12/9/2006 - Fiji Dives #1 - Breathtaker

Cakau Vatu Latha, or Sail Rock Reef, has got Nananu-i-Ra's best dive sites on it and Breathtaker is arguably the number one. Also called Golden Dreams after the yellow dendronepthya that blankets the top of the bommies and orange anthias that call it home or Shark Junction after the, er, sharks that circle around further down or laze around at the base (in the case of the whitetips).

I haven't put anything up here for a bit as we've moved home/work and have been packing and shifting stuff. We arrived at Nananu during a fairly busy week of diving and it was great. The water was calm and clear and we dived Breathtaker most mornings as the moon was in a good phase and the current was running but not overly strong. A mantaray was spotted, as was a leopard shark, although I sadly missed both but did manage to slipstream a huge eagle ray for a good minute or so before it dived down into the blue. I didn't take my camera out much as I was guiding but  I did get the shot above and this one below, which I'm not sure why I like I like it so much but I do. It's a Racoon Butterflyfish...