Barefoot Manta Mirco

Late morning 11:00 on the 7^th of July saw us motoring north towards the Yasawa group of Islands. The winds started gently at about 2 knots in a southwesterly direction and gradually built to 20 knots in a northeasterly direction. Welcome to Fiji and the ever-changing wind direction! Peggy does not enjoy bumping along into the wind, so at 15:30, she let us know by overheating dramatically to 100˚C and was promptly turned off. Soon we had sails hoisted and furled and were moving at a nifty clip. Fortunately, our buddy Seabird was close by, at the ready if we needed help. The sailing was sublime! Reaching at an average of 10 knots is a sailor’s dream.

At 17:45, Peggy cool, sails stowed, we motored to our anchorage in the Manta Pass, Somo Bay, Drawaqa Island, beer in hand, to watch the sunset.

Next morning, having breakfasted on boiled eggs and toast soldiers, 4 from each boat, Rob stayed aboard, tendered to a snorkeling spot close to a white sand beach on Drawaqi Island. We savored the visual underwater feast as we swam from one beach to the next. We all crawled ashore and set about walking back to the first beach, where our tenders had been anchored. What an unexpected treat unfolded before our very eyes! Behind the shade and cover of coconut palms, bamboo and other local shrubs and foliage we happened upon the Barefoot Manta Resort. The resort is a haven run by a tall, handsome, blue-eyed Sicialian manager, Mirco Rossi! The resort is co-owned by an Australian and a South African. They obviously have exquisite taste. The woodwork in the restaurants and bars is creative, and innovative with a fine attention to detail. The landscaping ties nature and manmade art seamlessly together. There is a professional dive shop and a fledgling manta ray research station. Plans to create an art gallery and more tent cabins and dormitories for guests are also afoot. We were offered showers after our snorkel followed by coffee and banana bread. We stayed for a delicious barbeque lunch accompanied by harmonious Fijian voices, along with coconut bowling and other local games.

After a lazy hour of digesting, we were loaded onto one of the dive boats to snorkel with the manta rays. The Manta Pass, so named because of the profusion of Manta Rays frequenting its waters, is a plankton feasting ground for the elegant creatures. At high tide the mantas take advantage of the current, gliding with the stream, mouths agape, gobbling the abundance of tasty plankton. We, like the 40 thieves, in single file, so as not to startle the mantas, glided with Aladdin’s flying carpets, thrilled by their proximity, able to look into their eyes and graceful souls, with effortlessness enchantment.

Sundowners and dinner were enjoyed, with our trusty Seabird pals, plus Mary, Roger, Marius and Thomas from Ocean Pearl, on the Sunset deck at the resort. Ocean Pearl had joined us at the anchorage during the night. After a troubling attempt at entering the bay over the reef, with a keel kiss on the coral, (fortunately it is soft coral), they did an about turn, came in via the deeper pass and settled down for a well-earned spell of REM sleep.  Our table, on the Sunset Deck, was reminiscent of being on passage, set in the sand at a jaunty angle, it necessitated a constant hand on your glass!

The following day, we indulged in an early morning dive in an underwater cave. Imagine walking around the ruin of an ancient gothic castle, through arches and under vaults, over crumbling walls, looking up at the sky through a tumble-down roof. Put it under water, add colorful tropical reef fish, like surgeon fish and Napoleon Wrasse, and every hue and texture of soft coral your imagination can muster, and you get a picture of this underwater wonderland.

We were sad to say goodbye to Somo Bay and Mirco and his joyful crew at the resort. We have sent many of our rally friends in his direction and they have all been equally charmed.

At 13:40 we weighed anchor en route to Yalobi Bay, Waya Island, where we visited another much smaller village and enjoyed the ever-smiling faces that we have become accustomed to here in Fiji.

The following morning, 10^th July, our 6-month anniversary, as previously mentioned, we set sail for Denarau marina in Nadi, for a few days of engine trouble shooting, cleaning and re provisioning before we leave Fiji behind for more adventures in other lands.