Kayaking

Yesterday we rented a pair of double kayaks to cruise the shallow, tranquil waters of Savusavu Bay. It was the perfect environment for novice kayakers, which most of us were. As the worst swimmer in the group, I was paired with Myra, who actually has some experience kayaking, and was therefore deemed less likely to capsize. She was in front so I had a good view of the cluster of mosquito bites on the back of her right shoulder where she missed applying repellent. Deborah and Semoko manned the other craft. We all wore life vests except Semoko who, being the hardy Fijian, scoffed at the notion of wearing such a silly apparatus.

The shallow waters of low tide made it easy to view the bottom of the bay and spot the coral and the impossibly blue sea stars scattered about. We circled some small islands which were mostly lined with mangroves, but found a sandy beach to pull ashore and do some beach combing. We found some beautiful bits of coral with unusual patterns and lots of interesting shells ranging from incredibly tiny ones to a couple of giant clam shells which are easily the largest shells I’ve ever collected. There were also a few unexpired creatures scurrying about the tide pools including spiny sea stars, urchins, sea cucumbers, crabs, and bizarre yard-long worms with probing multipronged mouth parts which I was disinclined to touch. It was a great day and Deborah and I feel confident enough to try it again later in our trip, even after we no longer have the benefit of Myra’s expert tutelage.

We felt too unsure of our ability to stay upright in the kayaks to bring our non-waterproof cameras along, so I don’t have any photos of our trip. Next time I’ll make use of a ziplock bag and take the chance.

Newest additions to our Fiji shell collection