Long holls

We've now returned from a fab trip to Fiji and then skiing in Australia.

Part 1, Fiji:
Qamea island is a little dot of land about an hours plane trip north east from Nandi - well to the nearest island with an airstrip at any rate - then you have to take the minivan to the opposite side of the island and then a boat trip across the straights and then finally to Qamea. Greeted with a bottle of bubbly - I knew I was going to like it. 10 days of intermittent diving and relaxing. We did our advanced open water course amidst the clownfish in some of the best diving in the world . For the drift dive, or diving in a current component of our course we did the aptly named "Swirling Coconuts" dive in such a strong current that the dive master later told us he was going to call an end to the dive the moment we got to depth as he had never seen the current so strong - we got whipped around in an underwater maelstrom - but apparently we looked comfortable so he continued. On reflection the vigorous current that was sweeping us over the underwater features with such velocity was probably spinning the blood out of my face - thus accounting for the calm look. Saw my first trumpet fish at 10 knots. So many memorable moments that it's hard to pick what to write about - the manta ray cruising past, diving through caves in the reef at The Great White Wall in the Somosomo Straights (regarded as one of the absolute best dives in the world), being attacked by nemo - don't believe the movie, Nemo is a vicious little beast.
But it wasn't all two hour massages and piña coladas - there was some hard work to be done. We had to choose between reading our books in the hammock or on the beach lounge - nobody should ever have to make a decision that hard.

Back in a month

Married for 10 whole years so we are off on a long long holiday - Fiji without the kids and then Skiing with them (if there is any snow left).

Don't do anything I wouldn't do whilst I'm gone.

Surf

The NSW coast has been hit by a series of big swells
I got out in it for a few hours last weened and this Weekend just passed.
Sitting in a giant swell whist mountains of water crash past you is fucking exciting. I'm not that good a surfer. I'm a good swimmer, comfortable swimming around in it but only a weekend warrior when it comes to negotiating the surf with a 1.7m pointy fiberglass board with blades (three of them for good measure). I caught some good ones, got smashed and rag-dolled through the washing machine a few times. I judged that my bigger 'fun board' was too big to duck dive easily in this swell and I needed to be sure I could get under the waves - the tradeoff is that as you select a smaller shorter board they are slower to paddle and when you try to catch a wave you have to be exactly in the right spot (you can't paddle in or out as fast to be in the right place) and you tend to end up higher on the face before you have the speed to 'pop' (i.e. stand). You do not want to be up high on the lip of a wave tied to a fiberglass block resplendent with points and blades as the wave breaks or it will throw you forward and you will get to experience water in a whole new way. Shorter boards are also less forgiving about body position on take off and if you are too far forward they will nose dive, catapulting you forward into the abyss only to be met by the lip as is crashes down and aquatints you with the bottom before it surges you around a few times. But short boards move over the water more nimbly once you are up and running.
I did a bit of both but still managed a few long and exciting rides on some of the biggest waves I have ever played on - certainly the biggest I have been on in the last 10 years.

I fucking love volcanoes

Chores

Just cleaning up again this weekend. Gardening, cleaning windows and bugs out of the outdoor lighting, replacing bulbs - that sort of thing. Entirely unremarkable.