And Now for the Nius for May, 2017

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1 And Now for the Nius for May, 2017 JOHN AND MARY ---- ENTERTAINING VISITORS ---- HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME ---- EMMA ---- DICK AND SUSAN ---- MATUS ---- PROJECT UPDATE ---- WHAT OUR DIVERS ARE SAYING!!! Hi, Everyone, WHEW!! It's been a busy, busy month with some fantastic people and equally fantastic diving and snorkeling. But I'm way behind on this, and I need to get cracking. John and Mary Munch arrived for their second visit in 10 years, and off we went, hunting for their favorite critters, nudibranchs. While we didn't find as many as we hoped, and most were common ones, we did find several rare species, and I earned a gold star for finding one they later verified was not known from here. Good fun. On Saturday evening, 2 boatloads of folks from the new village Takavule arrived to share a lovely fellowship with us. Hymns with flowing harmonies graced our ears, while Pastor Clifford passionately gave a brief Sabbath message. They brought food and flowers for John and Mary, and left reluctantly as dark closed in.. It was a lovely experience. John and Mary joined in my special day of celebration, starting with a breakfast serenade by our staff, followed by a dive more to allow me to get my fish, fans and soft coral fix before settling down to the serious business of nudi hunting on dive number two. At dinner that night, our staff again serenaded with very funny song about my turning 74. I protested loudly, as I had told them that when I turned 60, I had decided I did NOT want to get older, so every year I took a year off and was now 46. The next morning, which was,my official US birthday, staff had us in gales of laughter as a new song heralded my turning 46. Before they left, we took a boat ride- my first- around the entire island. It's big and lush with too many types of vegetation to even guess at. When I measured it on google I was surprised to find it 2Km in circumference. It was a reluctant farewell as John and Mary departed for the next leg of their adventure, a trip on the Naia in Fiji. Emma Carden is an Australian volunteer ending her time here in the Solomons. As a Water Engineer, her task has been designing practical, safe water systems for the villages that request them. She is into everything underwater- right up my

2 diving alley. We did an experiment at Out of this World. Instead of doing the twin ridges and heading up to the shallows, we did a super lazy drift at depth around the ends of the ridges, along the wall, finding more outcroppings, undercuts, fan forests, all displayed with brilliant golden soft corals. We drifted all the way around the corner into the lagoon, to find the soft corals continuing, but the wall changing to series of ledges, ending in a burst of brilliant pyramid butterflies. Rainbow entranced us as the blue red toothed triggers were courting en masse, turning shades from turquoise to deep blue against the pink and gold background. We finally just stopped and hovered enjoying the show from our front row seats. Snorkelers Dick and Susan Quist arrived laden with new masks & fins and snorkels to help replace the ones stolen at Kahaini. We can now reasonably outfit anyone who comes to dive or snorkel. Thanks so much, you two. They joined us for snorkelling adventures, especially enjoying the fish laden hard coral beds NW of Totolave Island. Matus Mocary from Slovakia joined them to get in a couple of colorful dives at Royal Wall and Rainbow. He has worked in Australia for 3 years and is on his way home to take over his family s business. He was good fun, and we wish him all the best. And our project development moves onward, slowly but surely. Presently under construction is the jetty extension, which (surprise??) has altered considerably from the original plan of a smaller platform with very small pavilion. It has doubled in size, sits out beyond the land and mangroves with views both into the lagoon and out into Mbili passage. It will boast a leaf pavilion big enough for sleeping, dining, playing games, doing computer work, etc. An open deck will accommodate dawn watchers and star gazers, a swim platform will ensure easy entry and exit. When this is finished, we have 2 more major projects, and then we can concentrate on trails, landscaping, etc. #1 is replacing the roof on the lodge, as this one is old and developing leaks that constantly require repair. #2 is building the new guest bungalow, the Honeymoon Suite. Enormous thanks to those who have already contributed to our rebuilding fund, enabling us to move forward, slowly but surely. For any of you who would still like to help, Go to Facebook- Lisa Choquette- Solomon Dive Adventures banner, and Friend. OR to bypass the extra charges, send a check to my sister. Make it to Thalia Naidu and put Solomon Dive Adventures Rebuilding Fund. Mail to: Thalia Naidu, P.O. Box 1394, Kailua Kona, HI And PLEASE send me an E mail so I can thank you personally. Remember, I have no internet. AND with all that, I leave you for another month. Wishing my northern readers a glorious spring, and my southern readers an easy winter. Have fun!

3 Love and hugs, Lisa & the gang WHAT OUR DIVERS ARE SAYING! What an amazing day, dive sites and most importantly amazing, wonderful dive instructor, Lisa. Thank you for a memorable day. " Leili Torab-London, UK-March 2017 "Absolutely phenomenal!! This is what diving is all about!! We will be back---rupon Ali, London, UK--March, 2017 "Great time and visit with my Solomon Family. Dive sites and diving could not be better" David Ebert-Chicago, IL, USA- March, 2017 "It doesn't get any better than this! So comfortable- my new family! In 4 days of diving we identified over 400 fish. The staff, the food, the snorkelling, the excursions to see the gardens of Melvin and Melina and to Takavule to meet the canoe carvers- all experiences I will treasure. Best diving in the world." Pam Wade-Sacramento, CA, USA----March 2017 "Really enjoyed our stay and especially the diving! Great to see Lisa again after almost ten years. Happy birthday, Lisa! Many More! " John & Mary Munch--Pacific Grove, CA, USA- April, 2017 "Thank you very much for awesome experience. It is a lifetime memory and I hope I'll have chance to dive with you again. All the best! Matus Mocary---Kosice, Slovakia---April 2017 Lisa Choquette Solomon Dive Adventures Minado Eco Lodge Turupu Island, Marovo Lagoon Solomon Islands lisa@solomondiveadventures.com Mobile #'s: "Lose yourself in the adventure, find yourself in the richness"

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