We have a choice 20120604102 – from the Uto ni Yalo progressing
at an average speed of 9 knots in a south westerly direction.
Our nautical chart, which we are plotting every 2-3 hours, shows
our path will take us past Wailagilala Atoll in northern Lau
[right now we are seeing the island of Niuafo'ou]. There are
only two true atolls in Fiji with Wailagilala being one and
Qelelevu being the other. The “true” atoll is in a stage of
geological development where there’s a ring of raised reefs
surrounding a central and shallow lagoon with one or more breaks
in this reef which can be used as passages inside. The healthy
lagoon has many amazing coral heads and myriad reef fish
including good sized sharks. In addition atolls possess one or
more “motus’ – small islets, low lying sand areas overgrown with
vegetation. The larger ones can support significant plant growth
including trees that may be as tall as 50 feet! Atolls in other
archipelagos are often uninhabited as they do not have continual
fresh water supplies and