Fiji Aggressor Trip Report June 26-July 2, 2006
I have always been visually stimulated by bright and vibrant colors so it was no surprise that I would select the soft coral capitol of the world for my first live-aboard trip. As such, it turned in to a major undertaking for a relative newbie who just finished his 50th dive while on this trip.
Pre-Dive Planning
Needless to say, the considerations were many. Since my son and I have been diving for less than a year, we were sure to sign up for an Advanced Open Water class prior to departure. This helped us shore up our weaknesses and renew our skills. This certification is also required on many Red Sea live-aboards which I am interested in doing in the future.
We became members of DAN and obtained their dive accident policy, as well as insurance for our equipment that included flood insurance on our camera. We bought trip insurance through my professional organization which gave me a 50% discount since my son had not yet turned 16. All together, the insurance on everything can run almost as much as a weekend in Cozumel {from Texas} which does give one pause.
We obtained an Olympus 8080 camera off of e-bay, but found that this would not easily accommodate a ttl strobe with the PT-023 case. We ended up getting the Ikelite case and strobe through Scubatoys. We bought a 4 Gig CF card to allow for plenty of storage since it was unclear whether a computer would be available for downloads. My son was put in charge of all photography since my buoyancy skills are not near as well honed as his.
The decision to go with the Aggressor fleet was relatively easy since I have never read anything negative about them in all my reading. Experienced divers also told of their superior food and service. I booked directly with Aggressor, but had difficulty communicating with them through e-mail. I discovered that this was my fault since my spam blocker was blocking all of their messages!
Since I have a compulsion to stay in constant contact with family, friends, and office, I checked multiple sources for a global satellite phone. The iridium phone appeared to be the best for the South Pacific and indeed it did work well. The least expensive source I could find was at www.globalcomsatphone.com which charged $1.39 per minute on a prepaid basis as opposed to the $5.00 the boat charges. Of course, there was an additional charge for insurance again and this did not include theft. I found that trying to obtain internet access at sea in the South Pacific was pretty hopeless without spending $2500 for a modem plus an outrageous per minute charge for dial-up.
As far as what to bring in addition to the usual things listed, recent magazines were good to read on board and made a prized gift to the crew. They seldom see these as they live three weeks at sea with only one week off. I could not believe how excited they became over the magazines. In Fiji, it is always nice to bring gifts for the children for the village visit. School supplies are appreciated, as well as any items from the Dollar Store such as reading glasses and colored pens. I would also be sure to bring plenty of books to read since there is nothing else to do other than, of course, sleep, eat, and dive. DVDs are also a popular night diversion. I would also bring several swim suits since it is nice to have dry suits to change into. An underwater marker to label your equipment is also a good idea. The diver who was directly beside me in the tank rack happened to have much of the same equipment I had.
I would also visit your physician to obtain medicine for sea sickness which affected over 1/3 of the divers on board at times. In addition to the usual scopolamine patches, as well as Zofran orally dissolving tablets, the most potent treatment that some required was Dexedrine 10mg with 25mg of phenergan. This requires a triplicate prescription in Texas that some physicians may be reluctant to write. It did seem to be effective even after the nausea was well established, but, of course this may not be appropriate for everyone. While at the physicians, one could also inquire about the appropriateness of steroid nasal sprays and meds should swimmers ear occur as it did with my son. Sleep medication for overnight flights may also be desired. DAN may also evaluate the appropriateness of any medicines in regards to diving.
The timing of the trip was not especially fortuitous. I did not realize that the Fijian winter started in June. Therefore, the seas were rougher than expected and the weather was cooler than thought. Yet, it is still hard to complain about weather that is nearly always between 70 and 80 degrees. Nearly everyday, however, consisted of gray skies with relatively little sun. A sweat shirt was frequently required for the cool mornings.
The Journey
Day 1-2
After looking at a number of airfares, we booked our flight through Orbitz and paid their booking fee. We took American Airlines from Dallas to LAX and then the overnight ten and one-half hour direct flight to Nadi, Fiji by Air Pacific. Although American and domestic carriers have a 50lb. weight limit per bag, we were allowed to have the international carrier 70lb. weight limit on all bags since we had everything booked on one ticket through Orbitz. This was helpful since our dive bag would not have made the 50lb. limit. We had a 4 hour lay over in L.A. to allow time for clearing customs, etc. The Air Pacific flight was relatively nice with LCD screens in the back of the seat in front of you that allowed you to play games, watch several different recent movies, play music, etc. Unfortunately, not all of these were working.
We stayed the first 2 nights at the Pearl Harbor Resort. This was about a 2 hour bus ride from the airport. Coral Sun Transportation provided bus transportation with a 7:30 departure for $25. They will transport by car for $100 if you do not want any stops. Rosies is the other major transportation service in Fiji. The Pearl Harbor Resort, now remodeled, is an older property that once was a four-star resort. Unfortunately, the re-dos seldom turn out that great. It was nice; however, our backdoor only had a homemade lock that a six year old could have easily opened if desired. For those who desire the best, the Warwick is another property that we visited close by and it was beautiful. We rented jet-skis the afternoon of our arrival.
Day 3
We stayed at the Pearl Harbor Resort because we were planning on river rafting on the Lower Navua River and their office is located here. Check out http://www.riversfiji.com/index.htm. This trip was superb. You raft for about 5 hours down the river. You are surrounded by 200 foot walls covered in dense green foliage with large waterfalls on each side. You can see the fish in the clear water below and there are bats circling above. There are also a few wild horses along the sides, as well as remote villages near the end. The lush emerald rainforest, volcanic rock, and many majestic cascading waterfalls make you feel like you are seeing the real Fiji. This is a not to be missed trip.
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