Remote Island Exploration in Fiji on the Tui Tai

Tui Tai Charters!

We have just come back from an incredible charter trip into the remote and beautiful Lau group. We sailed into new waters, visiting unique areas of Fiji. The Bay of Islands on Vanua Balavu were stunning, we kayaked through ocean passages and between cliff faces, went stand up paddle boarding in secluded lagoons and had chance encounters with manta rays on the outer reefs. We also spent a day in the crystal clear water of wailagilala, a small but beautiful coconut island in Northern Lau, it had some great fishing, beautiful diving and stunning white sand beaches.

We also visited some of our favorite islands Kioa, Rabi, Taveuni and Cobia. With a great mix of adventure, culture and plenty of water action it was a great week.

The Tui Tai is available for charters. We can cater for all types of groups, with two Zodic boats we can do various activities whether scuba diving, surfing, snorkeling or just beaching at the same time!

Get in touch reservtion@tuitai.com +679 885 3032

www.tuitai.com

                           

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...

www.tuitai.com

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/

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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

http://www.tuitai.com/

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