water, extending their polyps into the current to feed. Their swaying bodies move like jelly in the current, and when they are in full bloom rich array of colors are truly spectacular.
When the current increases so does the amount of plantivores such as antheas and other beautiful schools of reef fish. When you dive the Somosomo straight at the right time and the coral and fish life are at their best is easy to understand why Jacques Cousteau coined it the Soft Coral Capital of the World.
On the Tui Tai we dive a variety of site all dependent on the tides, current and conditions. One of our many favorites is the Great White Wall. This is a wall dive with lots of colorful soft corals, marine life and swim throughs but when the conditions work with us we descend down the wall and at about 20m/60 ft a beautiful white iridescent coral comes out and covers the wall. It is difficult to describe this breathtaking display so I have a few photographs to give you a better idea.
The Rainbow reef is only one of our many dive/snorkeling highlights as we sail around remote islands in Fiji’s North. The different islands provide a large amount of diversity both above and below the water. Underwater we have greatly varying topography, marine and coral life every place we visit.
Come join us on the Tui Tai to experience firsthand the amazing natural phenomenon Jack Cousteau coined as "The Soft Coral Capital of the World".
www.tuitai.com
photos & words
www.gemmamolinaro.com
Diving in one of the most diverse oceans in the world means that onboard the Tui Tai we see more than our share of amazing under water creatures, mid June was no exception with the sharks stealing the spot light.
We started our week with some awesome encounters of white tip reef sharks, they were incredibly curious and hung around for most of the dive. Then mid week we dived a beautiful site called champions rock on the Tasman straight, half way though the dive, from the blue, came a 3.5 meters hammer head shark an incredible encounter for all the divers. On one of our final dives, at a site called still waters, at the very end of the dive a 2.5-meter bull shark cruised under our boat. Just to have one encounter with these animals is amazing but to have all three in a week is unbelievable.
Have a look at the video of the white tips and the hammer head.
The Tui Tai regularly visits remote locations in Fiji where the necessities that are often taken for granted in western countries are not easily found. The Tui Tai Charitable fund has provided medical support, education, housing, building repairs and emergency transport for many small and self-reliant villages.
The Tui Tai charitable fund raises money through three main channels. A portion of the initial cruise fare, donations and the profit from any Photo/Video product purchased on board, all three contribute to the Tui Tai charitable. These three methods of fund raising make a significant difference to the lives of so many people, take a look at some of the photos to see the recent work we have been doing within the remote communities of Fiji.
Bula,
The water temperature has slowly been dropping over the past few months! and with that temperature change brings with it some new marine life… Whales.
Whilst docked at rainbow reef we have been lucky enough to encounter humpback whales, 3 times! This week one of the guest’s spotted the whales from the top deck and in a matter of minuets every one was on the rib and out to see the whales. We had an amazing encounter and got within meters of the whales, one guest Jeff, was quick enough to jump into the water and snap a shot. Have a look.
It is quite breath taking to see these animals in the wild and we hope that they will be sticking around for the next couple of months.
Vinaka!
During mid May Teva came aboard to do a photo shoot for their new catalogue. Teva produce innovative and exciting outdoor footwear for both the adventurer and beach bum and needed a location that captured both… Where better than on an adventure live-aboard in Fiji!
Teva had a large number of shots they wanted to achieve and working with the Tui Tai proved a to be the perfect match. We went from location to location visiting stunning waterfalls, pristine surf breaks, untouched beaches, and deep canyons all for the perfect shot. Keep an eye out for Teva’s up and coming catalogue to see the hard work pay off.
In between the photo shoots Teva spent time with the Tui Tai staff visiting remote villages. Teva provided some lucky children with new shoes and a lot fun. All the villages were extremely grateful for Teva’s donations and would like to send there thank.
Vinaka to the crew from Teva for a fantastic week and their kind donations, we hope to see you again soon.
Tui Tai