 Bula Friends,As we stock and shine NAI'A in preparation for our first Fiji-Tonga Expedition, the whales are already making waves. Last week we watched two humpbacks canoodle in the lagoon at Gau in between our shark dives in Nigali Passage. Mary, a new diver from Italy who had never seen a whale, blurted out something profound in her mother tongue as a measure of her excitement. It sounded like opera to the rest of us, but we knew exactly what she meant. Magnifico! Meanwhile, another two humpies were spotted in Beqa Lagoon! In recent decades, humpbacks have become a rare sight in Fiji waters as Tonga appears to be the chosen mating and birthing ground for the survivors of a century of slaughter. So, to see them this far west and this early in the season is enough to make the late, great Jacques Cousteau turn in his grave.Thanks are in order to everyone who boosted us over the recent hump by booking return trips and taking full advantage of our special offers. The discounts may have seemed generous to some. But for us to simply afford to run the charters on which we already had some See & Sea bookings but no payment, we really had to pump up the numbers - otherwise we could not have honored those bookings and many people would have watched their dive vacations dissolve completely. We very much appreciate your understanding during this unusual time. The deal ended on June 30. But not before almost entirely filling every space we had left for 1997! If you're still keen to join a NAI'A adventure this year, Alex may just be able to squeeze you in. Otherwise, you better ask the boss for time off in 1998. Speaking of which '98 is shaping up to be pretty incredible. The year will begin with a splash as we re-visit remote Yadua to celebrate New Year. Those of you who were there with us last year know exactly how seriously this quiet little village takes their fun. Its likely to be a party to rival Time Square - but with much more Kava! Next on the agenda from January 10-20 is a special Exploratory Expedition to Fiji's north-eastern reefs during which we'll devote some much needed energy to turtle research and conservation (see over). Southern Lau's untamed barrier reefs, schooling pelagics and shark-filled channels are earmarked for a balmy February 28-March 10 journey. Two rare opportunities to dive the far reaches of Fiji! Our two August Fiji-Tonga Expeditions are almost sold out and we are currently examining the possibility of running more of these wild frontier shark and whale tours. Fitting them in could prove too challenging though, what with a special Stan Waterman charter in June, a US film crew onboard in July producing a tale about a Fijian boy's magical connection to the sea and a return journey to Kiribati in September as part of TIGHAR's ceaseless quest to lay the Amelia Earhart mystery to rest. Somewhere in between all this are our regular 7 and 10-day trips to the spectacular sites that NAI'A and her divers have made world famous. Wakaya's manta rays have been thrilling us all in recent months with outrageous group feeding displays on almost every dive and lots of cleaning on top of the reef. We get so close these days we can almost shoot their cleaner wrasse with a macro framer! Of course the scarlet lady shrimp are still hungry for your gum fluff! Because of their appetites, NAI'A made the Internet's "Best Place to Get Your Teeth Cleaned" within the very cool site Bill's Best of Everything. Check it out at www.billsbest.com. While you're online, re-live some memories via the new VIVO action video clips on our website. The clips were produced by Rodger Klein - an Internet video specialist, NAI'A passenger and good mate of ours. The technology is still pretty new and we're experimenting with different formats and subjects. But it should tide you over until you can experience the real thing again someday. See you then! Best fishes, Cat Holloway
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