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FIJI - FIELD UPDATES - APRIL WEEKS 7-10
by Courtney
Yandra from Nukubulavu, Kubulau, Fiji! The past 3 weeks on camp have been packed full of work and adventures. Just yesterday all the volunteers piled into our boat and one from the village and headed out to sea in search of manta rays. These giants can grow up to 25 feet in wingspan so we were really hoping we would be lucky enough to spot them. With a Fijian guide we found them and immediately 16 volunteers with mask and fins scrambled over the sides of the boats. At one point we dove in nearly on top of three large rays (the largest about 20 feet across) and the view was spectacular. As a snorkeller you feel awkward trying to keep pace with such beautiful, graceful creatures. Everyone came away saying that it was one of the most amazing experiences of their life.
Fun and adventures aside we have actually been getting some work done. On Monday we finally finished all of our reef surveys which was the culmination of all of our training here for the entire phase. We each had to complete three practice surveys as a different type of surveyor before we could be trusted with real surveys. We also had refresher dives on all of our fish, coral, and invertebrates so that we would be in tip-top shape for surveying. Though some of the sites were more interesting than others we had a good experience working together in teams and collecting valuable data. The information that we collected will be used by Greenforce and WCS (wildlife conservation society) to assess coral reef health here in Kubulau and determine what can be done to prevent damage with an inevitable increase in tourism. It’s great to know that we have helped in some small way.
On a lighter note, congratulations to Mr. David King for making trainee position for next phase! It was a close race with many applicants but after much deliberation it was decided that Dave will stay on for phase six to fix random things, take care of the whiny new volunteers, and his favorite job of all: sand paths! You rock Dave!
Other camp news…
Nathan Meade: finally finished his battle with face eating bacteria and is now obsessed with Big Brother and the World Cup.
Charlotte Bailey: As always entertains us all with her wild stories and was hyperventilating when she got to go to Namena.
James Dixon: or to the locals “Jah-mes!”, always up for a round of “ring of fire” or “what do we do with the drunken divers?” on his rockin’ guitar.
Richard Adams: Diver extraordinaire! Says he attracts sharks while diving, took a fabulous turtle video yesterday.
Dawn Wilson: Had a fabulous birthday, if I do say so myself! She got dances, a path, chocolate and a jumper, among other things…
Callum Baxter: does a great Louis Armstrong/Chewbacca impression, always up for as much food as you can possibly give him.
Rosana Zorko: The Welshie tried to teach us a little of her native tongue but as a group we failed miserably is getting camera happy towards the end of our time together.
Rebecca Obst: Always making sure everyone has everything that they could possibly want or need, and does everything with a smile, thanks Bex!
Ciara McArten: Always being accosted by someone or something in her bure during the night, whether it's dogs, rats, scared people, you name it!
Karen Smith: snorkel master! She knows her invertebrates like the back of her hand, is very excited to come back for a few weeks next phase.
Louise Cocks: loves her safety stops, we did flips, cartwheels, airplanes, and she’s even been known to play a quick game of charades!
Jonathan Fulwell: loves his giant queen-size inflatable bed (and you can’t blame him!) great at opening tins, and really knows his music trivia when quiz time comes around…
Christopher Daniels: coconut guru – husking, opening grating making coconut cream? He is definitely your man!
Laura Elvin: makes a mean quiz and loves her baked beans almost as much as she loves Hercs! You can often find her at Ruby’s in the village…
Victoria Hughes: Can diagnose and cure pretty much any ailment conceivable, which is a hot commodity on camp, has the best scream in Nukubulavu.
David King: Put a spider in his mosquito net and hear him scream! Still on cloud nine after getting trainee, almost his 19th birthday!
Emily Spaulding: famous for her much coveted parcels she has to defend her food constantly, love that little kid giggle Em!
And as for me, I get my kicks making fun of these crazy British kids and setting them straight on a few important things, first and foremost how to speak their own language! It’s all about the stars and stripes baby! Well, the list of adventures could go on forever (village fundraisers, whale sightings, camp meals, tropical storms, sharks, bonfires…) but I’ll let you get back to “real life” while we play in island time. Hope all is well at home and in the world!
All the best,
Courtney Wheatley & All Nukubulavu
