We are anchored in Delice Bay at Matagi Island in the Lomoviti Group. The island took a direct hit and was badly damaged by Super Cyclone Winston in 2016. Many of the residences on this side of the island were wiped off the face of the earth – with parts of some buildings on islands miles away.
The fisheries facility was nearly destroyed. 4500 baby clams that were in the hatchery during Winston were lost. Now only a few tanks remain intact – but the program to start the giant clams in a hatchery and then place them in safe locations is still in progress on a much smaller scale. We saw probably 300 tiny clams getting their start in some of the tanks. They sure are little fellas when they start! A snorkel in the bay took us over about ten really GIANT clams. The largest living ones we had ever seen. The kind that would grab Tarzan's foot in the old TV series! Giant! They are about 30 years old. They do seem to grow quite fast based on the size of the babies and the giants.
It is our understanding that the giant clams mate for life. But then again, they are so big and don't exactly move around – so that is probably inevitable. You can't escape from your partner very quickly in the clam world. The program here was probably quite impressive but the cyclone really did a number on the project.
The island was home to a very large leper colony started in 1911. There were 5000 residents in a well built "city." It is now a heritage site and we were taken on a walk by the ruins. There was a butcher, store, cinema, jail, school as well as lots of residences for the people living here. We went up to the cemetery in which there are 1500 buried. People from many Pacific Islands came here to be housed and it shut down after an effective treatment for the disease was finally found. The hospital in Suva is named after a French doctor who, according to our tour guide (the fisheries man), discovered one the treatments.
The earlier history of the island is equally interesting. Fiji has a history of tribal warfare. The Men of Matagi were renowned for their prowess on the battlefield and many big chiefs would try to get these warriors to serve on one side or another. One of the big chiefs back in the 1800's tricked the men into coming to fight and while they were gone sold half the island from under them to some Europeans. After they returned, word was that they were going to be attacked and the other half of the island sold to the same Europeans, but the islanders managed to sneak away in the night and moved to another island.
Our guide and Fiji "history" teacher is one the men in charge of the "clam" fisheries. He actually lives in Suva (where his family is located) and they rotate coming out to Matagi to work. He was particularly proud of the 100 year old Lister diesel engine which (until very recently) runs the fisheries generator. It is awaiting a new starter engine at the moment. There used to be three of these old engines on the island – this one was moved from the other side of the island here to use for the clam operation.
Yesterday after we completed sevusevu here, we went on a great snorkel. First to look at the giant clams just off the dock and then to a free standing coral patch. This was like diving into the most clear, beautifully stocked aquarium. There were so many varieties of fish of all sizes, colors, shapes and families. The coral was in good shape and varied. There were deep walls as well as shallower areas on top to really enjoy watching the changing scenery. You'll see some pictures when we get internet again. We decided to risk taking our camera in the water again!
The weather is supposed to be cloudy, rainy and "troughy" this weekend – so we'll sit here through that. We may stick around a few days when it gets nice again to get in a few more snorkels as the water here is very clear and because it is a marine reserve things look pretty healthy and bountiful.
There is one other boat here – a Belgium boat that just arrived in Fiji. We traded for some lovely pawpaws (papayas) from the folks on the island.
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At 8/31/2017 7:13 PM (utc) S/V Astarte was located at 17°26.49'S 178°57.21'E
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