I use Google Earth to see which islands are easily accessible by ferry. The beauty of ferries is that you don't really have to worry about where you're going, and we can pack up the car with all of our belongings, including kayaks, so that we have some freedom once we arrive on the island. No need for a map on the island, because you'll never get so lost that you can't get back to your hotel in less than 30 minutes. It does add to the cost of the trip, but the enhanced experience we get from having a vehicle for birding, access to hidden beaches, and all-around fun far outweighs the dent in the vacation fund.
Ryan's approach is a bit different. He looks for beaches, places to easily launch the kayaks, and the possibility of spearing "the big one." I found a photo from a travel website that offers a trip to Aguni and Tonaki islands, and Ryan was instantly inspired:
Aguni is interesting in that it offers easy access to shallow reefs on the east side of the island and deep water - 100ft or more - on the west side. The chance to dive in really deep waters is possibly when you coordinate with a dive boat, but that's usually for scuba divers. On Aguni, if you walk/swim ~50 ft from the shore, you suddenly find yourself in water so deep that it's difficult to see the bottom. In the late spring and early summer, these waters have large schools of Giant Trevally (GT) and other large fish. There are so many fish swirling around in these "tornadoes" that they don't seem to mind the occasional spear-fisherman or the sharks that drop in, both of which are motivated by an easy meal. While I'm not so sure about the shark encounter, it would be very cool to see something like this.
So, guess where we're going next?!
No comments:
Post a Comment