10.189
13 (Sat) July 2019
Clouds in Sky
3.0
at Brizo’s – Club Oceanus
-Pacific Harbour, Fiji-
solo
Mission to Fiji, Day 5 of 8.
- Day 1 (10.185 Mixed Seafood with Beet Reduction)
- Day 2 (10.186 Chicken in Black Bean Sauce)
- Day 3 (10.187 Grilled Octopus)
- Day 4 (10.188 Slipper Lobster Garlic)
In Fiji to conduct a series of planning meetings and ocular inspections – Wednesday to Friday in and around Nadi, Monday and Tuesday in Suva – in preparation for the Fifth Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentarian Forum on Global Health, which will be held in Fiji in August 2019 and highlight the role of parliamentarians in addressing the health impacts of climate change. This is the fourth such mission in advance of the Fifth Meeting (see previously 10.118 Awhi Farms…).
With a free weekend in between, I dropped by Pacific Harbour, which lies between Nadi and Suva, to get in a few dives.
Pacific Harbour is the 8th body of water where I’ve enjoyed the privilege of diving.
- Philippines, Balayan Bay (Anilao) (9.042 Garlic Squid + Buttered Vegetables); Batangas Bay (Puerto Galera) (9.115 Budae Jjigae)
- Fiji, Nadi Bay (Nadi) (6.104 Seared Mahi Mahi); Pacific Harbour (Pacific Harbour) (10.189 Clouds in Sky)
- Maldives, Arabian Sea (Male) (9.190 Grilled Snapper)
- Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park (Kota Kinabalu) (9.248 Homemade Chicken Curry)
- Jordan, Red Sea (Aqaba) (9.265 Mixed Grill)
- Lebanon, Mediterranean Sea (Beirut) (see 9.334 Deep-Fried Red Mullet)
The more I travel for work, the more I realize the critical importance of taking advantage of local opportunities for recreation – not as a perk per se, but rather as a means of maintaining balance.
Pacific Harbour is famous for the shark dive. Divers line up and kneel behind a coral wall, whereupon the dive masters chum the waters to attract sharks, mostly bull and nurse, occasionally tiger. The dive masters have poles to repel any sharks that come too close. The sharks get within touchable distance.
I found it a bit too contrived, no real interaction with the sharks.
Brizo’s is the on-site restaurant/bar of Club Oceanus. In addition to Western items (fish & chips, burgers, pizza, pasta), the establishment also offers Chinese fare (upon arrival of the Chinese cook, around mid-afternoon).
After two dives in waters of 26 degrees without adequate protection – I had stupidly/blindly assumed that the temperature would be closer to the 29-30 degrees in Nadi (see most recently 10.113 Dragon Wrap), which is close by but subject to completely different weather patterns, so I didn’t pack thicker exposure gear – I was nearly hypothermic.
“Clouds in Sky” – what a great name for wonton soup – was just the thing to warm me up.
At first I read those temperatures as Celsius…”damn that’s HOT”
Nevermind, apparently I don’t understand diving temperatures very well. 😛
Oooh, just before I could reply! 29-30C is quite warm, like a swimming pool on a summer afternoon, enough to dive in shorts and a t-shirt. 3 degrees less at 26C may not seem like that much of difference on the surface, like a nippy swimming pool on a summer morning, but underwater for 30-40 minutes drains a lot of body heat, so I should’ve been wearing at least a 3mm wetsuit.