Pacific Cultural Triangle with Tui Tai

One of the many highlights of a Tui Tai Expeditition Cruise is the chance to experience  the rich diversity of the South Pacific Islands.

Fiji has a very rich culture that has been passed down through the generations with dance and song called "Mece". To experience it first hand we visit Wi Wi village  on Taveuni as guests of there"Mece" and traditional kava ceremony. See the powerful warrior dances, gentle dance of the women and even taste kava!

 

Nestled in the northern Fijian Islands are two unique groups of people who left their homelands many years back and have  adopted as Fiji their new home. A quality that these island people share with the locals is that they hold on to their traditions and tell their history through performance and music.

    

                                     

                                       

 Above we see a "Fatele" in Kioa in full swing with powerful Polynesian drumming, singing and dancing. The people originally from the atoll of Tuvalu share their story and history with us whilst continuing their culture into the modern day.

Completing the pacific triangle we have a taste of Micronesian culture on the island of Rabi, performed by excited primary school children. The banaban people originated from ocean island  in Kiribas  and seeing this unique style of dance  we are happy to see that their culture is very much alive as well.


After full days of diving, hiking and exploring the Fijian Islands with the Tui Tai Adventures the entire experience is enriched by sharing firsthand these amazing and diverse cultures that make up our pacific triangle.

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Manta Ray of Hope

Life on board the Tui Tai Expeditions Cruises lets you get up close and personal with the beauty and unpredictability of the ocean. Manta Rays are incredibly  illusive and breathtaking, and when they grace you with their presence it is an experience you will not soon forget. 

 Our site where we encounter Manta Rays is a plankton rich feeding area. They swim close to the surface with their wingtips piercing the surface, this is how we spot them as it is also a area with lots of water movement and intense currents. Over time we have narrowed down the tide times, moon phases and conditions  that the Manta Rays like but still at the end of the day its still down to chance as a lot is unknown about these magnificent creatures.

 Manta Ray of Hope  is an organisation that is trying to study more about Manta Rays all over the world. Their site also brings to light the terrible up and coming industry of manta fishing in Asia for "medical purposes". Have a look at the video to learn more.. Manta Ray of Hope

On board the Tui Tai we have decided to use our unique encounters to learn more about these amazing creatures by creating detailed logs of conditions,times, amount of rays and their behaviour. A Photo ID log of the Mantas belly will identify each individual manta like a finger print so we  can see how many of the same animals return each time and use this information to further our knowledge about these creatures.

Education and tourism will hopefully go along way in protecting the Mantas in Fiji and all over the world. They are such an awe inspiring, peaceful giant of the sea and an encounter is a privilege that every one should hope for...

I will keep you posted on our progress...

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Open water course on the Tui Tai

SCUBA SCUBA SCUBA!

Fiji is world renown for its incredible reefs and corals, so what better place to learn than on the Tui Tai!

We introduce you to scuba diving on the beautiful island of Rabi in a small cove called Dolphin bay, here there is plenty to see with hard corals, nudibranchs and plenty of reef fish. We then tour some of Fijis finest dive sites and even explore some of the outer island reefs where there is seldom another boat out there and the fish are curious to check you out! And what better way to finish off your certification than on the great white wall, considered one of the worlds top dive sites... Not bad for your 4th dive ever!

All of our expeditions have a PADI scuba instructor on board and we are able to fit in all the classes, skill sessions and open water dives around the trip so you don't miss out on any of our other awesome activities! We also offer the padi advance and rescue course. For more info please call on +679.885.3032 or email at reservations@tuitai.com.

A few skills.



















First dive!
















The great white wall...

Teva House winners sail around Fiji on amazing Tui Tai Expedition!

Every Year Teva house has a competition and a few lucky adventures head off for a trip of a life time to some incredible part of the world.  The 2011 Teva house  team set sail in Fiji on 140ft sailboat The Tui Tai for seven days filled adventure and exploration in Fiji's remote northern islands.

The expedition was a trip of a lifetime! We woke up everyday to discover a different  remote island and then made the most of each moment with amazing activities. Evey one was equipt with Teva shoes which were perfect for all our adventures in and out of the water. We snorkeled and dived pristine reefs, hiked to the top of an extinct volcano, kayaked through the crater, jumped off waterfalls, visited remote schools and villages, drunk kava with the locals, swam with majestic manta rays, surfed epic waves, did sunrise yoga sessions and then enjoyed cocktails under the night stars.

Teva also brought  boxes of shoes as gifts to donate to kids we met in living in the outer islands.We had some fantastic smiles and for some it was their first pair of shoes!

The Tui Tai expedition was a truly a trip of a lifetime! Great people, great places and even greater stories....
More photos/videos and stories on the way!


To donate to the Tui Tai Charitable Fund or join us for your own Expedition contact us on
http://www.tuitai.com/

For more on Teva and Teva House
http://www.teva.com/

Photos by-to see more

http://www.gemmamolinaro.com/

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Dive Fiji onboard Tui Tai

Fiji is one of the world’s most popular tropical dive destinations and much of this interest is due to the superb diving in the north around Taveuni, the Ringgold Atolls, Rabi and Kioa’s acclaimed reefs. Here we find reefs ablaze with every colour of the rainbow, as multi-hued soft corals and fish feed in the tidal currents. Add to this clear, warm tropical waters and you have truly world-class diving. Tui Tai Expedition Cruises is a PADI IRRA International Dive Boat. Our instructors onboard can take you on a "Discover Scuba Dive" without any prior dive experience, or you can further your skills by completing the Advanced Openwater Course. 

We are setting off on a new expedition on the Tui Tai tomorrow and as always we are excited to see what this week's adventure will bring.

More Photo and Video to follow but in the meantime check out some new diving footage to get an idea of the amazing life under the surface...enjoy.

For more information contact us

http://www.tuitai.com/

Photos and Video

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Quiksilver father/son Surf Trip onboard Tui Tai

The Tui Tai Steamed down to the western side of Fiji, awaiting the arrival of the Quiksilver team ( which also was a father/son surf trip).

Departing Denarau we headed straight out to reefs surrounding Tavarua  and Numoto Islands and began the day with surf at Cloudbreak.

Conditions were fun and glassy and everyone got some waves and got over the jet lag and into holiday mode. As bellies grumbled we headed back to the boat to lunch on the top deck followed by small siesta on the sun lounges.

Before getting to settled into the Fiji relax time we loaded the two naids with boards and jumped in to go check out Wilks. Even though the wind had picked up since the morning the right was firing!  With only ourselves out to contend with there were plenty of waves to go round. The water was crystal clear and you could see the beautiful tropical fish swimming over the reef below. This made for some beautiful underwater surf shots too.

As we went back to the boat all eyes were checking out swell forecasts for the next few days. Everyone was trying to work out the best place to explore to find some remote waves. After various debates and phone calls to connections locations we decided to head south and explore the islands of Kandavu. 

There was a big swell on its way, but unfortunately it also came with strong winds too. Then came the marine forecast that a cyclone was heading straight to Fiji. Even though the  weather was fine for the moment we were unable to head out for our big exploration expedition and we needed to stay in the Mamacuas .

Spirits were dampened a little, airline tickets were booked to Australia, but we decided to make the most of the day and go surfing. The wind had picked up a little and we checked out desperation's. Its was sheltered and had nice sets coming in, some right, some left, it almost felt like a beach break. A fun session was had by all but again food was calling and returned to  the Tui Tai for lunch  and fresh fruit.

We had boat jumping session, even a flip off the very top deck, but I think the landing hurt. Another boat went out and a few of the guys went to check out the below the waves with some free diving. There were some talks of catching dinner but the fish got away…

One last surf out at desperation's with the waves all to ourselves.  Everyone was relaxing, catching waves with friends, in balmy tropical waters, until a storm front came over and the sky's opened. Waves were  still ridden in the downpour until  beers and dinner sounded like a good idea. We had a sunset cruise back to the dock, out trip cut short, but the waves are still there waiting to be explored, so we will leave it till next time.

For more info on Surf Charters on the Tui Tai

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Photos by

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Life is An Adventure on the Tui Tai

What a fantastic week we have just had on the Tui Tai. Apart from a couple of rainy

days we had gorgeous weather and managed to enjoy a whole host of activities. For many of the guests it was a chance to try something new - be it scuba diving ( Congratlations Ayesha and Max!), jumping off/sliding down a waterfall or hiking a volcanic crater. When a hurricane warning altered our plans we decamped to a secluded beach and played volleyball, golf and a lot of us learned to paddleboard (John turned out to have a great sense of balance). The divers were lucky enough to see a Manta Ray on the White Wall - something none of us will forget. In the evenings we were fully entertained by Matt singing and playing guitar, and Steve showing us a whole new style of dancing. Bob showed us how watersliding was done and the honeymooners Kurt and Susan pursued their mission of finding heart-shaped seashells and coral at every opportunity. The Tui Tai is all about adventure, so whether it's already in your blood or you'd like to unleash your inner action-man/woman, come onboard and immerse yourself in a whole host of new experiences.

This week we had some great island visits, with some pilot whales making an appearance on our way to the first one, which was the island of Rabi, where we were entertained by the school children. These islanders are originally from Kiribati, but after their island was devastated in World War II and phosphate mining, the British relocated them on Rabi, which is a volcanic island in northern Fiji.Their costumes are stunning and everyone was enthralled by the dancing and their warm hospitality - especially by one little boy who really got into character and left us all with a big smile on our faces! We next went to Wiwi village in the island of Taveuni, and the guests had a fantastic time joining in the fun by showing them how dancing is done in England!

Hiking on Cobia Island, which is a sunken volcanic crater in the Ringgold atoll, we managed to find some of the wild goats which are the only inhabitants of the island! They are very wary of humans though so we were lucky to spot a few and even get a rare photograph. Not put off by a bit of "liquid sunshine" we enjoyed the stunning views once reaching the top - and one guest commented that the opportunity to do this hike had inspired her to book the trip!

A Wedding in Kioa

This week was not only special because it was the end of the year, we also had 2 couples feeling the romance of Fiji and the Tui Tai with a wedding and a proposal!

One couple decided they wanted to get married on the beautiful island of Kioa, which Tui Tai promptly arranged, and a fantastic day was had by all, followed by their singing ceremony, or fatele. The residents of Kioa were originally from the Polynesian island of Tuvalu, but due to rising sea levels they needed to relocate and have now been here for over seventy years. They have kept their traditions alive and it made for some spectacular photos with an American style wedding dress set amongst a Polynesian/Fijian backdrop.

Another guest decided that he would propose to his girlfriend - not so unusual in Fiji - but what made it special is that he did it underwater! He had brought the rings with him and carefully arranged it with the crew beforehand so that everything went according to plan - the question (and answer!) was written on an underwater slate - she accepted thankfully and now Fiji and the Tui Tai will always hold a special place in their hearts.

With the end of the year comes the start of a new one - Happy New Year to all past and future Tui Tai guests!