Programs Blog

Monday, November 4, 2024

Location: Port Denarau, Fiji  17˚ 46.3’ S, 177˚ 22.9’ E

Weather: Sunny and hot, calm water and slight wind

Hello again, and bula! This is Emma, writing on our crew’s time in Fiji. We are in Port Denarau for the third time, the same place that we began our time on the Robert C. Seamans. A few days ago, during a watch meeting, a watch officer prompted us to reflect on what we know now that we did not know before. Those leaps and bounds are made clear by coming back to Denarau. In just a few weeks, I have gone from not knowing what a science deployment would look like to confidently completing a six-hour watch of sample processing. The ship practices, from boat check to galley cleanup, have cleared from an overwhelming set of unwritten rules into an underway routine that after some time docked, I can tell everyone is itching to get back to.

Denarau is a funny space. We have used it as a base for customs and bureaucratic processes. For students, that means a chance to stretch our legs, eat ice cream, and call home. Boat camp commences! Around the quarterdeck, you can spot people reading, writing, knitting, or practicing their bosunry. The deck is lovely at night, with the lights of the port and other boats making for a festive atmosphere. Our dock is a bustling center of day cruises, and the soundtrack includes music bumping over loudspeakers, chatter of marina staff, and laughter of tourists boarding and coming back. Everyone is quick with a “Bula!,”  a hello and welcome.

After our time in Tuvalu, when we looped south back into Fijian waters, we steered into Savusavu in the early hours of the morning. At the helm, as we sailed closer and closer to land, I spotted floating lights indicating a more mountainous landscape than we had experienced before. When the sun rose over the bay, a lush, steep terrain was revealed, with a colorful main strip sitting along the shore. Onshore, Savusavu’s bustling streets contrasted with the amusement park-like streets and staff of Port Denarau. The first day in Savusavu, I walked around with some other students, treating ourselves to pastries and pineapple Fanta. Markets were full of bright fruits and pearl jewelry. Flowers were behind ears, in bunches, on clothing, and plentiful in the vegetation. Sitting in a waterfront park, we relaxed under welcome shade, watching people come and go, with the backdrop of the Seamans in the harbor.

The second day in Savusavu, I woke up and made my way to the quarterdeck to join crew already tuned into the morning’s episode of boatTV– a cruise ship, ferry, and a cargo ship were all chaotically maneuvering. The cruise ship began to launch smaller, bug-like runner boats to bring people to shore. When we got off our dinghy, we joined the masses of tourists flooding the streets. Trying to walk to the market, I was asked twice if I was waiting to join an excursion (they were almost right–we were slated for the next day). It was jarring, and a snapshot of a vital industry.

Later in the day, we walked through a downpour to a jewelry showroom, where we learned about sustainable pearl farming and what goes into running a business on the island. Down the street, some of us visited town hot springs. Not for swimming: instead, there are boiling pools of water in sunken fire pit structures, surrounded by picnic tables. They are a place for community gathering and cooking, made possible by the easy access to the mantle leftover from its volcanic formation. (Geology major fun fact: Savusavu’s bay was formed when an ancient volcano collapsed, leaving behind an underwater caldera!) We were told that just that morning, a group had finished up cooking an entire pig over the biggest spring.

During our final day in Savusavu, we all piled into the back of a flatbed and made our way to the other side of the bay. The landscape as layered, with flat, lush valleys seamlessly melding into steep jungle cliffs, evidence of the island’s volcanic origin. The previous day’s rain had filled a river enough for us to scrape down it in inner tubes. Though the highly variable depth made tubing a more active float than a lazy river, the cool water and green views were a treat. We made our way from the river to a property with a waterfall accessible, and hiked up from the road to the swimming hole. You could barely hear everyone’s whoops of delight over the sound of the spray. Then, we saw another manifestation of the island’s unique geologic position. We bathed in a hot spring with heat seeping through its muddy bottom (the fine, dark mud stuck around on many of us in the following days).

Our time on shore in Fiji has been distinct from our time underway. When we are sailing, we are working on the watch schedule, settled into the 72-hour rhythm of work, sleep, and leisure. On shore, though we continue the watch schedule with anchor watches, we have a chance to explore land after so much time at sea. Though we have spent more than three weeks in Fijian and Tuvaluan waters, describing our time onshore is limited to a few days of fun and plenty of customs business. Similar to the cruise ship tourists, we leave our comfortable space on board for a few hours at a time. And what a delight it has been to get to know a new place, even if it is only for a few days. But it is a unique way that we are engaging – learning so much about the area’s waters, consistently removing samples and specimens from these foreign waters, and having only a few hours to get to know its land. It has led me to hold space for thoughts on larger seafaring traditions of travel and inherently extractive tendencies in science, especially on indigenous land. Though there are no answers or right ways, I think our crew is experiencing Fiji from a place of nuance, colored by our individual backgrounds, the community that we have built on the ship, everything a tall ship teaching vessel brings with it, and a genuine desire to learn.

Recent customs delays and permitting issues, frustrating in the face of our larger cruise track, have given us a few extra days in Fiji. Though it makes for a confusing schedule, ultimately, we are fulfilling some of our responsibilities as travelers. I think we all hold massive gratitude for those who have hosted us – bureaucracy, guides, friendly faces, and all. What a beautiful place, and what a privilege to be here.

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Sending big love to everyone at home, and also early birthday wishes to Eliza !!! <3