FIJI ISLANDS  OUTER LAU GROUP-------------------- The Lau group is the last tiny string of islands going east in Fiji, very isolated and very few dive there. The islands are emerald green in a sea of turquoise blue. Some have small villages; they do not get many visitors so when you drop in on a village it is cause for a big celebration that usually takes half a day. The Fijians are very friendly people and always the best of hosts, insisting a ceremony with the chief. The children are most fascinated with our dive gear, many never having seen a diver before. They will follow us back out to the reefs in small dugout canoes fashioned with their own hands from the local trees. They will float in groups and watch the divers below with rapt attention, some jumping in and free diving down thirty or forty feet wearing swim goggles for a closer look. The Lau group of islands faces the vast expanse of the open pacific ocean so encounters with large pelages such as sharks like the Great Hammerhead and large Manta Rays are not uncommon. There is nothing like the site of a fourteen-foot great Hammer Head shark slowly swimming out of the deep blue sea towards you. These are one of the most magnificent apex predators of the deep with large flat scalloped heads that slowly turn from side to side as large golden saucer shaped eyes take in all within his realm. This hunter of the deep can be extremely dangerous so it is wise to know well this fierce creatures striking posture. Sharks will generally give a diver fair warning they are ready to strike. Their swim will turn from a slow amble to one of swift and darting movements, while arching the back and pointing the pectoral fins downward. When this behavior is witnessed in one or more sharks it is wise to immediately vacate the water as trouble is on the way. The Great Hammer Head shark is a solitary beast and you will vary rarely if ever see more than one at a time. When spotting a prey fish they will strike like lighting so fast the eye cannot even detect it, all that is left are floating fish parts. The massive jaws will suddenly leap distending from the lower portion of the head much like the alien to snatch its hapless victim. Sleek and streamlined better than a jet fighter modeled after this creature, they are the ultimate in form and design to suit their environment. They have a long trailing tail fin with kind of a hook at the top, making them immediately recognizable. You will not mistake this shark for any other species.