Waitabu Marine Park Blog

Please support Fiji's Miss Hibiscus at the South Pacific pageant. She is championing the Fiji Shark Campaign as part of her bid to become Miss South Pacific. This is a great way for us to get the message out! Please spread this on all your Facebook, Bebo, Google + and Twitter networks! You can support her by voting for her at : misssouthpacificpageant.ws/about-us/contestants-2011.html . You can do it once a day so come back again and again to assist the effort of protecting sharks in Fiji. Miss Hawaii is FAR ahead at the moment, let's get Miss Fiji up there! FIJI SUN Save our sharks, Miss Fiji to tell pageant writer : SITERI SAUVAKACOLO Reigning Miss Vodafone Hibiscus Alisi Rabukawaqa will advocate for the stop to the exploitation of sharks across commercial fisheries at the Miss South Pacific Pageant in Samoa next week. Hibiscus Event Group Executive secretary Aqela Cakobau in a statement said Miss Rabukawaqa would use the pageant as a platform to advocate for shark pr...

The Sea Save Foundation Holiday Auction is now open! The proceeds will go to Sea Save Foundation in order to support ocean conservation. Auction items range from exotic diving vacation getaways, diving equipment and gear, underwater photography courses by noted oceanographers, and incredible hand crafted works of art guaranteed to delight and surprise. So, tell your friends, family, and community. Let the bidding begin! Sea Save Foundation - Auction Home Page - BiddingForGood Fundraising Auction

SHARKMAN Manoa Rasigatale moved an inch close to his dream - thanks to Chinese basketball superstar Yao Ming. The recently-retired NBA giant has joined the worldwide campaign against the shark fin trade, which has pushed the ancient species to the brink of extinction. Yao's decision is a big boost for campaigners such as the Sharkman, who is lobbying for legislation to ban the fishing of sharks in Fiji's waters. Like the move in California to remove shark fin soup off the menu, Yao wants his fellow countrymen to stop eating this top-of-the-range dish. After the fins are sliced off, sharks are discarded back into the ocean. Their speed diminished, maneuverability affected, they sink to the bottom where they are condemned to a slow, agonising death. "Oqo na mate vakaloloma (this is such a pitiful death)," says Rasigatale. "It is so sad that Fijian fishermen who are in this trade have forgotten our special relationship with the sharks. "It is our duty to protec...

Time may not be on the side of the sharks. But as numbers dwindle to worrying figures, this evening will see the launch of an awareness campaign to save them. The event, which will be attended by the Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, is set for Village 6 cinemas in Suva. It will include the screening of a 30-minute documentary titled Shark Hope. The film, says Sharkman Ratu Manoa Rasigatale , is about the plight of Fiji's sharks and the campaign to protect them. It deals with the vital role of the shark in our marine environment. Fear them or feel sorry for them. Emotional attachments will mean nothing if we are not aware of their plight. The shark has existed for 415 million years, having survived the changes of time which the dinosaurs, appearing 185 million years later, could not. Today some species of sharks are on the verge of extinction. This has been brought about by the international demand for shark fin, shark meat and liver oil. The Fiji Times is proud to be associat...

This area of Taveuni has been awarded the “International British Airways Eco-Tourism Award". White sand beaches, great snorkeling, bilibili rafts, Fijian village life and much more... This half day excursion will begin with a beautifully scenic drive to the Eastern side of the island. Upon arrival at Waitabu Village you will be welcomed into village life over morning tea that has been prepared by the village women. You will take a most memorable raft trip up the river on a traditional bilibili raft. Extremely knowledgeable, trained guides will snorkel with you to point out and explain the amazing marine life that is found in this area. You will have time to enjoy the excellent snorkeling or just relax on the beach or spend time learning more about Fijian culture from your friendly village guide. Afternoon tea and a kava drinking ceremony accompanied by local island music will be served before returning to Taveuni Palms. Please kindly note that you dress modestl...

  The district of Kubulau is taking the lead in managing its marine resources, by putting together a management plan administered by a management committee selected by the communities and trained by NGO’s who are conducting work in the district. This was heard at the St Agnes Parish Community Hall in Samabula East on Friday evening as representatives from environmental NGO’s involved in projects in Kubulau presented to the people of Kubulau living in Suva an update of what was happening back home. The open–forum, which for the first time saw the chiefs from the district coming down to Suva as part of this contingent, proved to be an eye opener for many Kubulau natives living in the Central and Southern division of Viti Levu. The Namena Marine Protected Areas and other MPA’s around Kubulau is today been used as a model for other qoliqoli owners from other districts around Fiji. NGOs who are currently based and conducting projects in Kubulau now for a number of years includ...

Thoroughly enjoyed my time at Waitabu. We arrived at 9am and spent a couple of hours snorkeling in the marine park at Waitabu with local guides who knew their stuff. We were poled up to the park in a handmade Fijian bamboo raft, a Bilibili. The local guides had a good knowledge of the area and were cool to relax afterward on the beach in a new open sided bure with tea and music. Very laid back and true eco-tourism in it's purest sense. One thing is that is is a tidal activity, and can only be done a few hours on either side of high tide. You can't just rock up and go, it must be arranged by phone first so you know what time would be good. Great snorkelling trip and village visit - Review of Waitabu Marine Park, Taveuni Island, Fiji - TripAdvisor