Anchorage at Namara Island, Fiji

This is the place that we all dream of finding when we start a world circumnavigation. You have your own private island with a gorgeous beach and native coconut palm trees shading you (and available to drink and eat!). A pristine reef in shallow water filled with colorful hard corals, anemones and tons of fish-life (also tasty and good to eat!) directly in front of the beach within an easy swim.

Enjoy anchoring close by in water ranging from shallow to deeper (we’re in 26m) and from wherever you are it’s clear enough to see the bottom. The anchorage is very nicely sheltered from the prevailing (SE winds) and there is no one else around for miles and miles. There are other small islands close by that you can go explore as well by paddle board or tender. If you want to kite-surf, just hop around to the windward side of the the islands and you have miles to explore.

The swimming, snorkeling and diving are some of the best we’ve had on the entire circumnavigation (so far!). There’s little to no current to deal with as you dive and the coral reefs in the area gently slope from 1-2m deep down to whatever depth you choose to go to. We’ve gotten 45-60 minute perfect dives seeing spectacular coral scenery and fish-life.

For the first time since we arrived in Fiji we had a couple of 2m+ white tip sharks visit us on the dive today. They are so elegant to watch swimming by and stayed a discreet distance away (they are more scared of us than we are of them!). A lovely turtle surfaced a while ago and we did spot the biggest banded sea snake we’ve ever seen— he was over 1.5m in length! Free-swimming by the boat he was obviously on the way to another reef. Usually I’m not worried about these fellas but the size of this one in the water near you would definitely raise the caution level a bit!

Andrea and Tea took a tent to the beach for the night and built a fire to cook fresh-speared fish for dinner. Tracy and I tendered in to share a glass of wine and enjoy the sunset together. That night and the next two nights since we’ve had amazing sunsets that all culminated in the elusive ‘green flash’.

Yes, I know it all sounds so perfect and it really is! When you get to Fiji one day, be sure to put this place on your ‘bucket-list’; you can not pass this place by. It’s a perfect location for cruisers.

Note: We have been back here twice over our time in Fiji and are still convinced this is the best place we've ever been for over-all water sports activities as well as beautiful scenary!