Fijian Frontiers Richard Smith © 2015

Fiji is considered by many as the soft coral capital of the world, but this diverse nation has much more to offer than soft corals alone. I guided a group of divers to Kadavu island’s remote south eastern coast to share Fiji’s indigenous marine life, stunning reefs dominated by diverse hard corals, and to experience some rich local culture.

rom the capital Nadi, we headed to found in Fiji’s waters almost immediately Kadavu southwest of the main island of on descent, I had high hopes for finding FViti Levu. The 45 minute flight in a 12 some of the others before we left. After a seater plane offered amazing views of the second great dive at Manta Reef and a aquamarine reefs below and the rainforest fleeting visit by a pure black ‘Darth Vader’ wilderness on Kadavu. This is one of the manta we headed back to the resort to try few great stands of forest remaining in the out the house reef. island group and it harbours a wealth of globally important terrestrial animal and Closer to home The resort ‘taxi service’ plant populations, as well as fantastic reefs. dropped us along the reef and we swam back to the resort during the dive. The After landing, a quick hop in a truck, guides explained the highlights and told a couple of boats made the hour long us to swim slowly to appreciate the smaller journey to the resort through endless inhabitants. There were many nudibranchs forests which tumbled into the coral fringed to keep us enthralled for the whole dive. seas. Being on the lee side of the Great As well as several more common species, Astrolabe Reef, our journey was very calm, I found a tiny but unusual colour variant of despite the roar of crashing waves outside Thecacera plus Odontoglaja guamensis the reef. which I hadn’t seen in many years. We also found many of the bright yellow The first foray the next morning was to Fijian subspecies of bicolour fangblennies; Mantas come to Manta Manta Reef, the haunt of some of the as their name suggests, in other parts of Reef to make the most resort’s most enigmatic locals. Being the their geographic range these fangblennies of numerous cleaning first day of diving, I hadn’t yet given my have a two toned blue-grey and yellow fishes to remove their presentation about the area’s unique colouration, but in Fiji they’re pure canary skin parasites; Matava Resort is protected by marine life. I was so excited at seeing yellow. They were hovering a couple of a small local island, all the fishes found only in Fijian waters feet from the reef, waiting to bite a sneaky complete with white that I totally missed the manta swooping chunk from passing fishes. After an hour sandy beach; A large overhead – the other divers weren’t yet we had a little surface swim to get back to Gorgonian coral grows aware of the secret of these reefs, so they the resort. beneath an overhang enjoyed the manta oblivious to the rare in a channel. fishes around them. The Outer Reef Next day brought the first trip to the outer Great Astrolabe Reef. According to the ‘godfather’ of Indo-Pacific One of the world’s largest barrier reefs, it ichthyology, Gerry Allen, there are 24 stretches 65 km with only a few breaks. species of endemic fishes in Fiji; many The outside isn’t always accessible as the are poorly known and scant information passes have to be calm to allow boats exists about them. Having checked off the through, but we were blessed with several two newly-described anemonefish species days with calm conditions. >

00 sportdiving magazine 2015 Issue 168 www.sportdiving.com.au Left To Right: Harlequin filefish are only found in areas of dense and healthy hard coral growth as they feed on coral polyps; A small Orangutan crab we found on a night dive that had adorned itself in sponge growth; Dozens of Christmas Tree worms infect a massive coral head; Butterflyfish are corallivores and are found in abundance; Colourful soft corals are found in the channels but the hard corals of the area are more impressive.

Underwater, the topography of these outer Research of Marine Protected Areas, or During a dive on these outer reefs, a Back inside On days where the outer specialist corallivores feeding on the quality of the coral growth is likely to be reefs varies little along the barrier’s length. MPA’s, shows an increase in fish numbers huge scalloped hammerhead shark reef waters were a little too choppy, or polyps of the growing corals. partly a result of the pristine forests – if Large Pacific Ocean waves break on the and size both within the borders of MPA’s swam directly at the group and passed on afternoon dives, we dived the inner forests remain undisturbed they bind the shallow corals but well away from the and outside. As reserves reach their within a few metres. Unusually, we reef’s stunning hard coral gardens. There were several Fijian endemic fishes soils which stops them from being washed diving area. Descending, I was struck by capacity to accommodate fish, individuals were in relatively shallow water and the These are protected from savage wave in these areas too. The striking yet elusive onto the reef and smothering the sensitive the absolute blueness of the water. I’m not move outside its edges into areas where hammerhead didn’t seem at all perturbed force by the physical structure of the Fijian bicolour foxface rabbitfish was in corals. Such sedimentation is a serious sure I’ve ever seen visibility like that; gin- fishing is permitted. Larger individuals by our bubbles, which usually cause outer reef so more delicate growth forms residence, but pairs of these beautiful fish threat to coral reefs around the world and clear was a very apt analogy. Another protected within the MPA also can these skittish sharks to retreat. It is nice can proliferate, which in turn support a had an uncanny knack of avoiding the kills a large proportion of coastal corals. interesting phenomenon was the growth produce many more offspring than their to see that at least some sharks remain different community of marine creatures. camera – I never even got close to getting forms of the sessile invertebrates such smaller over-fished counterparts. As a in these tropical oceans, despite almost Here there were many pairs of one of the a shot. More cooperative, though, was True Eco ‘Eco’ has become an overused as hard corals. In stormy seas, crashing result, MPA’s are generally considered to unrelenting fishing pressure for their fins ocean’s daintiest fish, the harlequin or a large reef octopus which spent almost buzzword these days, and is often thrown waves can smash fragile branching be win-win wherever they’re established. across the world’s oceans. pygmy filefish. They only occur in areas half an hour cleaning itself by wiping around inappropriately. However, the eco growth forms into smithereens. The result of healthy hard coral growth as they’re several of its tentacles over its body. The credentials of Matava resort are some of is a proliferation of very the best I’ve come across. Each day, as strong, stout coral growth we devoured our fresh organic tucker, I’m types and very little in the Left to Right: ashamed to say I didn’t really think about way of fragile gorgonians A large reef octopus where it came from, despite our remote or sponges. Such blue cleans itself with its location. We’re so used to popping to the water also provides little tentacles, we watch supermarket and picking up fresh foods nourishment for soft corals, this event for at least from across the world that we no longer which rely on water-borne twenty minutes; Barber’s tend to consider their source. One day, I particles rather than the sun’s anemonefish is found was chatting with Sammy the groundsman only in the waters of Fiji, energy for nourishment and and he invited me to see the garden up Tonga and Samoa. these species are largely on the hill. He explained how he grew all absent, apart from in the Next Page: the produce on site from organic seed and channels. An unusual species of how composting of organic waste helps to Trapania nudibranch I fertilise the otherwise nutrient-poor fields. Pelagic fishes are abundant found on the Matava All the resort’s fresh vegetables are grown in these oceanic waters House Reef and which I here including tomatoes, chillis, herbs, and some sites also benefit have as yet been unable lettuce, bananas and pineapples. from being no-take zones to identify. where local villagers do not Accommodation is in the form of fish. Schools of snappers, traditional Fijian thatch roofed bures, emperors, huge napoleon simply decorated with mosquito nets wrasse, groupers, dogtooth covering the bed, cooled by breezes off tuna, grey and whitetip reef the ocean, and with solar powered LED sharks were all making the bulbs and hot water. The resort is carbon most of the sanctuary and neutral and there’s no noisy generator the additional nourishment. thudding away through the night. The >

00 sportdiving magazine 2015 Issue 168 www.sportdiving.com.au lack of roads also means you can focus on the beautiful song from one of many indigenous bird species found only within these remote Kadavu forests.

Matava Resort is a little gem in the remote wilds of Fiji, with great diving and the will to maintain their little patch of paradise close to the way they found it. Having said that, WiFi is available and if you wander off to ‘mobile phone rock’ you can even pick up a phone signal! Even the most remote places on biology and conservation of pygmy Earth are accessible these days. However, seahorses. Richard leads marine life VANUAKULA expeditions which aims for participants to really immerse yourself in the Matava DRAVUNI experience, you might want to keep this to get more from their diving and NAMARA YAUKAVE information to yourself! photography by learning about the LEVU BULIYA

marine environment: F

E > LINKS www.OceanRealmImages.com NANKARA E

Matava Eco Resort: www.Matava.com ONO R Muanikaukau Point VABEA E

RAKIRAKI B NAIKOROKORO NUKUBALAVU A

The Author: Richard Smith is a British L DRUE marine biologist and photojournalist O NAMARA SOSO KADAVU R who aims to inspire a passion for the VUNISEA BAY T S NACOMOTO ocean and raise awareness of marine GALOA Matava Resort A conservation issues through his images. Cape TAWAYA GALOA T Washington HARBOUR A He’s been diving since 1996, which NABUKELEVU E G R began his fascination with the sea. In MUANI 2011 he completed the first PhD on the MATANUKU

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