Last Full Day in Vanuatu

Morning at the Banana Bay Beach Club

We wake to bright sunshine. We spend the morning sitting on chairs watching the blue waves wash into the reef. 

Through conversation with the owner, I learn that the missing tops of many palm trees is not from the cyclones but from the invasive Coconut Beetle that snuck in on a boat.

Blue Lagoon

At 11:00am we drive to the nearby (15 minutes) Blue Lagoon. The entrance fee is 1500 Vanuatu dollars per person (about $17 CAD). This is a popular place and despite being a weekday there are about 25-30 tourists there. I have gotten used to having places to myself and am not thrilled to have to share.

The Blue Lagoon is a large natural lagoon with crystal clear water. It’s good for swimming and you can also snorkel. A big attraction are ropes around the lagoon that people swing out on before letting go and dropping into the water. It looks fun but I decide it’s a little too scary for me. John decides not to because he would not be able to wear his glasses and that may be a recipe for disaster.

Instead John goes swimming in the quiet end of the lagoon. There are a surprising number of fish. Something bites John a couple times but he says it didn’t hurt.

Then John sees a long black and white banded snakelike thing swimming along the bottom of the water. When out of the water he finds out it’s a banded sea krait which is a highly venomous snake that hunts in the water and lays it’s eggs on land. It is quite common to the area but is docile if left alone. This snake avoids humans and eats eels and small fish.  John is quite pleased with his find.

I hear someone else in the lagoon saying they see a snake or eel. John shows me where he saw it. I am quite excited and jump in but no matter how hard I look, I can’t find the darn thing.

Eton Beach

Next we head down the road to Eton Beach. Beaches here seem to be private or village owned.  Eton Beach charges 500 Vanuatu dollars per person (about $6 CAD). It’s a really pretty beach but the snorkeling is just so so. There are a number of locals here with their kids.

Last Night at the Banana Bay Beach Resort

After awhile we head back to our resort where I snorkel around the reefs. I see a moray eel and a sea worm along with all the other colourful fish and of course my favourite Picasso triggerfish.

We watch a glorious sunset before supper. Click here for a short video.

We end the evening watching the stars. We don’t have light pollution so the sky is incredibly dark and the stars bright. I also spot a satellite.