Noel's Wall: Fantastic Wall Dive
Noel's Wall: Fantastic Wall Dive
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Named for the patriarch of Matangi Island Resort, Noel Douglas, this dive site, located a few kilometers to the east of Matangi Island and a few kilometers north of Laucala Island, is one of the best wall dives in Fiji.
In the past ten years, two category 5 cyclones have swept over this reef, removing most staghorn acropora coral and large table acropora corals. All that's left are the mounding corals that depend upon these same storms for their survival. If left untouched, the faster growing acropora corals will quickly overgrow and shade the much slower growing mounding corals, so this site is a classic example of nature's balance.
The seamount where this dive site is located is called "Motui Levu" in Fijian. When the seas were lower this was an island atoll. The rim of the atoll is only, in places, 6 meters below the ocean's surface. Besides Noel's Wall, other dive sites at this location are Yellow Wall, the Edge, and the Corner. At the present time, only one dive operator visits this atoll, Matangi Island Resort.
What makes this dive spectacular is the clarity of the water. Far from shore, there are no run-off sediments, like most other dive sites in Fiji. Unfortunately, on the day I filmed, a large tropical depression had just passed overhead and the sediments on the seamount itself were stirred up, clouding the water somewhat. With perfect weather, the visibility is 50+ meters.
Another trademark for this dive site are the large pelagic fish that visit the wall, which extends down to 400 meters depth: barracuda schools, fusilier schools, gray reef sharks, jacks, and tuna. However, these large reef predators only come into feed when the current is right. I did not dive at the right time. The dive master/instructor of Matangi Island Resort was still stuck in Suva when I did this dive (due to the storm) and she would have timed the dive better to see the fish. Timing dives with the currents is crucial for successful Fiji diving!
The beginning of the dive starts out on the lip of the seamount (submerged atoll). There are a few coral bommies, but most of the area is coral rubble with a few mm of detritus coating the surface. It is perfect habitat for damsels (the blue fish at the very beginning) and very small juvenile fish, such as the bicolor Angelfish (the blue and gold fish). Damsels, unlike their chromis cousins, prefer coral rubble to coral reefs.
The next few shots highlight the gradual descent of the divers to 30 meters depth. As a diver, it's a phenomenal feeling to experience inner space. Along the wall, there is actually very little coral, but tucked in crevices, you will find fish, such as the sunburst anthias and pyramid butterflyfish.
The dive ends at a shallow coral garden plateau. And then you swim out into the open ocean to catch the boat back home.
