Fiji, March 18; Waya on my own

Waya Island, Kadavu; March 18, 2012 (Fiji Beachcombing series No.10) :   Unidentified seeds, Cone Snail (unidentified sp.), Cowrie (Cypraea sp.), coconut seed (Cocos nucifera), unidentified Ark Clam species, Walai vine seed (Entada phaseoloides), unidentified limpet, Nerite (Nerita sp.), pumice

The flowers of the Vutu tree (Barringtonia asiatica)  bloomed every night, and in the morning were scattered on the path as we went down the hill to breakfast.

 Mid-morning, my daughter and I rode out to the dive boat in the skiff bringing tanks for the second dive of the day. On the way out, Tomas drove very sedately through the calm water inside the reef.

 Once the dainty little eleven-year-old had been dropped off at the dive boat (to dive with 14' manta rays), he took us back through the big waves outside the reef at top speed. Now I know how a stone feels when it's being skipped!

I was busy hanging on to my seat, whooping as we crested the waves, so I have no photos from the trip back - not even of the school of flying fish that hovered beside us for a while like enormous silver dragonflies. I did get a few one-handed shots of the side of the boat next to the fish, and several of the air above them.

 Tomas dropped me off at Waya Island on our way back - my first time alone there! This is the best "tropical beach" photo I got during the whole trip. I kept trying to line up white sand, green palms, turquoise water, and blue sky, but never did get more than two of them to cooperate at a time.

 Since I was by myself with no one to bore or embarass, I spent some time stalking the birds that nested on this funky islet. By 'stalking,' I mean trying hard to catch in a telephoto lens.

 

This really pissed them off, and  you can see in this photo they are telling me where I can put my camera. 

I think they were Fairy Terns (Sterna nereis). I don't know what this group is saying, but it's probably not flattering. 

And here's a video of Fairy Terns, courtesy of YouTube.

 I'll leave you with one last photo of a palm tree from my last day of beachcombing. Tomorrow, we visit the village of Kadavu Koro and swim in a mountain waterfall.