TerREEFic coral reef friendly art at the Hibiscus Festival in Fiji

Locally made art was displayed for sale in the Fijian Made tent at the annual Hibiscus Festival in Suva, Fiji this week. One of the interesting reef friendly renewable products available was the traditional tapa cloth made from tree bark fibers.  Wikipedia has an informative article on this process here.  

Also on display were products made from coconut shell.  Many of the products had marine themes like the samples below.  These products are a good alternative to art made from coral reef animals especially shells.  Buying the shells will only push resellers to look for more, creating a demand for live animals for their shells.  

When you are out looking for presents and art, help protect the reefs by buying coral reef friendly products and celebrate coral colors like those in Fiji's Beqa Lagoon reefs below.   

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A long time Coral Color Crusader becomes a SCUBA diver

Katy just celebrated her 12th birthday underwater during her openwater SCUBA certification dives with Greg Buxton at Suva Scuba.  She has been looking forward to this day for a long time.  Loving the ocean, she started snorkeling in Timor-Leste at a young age.  Three year old Katy is seen below enjoying the beaches just outside of Dili in Timor.  

An avid snorkeler, Katy loved to check out the vibrant reefs in East Timor.  Some of the wondrous reef inhabitants that intrigued her can be seen on the ReefView blog here  and on the UWET blog here. 

Katy has already put her critter spotting skills (inherited from her mom) to the test during her first certification dives.

With a sharp eye, Katy was able to find this cool nudibranch hiding in the coral rubble on the sea floor.  The bottom image zooms in,  showing the bright orange and black sea slug.

Katy was also able to visit with a little reef shark who has taken residence under a coral formation at the mouth of Suva Harbor. 

Keep an eye on this space and on TerREEFic.com for more Coral Color Crusader Chronicles. 

Have a TERREEFIC visit !

This coral reef in Fiji is an example of a healthy reef with hard corals growing together and providing protection for other corals, fish and other marine life.  TERREEFIC.COM hopes to raise awareness about the importance of coral reefs and the marine environment by showcasing its amazing inhabitants.  Celebrate coral color !!