If this is your first peek into tropical Pacific waters you won't believe the color and profusion of marine life. Fiji's reefs are some of the most diverse and untouched in the world, with hundreds of species of coral and fish clamoring for space on every reef and sheer wall drop-off.
Floating effortlessly along the reef wall you examine soft corals in a rainbow of colors protruding from hard coral outcroppings, their waving fingers reach out for the plankton-rich current. Clouds of orange, blue, and purple anthias engulf the coralheads as you swim by. Giant clams open and close their blue, green, or brown mantels feeding on tiny unseen organisms. Several clownfish dart in and out of the anemone's fingers, protecting their home from bubbling divers hovering overhead. Bright blue parrotfish forage the reef for food, biting off big chunks of coral and algae. A queen angelfish glides by, shimmering iridescent blue and yellow in the filtered sunlight. As you poke along the coral ledges, a big brown moray eel greets you with a toothy grin and a silent warning to stay back.
The impressive visual sensations bombard you, but the only sound you hear is your own breathing. Bubbles gurgle to the surface each time you exhale. The silence is peaceful as you float weightless among schools of fish and giant orange sea fans. Curious fish come right up to your mask and look you in the eye. You reach out to touch them and realize they are not as close as they appear. Distance in the water column is distorted. Objects look closer and larger than they really are, magnifying the beauty you see all around.
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