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Uepi Island Resort - The point is .....
March 2007

Every day we wake up to a warming glow as the tropical sun rises over the outer barrier islands of Marovo. What a time of day to sit for a few minutes on the jetty as the world awakens. Even better, in a kayak paddling gently, as the schools of small fish hurry about to avoid becoming a serve of breakfast. Birds call from the dense island forests, morning hellos from brilliantly blue small kingfishers busying about the fringing reefs gathering fish and insects. Large Hornbills 'whoosh whoosh' as their small formations power overhead with driving wings.

As the first rays lighten up the lagoon the colours have an intensity all of their own. The jungle is the richest green, the water has a parade of colours, the clouds chameleon by the minute & the skies transform into the clearest blues. At 8 degrees south latitude the sunrise is fairly rapid and before long a rich day is born.

In the early months of the year the mornings are mostly dazzling sunlight. The breakfast table faces the lagoon & the parade continues. Shark fins slice across the reef-tops. Parrot fish wave their tails in the air as they munch the reef. Longtoms ski across the water chasing food. Mating eagle rays twist & twirl in the nearby shadows, an intimate ballet for lovers. Most probably the trevally are driving schools of baitfish into the shallows, like cowboys working a herd. Then the charge and a churning mass of fish and water erupts. The resident Ospreys dive and talon unsuspecting fish, their wings beating heavily as they work hard to gain some height and airspeed, then the inevitable lunge downwards as they adjust their grip, cries of "look they almost dropped the fish” from those not familiar with the ritual.

Wanna dive ... you bet. Assuming you are not one of the enlightened minority who have already dropped in to Inside Point before breakfast and then jumbled pancakes & coffee with mumbles about schools of barracuda, sharks brushing past giving you the evil eye, brilliant fans and other strange creatures, making you promise to yourself that you WILL get up tomorrow & dive early, you hurry to the diveshop with your ears pinned back.

Maybe it’s Uepi Point with schools of Jacks, a grazing turtle & more fish variety & corals than you imagined. Or Elbow with a hammerhead or two and pygmy mantas overhead. What! You almost missed them as there was so much invertebrate & fish life on the walls! Or perhaps the hard-coral canyons and crests of Landoro Gardens, where giant bumphead parrotfish charge around like buffalo.

Wherever you dive, snorkel, walk or rest, you will be surrounded by nature, there is no escape.

During lunch on your private deck the clouds build slowly on the mountains of Vangunu and New Georgia, hinting at an afternoon storm. With so many late cyclones around Australia squalls of rain may appear from nowhere, drench the lagoon, then disappear just as mysteriously. Where did they come from? Go to?
Sunshine as you head for the dive shop through gardens dripping with orchids and tropical plants. You remember piking out of a dive because it looked grey and dull only to hear the dive boat disappearing as the clouds parted for the warmest and clearest skies. Won't get fooled again.

The afternoon dive could be further afield. Maybe Binusa, a colourful splash of reef colour along a sheer wall. The mystery caves of DekuDekuru? General Store the dive site with it all? Point-to-Point channel crossing for advanced divers? Maybe another choice out of many. Wherever you dive - nature.

The evening breeze gently fans and the light constantly changes colours as the sun dips into the Kolo river valley to the west. Bilikiki birds flash across the lagoon heading to night pastures. The frigate birds return from circling the tuna schools out in the deep ocean and prepare to roost. A cold Solbrew before dinner as the geckos stalk insects and each other. Bats flit about the electric lights with their characteristic cries and perfume. At the end of daylight the activity continues.

Torches on and in we go. Down to the sand patch eight meters below, across to the reef edge dodging startled fish and onto the channel edge which disappears into 50 metres of liquid black. By now the night dwellers are out and about; some, particularly the surgeon and unicorn fish are twitchy and find it hard to adjust to your invading bright light. Shrimp eyes reflect back and the more you look the more you see. As you glide around the outside face of Uepi Point the water becomes impossibly clear and blue. Crayfish stalk towards you then retreat in wary hindsight. Maybe you find that elusive pygmy seahorse at night, maybe not. But it does not really matter as there are new discoveries wherever you look; nature abounds. Reluctantly you climb back in the canoe for a quick ride through a starry sky outshone by a wake lit with bioluminescence.

A cold beer or red wine with dinner as lightening strikes jab the faraway peaks across the lagoon. A brief ten seconds of cool rain lashes you from a clear sky as you dash the last few metres to the shelter of your private accommodation. The thud of a falling coconut as you fall into bed.

What will tomorrow be like? You will be surrounded by nature, that is for sure.

So what is the point?

For those of us who live at Uepi it is all too easy to become complacent about our surroundings. But recently the stories of the droughts, bushfires, water restrictions, crowded freeways, failing agriculture, the worsening and critical condition of major systems such as the River Murray, and more, has strongly jolted my sense of appreciation. No wonder many of our guests express amazement of the environment of Uepi and its surrounding Marovo Lagoon. Not to say that it is perfect or unthreatened, but it is still predominantly natural. This has made me convinced that places like Uepi are becoming oasis in a spoiling world. It seems that only two things will save such oasis.

Firstly we have to value the environment. In today's world that means put a dollar value on the environment and we must expect to pay for its survival. Hand in hand with this we must have economic models that include environmental costs for such natural resources as water, soil and air. In fact we have such models but they are disregarded by mainstream economists and politicians, both of whom profess to know what is best for us.

Secondly we must have people who care. People like divers. My age group (baby boomers) are at this time in their lives as successful as they will ever be and by implication as influential. But do we care? We grew up in a time when the natural environment was strong, seemingly infinite and resources abounded: The task we inherited from our parents was to conquer nature to build a better world. We have built that world. But the question is "is it a BETTER world"? In many ways yes it would seem. But in many ways no. But if we look at the quality of life in under-developed countries and honestly include those populations in the equation then the answer must be a definite NO. In past months we have had various young Australians who have come to Uepi. Almost 100% of young Australians now live a city life style, even if they live in the country (if you can find it). The thing that has astounded me is that these young people respond so strongly to actually experiencing, touching, tasting, feeling nature. Good old fashion nature that we baby-boomers grew up amongst. It would seem that such encounters can even be life changing. So what are we doing to our young people that they have missed out on so much? The next time you are going to shout your children or grand-children a new this or a new that, how about investing in the world and taking them to an 'oasis'. Any oasis, small or large, big or small will do.

The on-going "War of The Words" between the PM of the Solomon Islands Manasse Sogavare and Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has been widely broadcast. It is perhaps very natural and not unexpected that during an operation like RAMSI such conflicts occur as each party flexes its muscles and tests the water from time to time. It has surprised those of us who operate in the Solomons that such a negative reaction has been produced in the Australian population, far exceeding the actual circumstances of the disagreement. Even within the Australian diving fraternity who would be amongst the best informed about such 'diving destinations' due to magazines such as DiveLog, the reaction has been strong. It must be a mystery to those divers who actually come to the Solomons that the reality is so different to that imagined by the general population. All I can suggest is that if you are considering coming to the Solomons that you contact the Solomon operators, the Australian Dive Shops running trips, and the Dive Travel Agents who are experienced in the Solomons, to get a realistic assessment. Do not rely on the general media.

Leana via from one of the most beautiful and safest places on mother earth.
Grant, Jill & Uepi Staff

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We sincerely wish to thank the following people for use of their photographs in our website:

Peter Lange, Peter Pinnock, Oceania Films/Matt Guest, Eric Cheng, Fred Bavendam, Andy Belcher, Manuela Kirschner, Louise Murray, Roberto Rinaldi, Mark Strickland/Oceanic Impressions, Jill Kelly, Grant Kelly, Wes Kelly and Jason Kelly.