Sunset from our bungalow.  Since it was low season, the resort upgraded us to an ocean-front bungalow.  Could hear the tide changes during the night.  Our taxi driver had mentioned that King Charles stayed at this resort last year for a gathering of representatives from all the commonwealth nations & former colonies.  Large billboard on the main road with photos of King Charles & Queen Camilla.

Dock & restaurant at sunset.  A freshwater seep bubbles up adjacent to the dock.  In fact, a long fracture in the basalt seabed heads out past the reef, creating a natural channel as coral won’t grow in diluted seawater.

From our ocean-front deck, I noticed a couple tenders anchored just inside the reef.  First thought they were local fishermen, but they never seemed to move.  Then thought maybe they’re charter fishing boats.   Nope.  

I would get up at dawn to watch the sunrise and soon noticed a red zodiac zip in & out to one of the tenders just after 0600.  Hmm.

Also saw a skiff come in to the beach most mornings around 0900 to drop off a guest.  Finally asked a young woman staying there if her husband had been out early—fishing on the skiff?  Surfing with the Manoa Tour guy?  Snorkeling?  Confused—she said:  No her husband was a diver on the salvage barge pulling diesel fuel from a sunk NZ Navy warship.  One third of the NZ fleet alas..  Oh. <  Just visible in the center of the photo  >  A dozen or so divers plus a few wives & kids made for a lively atmosphere in the evenings. 

(N.B., the ship hit the reef in November while collecting bathymetric data on auto pilot.  Eesh.  The fuel, of course, is distributed among multiple tanks which requires cutting through bulkheads et cetera.  With the deep end of the warship down 30 meters, the divers had to rotate every 30 minutes, then into a decompression chamber.)

We booked a snorkel trip with Manoa Tour guy whose skiff was anchored just down the beach.  He grew up in Kauai, but had lived in Samoa for the past 25 years.  Some intense conversations about the state of the U.S. and the state of Samoa.  Plus the backstory to the measles snafu.  And of course the tsunami…  (He was out surfing with his 9-yo son and 9-yo friend!)

Snorkeling over the coral reefs was a treat albeit they are a bit threadbare—still recovering from the 2012 cyclone.   Lots of green turtles in the shallows!

The edge of a cyclone swept through Samoa during our stay so we had a few days of wind & rain.  Lost power a couple times.  The weather finally cleared and we headed to the bay with giant clams.  Paid a small fee (since beaches are privately owned) and were directed to swim toward to a marker offshore.  Lots of small giant clams and yes, giant ones too.  As you swim out you hit cold & warm spots as you cross over various seeps.

Another lovely sunset.