Waitabu Marine Park Blog

Pacific Magazine Tuesday: March 15, 2005   Tension is high between two groups on the island of Taveuni after a village headman was allegedly bashed to death in a dispute. Samuela Matana, 30, the headman of Waitabu Village on Taveuni was allegedly punched several times inside a home at the nearby Vurevure Settlement. The incident occurred after men from Vurevure and others were caught fishing in a marine park belonging to Waitabu village. Fishing in the marine park is strictly prohibited and the matter has been reported to police several times. A Waitabu villager, who did not wish to be named, said Vurevure settlers became angry after the matter was reported to police. Following the death of Mantana, tension escalated between the Vurevure settlers and villagers forcing police to step in an try to calm the situation.. Divisional Crime Officer Northern Superintendent Waisea Kadawa confirmed a man from Vurevure Settlement was in custody but was yet to be charged. He said c...

The new logo for Waitabu Marine Park

International surf sensation Kelly Slater invited Reef Check to the islands of Fiji for an event like no other. The Kelly Slater Invitational was held May 20-22 on the islands of Tavarua and Namotu and the beneficiary of this celebrity surfing event was Reef Check . The brainchild of six-time world champion Kelly Slater , the event brought together the greats of professional surfing, along with invited friends and celebrities. A range of competition formats were used, documented and critiqued by Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) management and the surfers themselves Celebrities Perry Farrell (musician – ‘Jane's Addiction'), Nick Lachey (MTV – ‘Newlyweds'), Marissa Miller (Sports Illustrated swimsuit model), Chris Klein (actor – ‘American Pie'), Jackson Browne (musician), Lance Bass (singer - *NSYNC), Tony Hawk (Pro Skateboarder), and G-Love (musician) took part in a different kind of surfing spectacle. Teaming up with professionals at ‘Restaurants' – ...

By Megan Wadley International surf sensation Kelly Slater invited Reef Check to the islands of Fiji for an event like no other. The Kelly Slater Invitational was held May 20-22 on the islands of Tavarua and Namotu and the beneficiary of this celebrity surfing event was Reef Check . Chris Malloy visits Waitabu Village on the Island of Taveuni Photo by Tom Servais The brainchild of six-time world champion Kelly Slater, the event brought together the greats of professional surfing, along with invited friends and celebrities. A range of competition formats were used, documented and critiqued by Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) management and the surfers themselves Celebrities Perry Farrell (musician – ‘Jane’s Addiction’), Nick Lachey (MTV – ‘Newlyweds’), Marissa Miller (Sports Illustrated swimsuit model), Chris ...

Help Protect Waitabu Reef We need your help to protect a beautiful reef in Fiji! And you can do it with a click of your mouse each day. Moreover, it will cost you nothing to sign up for the Waitabu Reef Protection drive. CORAL 's new fundraising partner, EarthAIDE, lets you support CORAL 's effort to protect Waitabu Reef from overfishing and anchor damage, for free. All you have to do is subscribe to an email newsletter. When you receive the email, open it and click on the "Donate FREE" button. Our sponsor for this event, Care2.com , will make a contribution to CORAL for each click you make until this goal is funded. You pay nothing, but Waitabu Reef gets the funding it needs. Located on Fiji's Taveuni Island, Waitabu Marine Park is a vibrant reef set aside for the benefit of snorkel tourism and environmental education. CORAL is partnering with the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Area Network and Resort Support to set up boundary markers and mooring buoys ...