Fiji & Solomon Islands

November 25 – December 12, 2016 | This fall, Jenni embarked on an epic scuba diving adventure in the South Pacific with her dad.

bilikiki-boat-pic-zoom

Thanks to the wonderful Bilingual Coordinator and Deputy Head of Studies at my primary school in Madrid, I was able to miss 6 days of class to take a trip to Fiji and the Solomon Islands. Although I was a bit nervous to tell my school admins about the vacation, both of them ended up being very supportive of my plans. It felt great to have their stamp of approval, and I simply used my free periods in October and November to make up the hours I’d be missing.

So, after two months working as a teaching assistant in Madrid, it was time to pack my bags once again and head to the South Pacific!

Over 30+ hours, I flew to London, then to LA, and finally to Fiji. Our group of 19 divers – mostly from Albuquerque – spent a couple days diving in Fiji (where I got lucky and saw a tiger shark!) and then 10 days on a liveaboard dive boat, The Bilikiki. With the boat as our temporary home, we explored the seascape around the Solomon Islands, a gorgeous underwater region that features coral passageways, light to medium currents, and plenty of ocean creatures.

Our group made great use of both our macro and wide angle cameras, as the marine life ranged from tiny nudibranchs to 20-foot sharks to swirling schools of fish. We also gawked at the healthiest coral I’ve ever seen, including a huge field of green staghorn coral lovingly named “The Rolling Hills of Scotland” by our dive instructor, Tina.

The 14-person crew on the ship worked hard to ensure that our experiences onboard and in the water were enjoyable, easygoing, and unforgettable. Huge thanks to The Bilikiki for an absolutely breathtaking journey!

I’ll let the photos below tell the rest of the story :)

– J

P.S. Check out The Bilikiki’s Logbook for Dec 9th – you might see some familiar faces!