In 1994, local divers and tour operators in Fiji got together and arranged to scuttle the Salamanda. She had been a ferry and small cruise ship, plying the waters around the Mamanuca and Yasawa Islands. She was stripped and hollowed out to make her safe for penetration dives by recreational divers.
Today she lies upright on a sand bottom in 25 meters of water. She’s about 40 meters in length and features plenty of easy swim-throughs. You can reach her on your own or with most of the dive operators in the Mamanucas.
Joanne, Scott (Fundango), and I chartered a boat from Subsurface in Musket Cove where we are presently anchored. It’s about a 30-minute run out to the site. It was a great day to be out. Light winds, calm seas, bright sun.
Oscar, our guide, and Apo, our captain, took good care of us. They featured a few new things—a surface emergency signal (3 engine revs) and a hang tank at 5 meters (in case a diver loses track of their air consumption and needs some extra gas at the safety stop).
The Supermarket
On the way back to Musket Cove, we stopped for a drift dive at “The Supermarket,” which is one of the go-to dives here. Always interesting things to see. Nosy gray reef sharks, white tips, black tips, and a very hungry turtle.
The diving in Fiji continues to be amazing. I can’t get enough of it.