419 Dive Log Australasia AUGUST 2026

the protection of the barrier reef where the sea became remarkably calm. It reminded me of perfect mornings in my youth water skiing on the lakes of British Columbia, when the surface becomes polished glass before the wind awakens. Only this wasn’t freshwater. It was impossibly clear tropical ocean. From the bow I watched schools of reef fish scatter beneath us as we crossed the shallows. Coral bommies drifted silently below the hull, their outlines so sharply defined that it felt as though we were flying rather than floating. There are few better ways to arrive at a dive resort. Nearly an hour passed before the jungle-covered shoreline opened to reveal Matava. There was no imposing hotel. No rows of identical buildings. Instead, the resort seemed to emerge naturally from the hillside, tucked among palms and rainforest as though it had always belonged there. It was immediately obvious that someone had resisted the temptation to overbuild. Matava isn’t trying to impress you with size. It wins you over with quiet. I had known before leaving home that the resort operated entirely off the electrical grid. Knowing it on paper, however, was very different from arriving with several heavy cases filled almost entirely with digital

Typical coconut lined coastline in Kadavu

photography equipment. Photographers become surprisingly attached to electrical outlets. Every evening meant batteries to charge, memory cards to download, hard drives to back up, and camera systems to prepare for the following morning. I found

Magical Manta moment

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Dive Log Australasia #419 August’26

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