On Friday, August 27, 2021, an intimate gathering was held at Fatu Ma Futi beach in loving memory of Leanne Ferrer. She was an impactful individual who encouraged and gave voice to pasefika peoples through media and film.
I’m glad I got a chance to work with her through my office, but even more than that, I’m glad I got to know of her through the eyes of my best friend Gabby, who was mentored by Leanne in Hawaii. I showed up this morning in support of Gabby, who considered Leanne a sister-aunty. She credits Leanne with propelling her film work since she was 18 years old.
Leanne was cherished by many in Hawai’i, here in American Samoa, and all throughout the Pacific.
Sending love, warmth, and deep condolences to the Ferrer family.
Some of the many corals we saw at Amalau Bay. All of these incredible shots by Ian.
MAX DEPTH: 63 feet
VISIBILITY: ~60 feet
AMALAU BAY: ONE OF THE BEST DIVES IN AMERICAN SAMOA
The last time I dove at Amalau Bay was back in 2018 (see dive log here), on the right side of the bay. For this dive, we dove on the left side of the bay. I observed a lot of really beautiful things: giant Porites coral (probably one of the largest I’ve seen in all of Tutuila), plentiful fish (mostly smaller fish though), giant clams, thriving coral reef ecosystem with corals growing on top of each other, a spongy brown anemone that looks like coral at first until you touch it and it turns white and feels very soft and squishy, huge plate corals, very cool and interesting reef structures about 60 feet deep that go all the way up to about 20 feet (perfect for snorkelers), sandy bottom, a school of tiiiiny fish (I thought it was just ocean dust at first and then I noticed they all moved together in rhythm), also some dead coral, but not from bleaching.
TOTAL TIME: 63 minutes
WATER TEMP: 84 F
WEATHER: 2-3 ft waves, scattered clouds, 5mph winds NE
All original photos taken by Nerelle and Ian Moffitt
I’m searching through my archives this weekend for fine art photos that I can use to sell prints of in the near future (!!!). Attending an artists’ social mixer a couple of weeks ago has lit a spark for me to get back to the arts. I’m starting with photos, but I’d like to eventually get into hand crafts and graphic illustrations as well.
Anyhow, here are some photos I re-edited from my trip to Ofu early last year that I stumbled upon while rummaging through the archives.
Today I thought about how I could convey my feelings about the ocean, so I figured I’d write an open letter to the ocean.
Dear ocean,
I’ve known you my whole life… and to be honest, I’ve always seen you as kind of intimidating. I knew that everyone loved you and you seemed to make a lot of people happy, and you made me happy too, but I had also heard stories that you could be scary. You seemed moody—completely calm one day, and violent the next. Whenever I’d approach you, you’d wave but I didn’t know enough to read your language and didn’t want to get caught in your currents.
I didn’t fully appreciate you. I moved away to the desert for school and immersed myself in a different type of world, far from you. But it didn’t feel right. I felt like a fish out of water. I would swim in swimming pools and visit water parks, but it just wasn’t the same. The closest I could get to being near you was river tubing in the desert. I came home in the summers and would come visit you more and more, feeling refreshed, and I realized that I had taken you for granted. Oddly enough, I hadn’t known what it was like to be homesick until I moved back home after university. I told myself I would only be back on the island for a year or two, then it turned to three, four… now five years back home. And now I can’t imagine my life not being near you.
You connect us all. Over the years, I’ve also met a bunch of really cool and interesting people because of you. Everyone talked highly of you. I thought it was funny that they seemed to know you way better than I did, even though I grew up with you and they just met you. They helped me get to know you better. We went on fun way out adventures to see a different side of you. And I finally got scuba certified so I could be completely immersed in your side of the world.
I’ve learned to understand you better, how to read your language, how to approach you. Now I have a deeper appreciation for all that you do for us. You are home for the millions and billions of species, known and unknown. You are a source of food for a huge chunk of the world’s human population. You are a keystone in our economy, and have always been since the dawn of time probably. And you are a source of enjoyment and healing for me, and so many others out there that have come to know you.
But dear ocean, are we doing right by you? I’ve always respected you, knowing better than to leave trash by the beach where your tides will take them. But there’s more to it than that. Am I doing enough to show you how how much I value you and all that you care for? I can see now that you’re doing your best to be a home for those who have been around for millenniums, to maintain a healthy balance, and to be a source of life for all who need you. You are so kind to give us what you can, to provide for us even when we take you for granted. I’m working on being better. And so many others are too. We’ve known you forever, but we seem to know more about space than we do about you. I’m hopeful that my generation will do better.
I have been craaaaving days like these – bright skies and clear waters.
On Friday we SUP’ed out to the break. Small glassy waves called for Ian. He caught clean little lines and kept asking if he could go back out; I laughed and told him to go. I jumped in the water to cool off.
I’m always so much more appreciative of my landscape when I’m out on the water looking back and seeing it big picture. Like it’s crazy to think my life and my little home has anything to do with what I’m seeing out here, but it’s all interconnected. I don’t know how to explain it. Deep water and tall mountains tend to make me feel this way.
Welcome to Scenes around Vaoto Lodge – a photo journal that depicts my experience at Vaoto Lodge.
Vaoto Lodge was, up until recently, the only establishment that offered accommodations in the tiny island of Ofu, American Samoa. There is now one other spot, but we opted for Vaoto Lodge because of word of mouth and it’s ideal location right across the Ofu Airport runway, next to the NPS Ranger Station, and just a few minutes from (my favorite beach ever) the To’aga lagoon.
Right: NPS Ofu Ranger Station
Left: Vaoto Lodge
The Ofu Airport runway is literally a stone throw’s away from the Lodge and within earshot of the NPS Ranger Station – not a bad thing at all because there’s only one flight a week and the hubbub lasts a total of half an hour (which is actually an exciting time for the otherwise quiet village).
One of my favorite visual aspects of Vaoto Lodge is the herbage that surrounds the property, especially after a bout of rain.
You can tell that lot of thought, diligence, and patience was involved in making the landscape what it is.
The rooms are simple but have everything you need and more (yesss to comfy beds and hot showers!). This was our room, and right across we had a garden vignette of the ocean.
This bookcase is filled with history, nature, and pieces of people who travel.
This particular evening was really cool. Deborah and Ben, who own and manage the Lodge, had some leftover fish and tied it to a rock to see what would eat it. Over the next couple of hours, we watched six black tip reef sharks swim into the shallows, but only two actually took a bite. It was interesting to observe their behavior.
Alice and Marley (Deb and Ben’s dog).
We sat in the little drifter’s fale, on the beachfront of Vaoto Lodge, and watched the sky desaturate and darken.
Here, another soft evening glow surrounds us at Vaoto Lodge. Ian biked around the runway, and I hung out by the beach to snap photos of Olosega and Ta’ū in the distance; the sun hiding behind the clouds not wanting to say goodnight.
There is so much more to Vaoto Lodge… I didn’t originally plan on blogging about the place so I didn’t get photos of the main house/interior rooms, the spacious utilitarian kitchen, and oh man the mozzies! This is just a compilation of bits and pieces from my two weeks at Vaoto Lodge.
Between family, friends, and strangers, Vaoto Lodge is a home away from home.
This island will always and forever be my home, so camping is one of the best ways to celebrate my surrounding environment. Still, it sometimes seems too small and like Trevor says, “because we’ve got A/C”.
It was a long weekend, and our friends made plans to camp in this isolated cove, which for the sake of everyone involved will remain a secret (for now). I couldn’t say no because it’s been on my bucket list for the last 4 years! It felt almost unreal to finally be there, and to just be away from it all – we were pretty remote, even though a couple of tiny fishing boats did pass through.
Val started the fire, Dustin caught some fish to roast later in the evening, the kiddos Eve and Sam jumped off rocks into the shallow waters, and a few of us paddled out to explore the caves and check out the coral life.
As the sun was setting behind the Pola islets, I realized yet again the magnificence of nature in its raw form, and let out a grateful sigh as the sun kissed the horizon good night.
We went with a group of friends on a little adventure… scratch that, it was a big island adventure. Something we’ve been wanting to do for the last 4 years. I was unsure I could leave work early but I promised to work over the weekend. Then Ian picked me up with his kayak and my SUP already strapped to our bright green truck, and a huge smile on his face, and we drove north. Thank God for Ian too because he packed all my stuff and prepped food and carried our vessels onto the truck, which he later offloaded in the bay, and then we paddled out to sea…
Connor Jackson is a friend of a friend crossed the South Pacific on a 31′ Hunter named Sea Casa. Our mutual friend Michele, who used to live here in American Samoa and worked with Ian at the National Park, told us he was coming in and we were stoked to hang out with him and a few friends this weekend for a day sail on the southern Tutuila coast.
It was dumping rain most of the morning but we motored out of the harbor anyway and our good attitudes were rewarded with a little wind and a lot of sun for a glorious arvo.
Needless to say, I got seasick and prepared myself for this with a thumb of ginger I bought just before we hopped on the boat. I was just gnawing away at it and burped a bunch, and then puked my perfect bacon and egg open sammich breakfast not once but thrice in the 5 hours we were out. It was still a blast!
Connor and Ian had the good sense to jump off the boat when we got over the shallow part of the Taema banks, and we all quickly followed in. It felt so so so good to get off the rocking boat for a bit. It was a super calm day and the water was the perfect temperature. I wish I felt well enough to take more photos, but no complaints because Ian took most of these pics and it turned out to be an awesome day!
NOTES: 11am medium-low tide. Kind of a long surface swim, and a little murky at first but cleared up nicely when we dropped down below 30 feet. Alice was on snorkel and free dove to point out sweet pinnacle formation. Swam through a little gap in coral. Got buzzed by a beautiful green turtle! Spotted a juvenile Humphead Wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus)! Swam back. Ian helped me swim back in through the riptide.
