2006 Redux

    What’s that comment about ‘you can’t go home again’. We got up early Wednesday morning for our pick-up and the ride to Denaru Marina. We took the Yasawa Flyer up to Waya Island where we’re staying at Octopus Resort for the next few days. We spent a week here in 2006 and really loved it. The second time around some of the magic is gone. This was especially noticeable on the boat ride where a succession of stops at isolated, beautiful, tropical islands elicited hardly a second look.
    Octopus itself has undergone some changes in the intervening years - some good, some less welcomed. The back-packer tents are gone and, though they do still have some dorms, the back-packer vibe is severely reduced. They have built some new bures and bungalows mainly designed to cater to an upscale clientele. As well, they have made a conscious effort to attract more of the family holiday trade from Australia and New Zealand. Since it was school break time in Australia, there were lots of families (and lots of young kids). You don’t seem to get as much socializing (understandable) in those circumstances.
    The beach is still gorgeous, even if a bit hard to walk as you keep sinking in the golden sand - a nice problem to have. The snorkeling is still very good with lots of fish and coral and even a sea snake. We did try the manta ray snorkel trip on Saturday morning but the seas have been running heavy for the past two days with extreme high and low tides. As a result, the visibility in the channel was very poor. As well, our timing was off - no mantas while we were in the water (at least none that we could see).
    We were back aboard the boat and getting ready to leave when the first manta showed up. Doreen got so excited, she rushed into her gear and jumped into the water without her camera. When that problem was solved, she found her mask constantly filling up with water. Finally giving into frustration, she climbed back on board and discovered she’d tried to put her mask on over her sunglasses! At least her camera got a picture of the manta as the guide took it and dove down to get close enough. Not our most memorable snorkel.