Underwater Exploration!
July 3, 2026
Bula for the last time!
We have begun our scuba adventure! We woke up at our new place bright and early to start our scuba pool session. The girls went in the morning while Springer took the others to the beach, and then we swapped after lunch for the boys’ turn. Afternoon rain kept the group inside for the rest of the day, where we listened to music and played card games. For dinner, we treated ourselves at the resort across the street, and Lucy, Lila, and Jane got brownie sundaes.
After getting comfortable in the pool, it was time to head into the ocean for our first dives. We slept in and went to explore the arts village before heading out. Jane and Haven bought gifts to bring back for their families, and we all enjoyed coffee and hot chocolate from the local café. Then it was time to begin our first ocean dives. We got to see lots of fish while practicing some of the skills needed for our certifications. In between dives, we had a dance party where Hill and Charlotte led us in their favorite Just Dance routine to Rihanna, which kept us warm before jumping back in for another dive. That night, we went to a local restaurant for dinner, where we indulged in some double cheeseburgers. When we got back to the hostel, the boys decided to prank the girls by releasing frogs into the room. Luckily, Carter saved the day by getting all of them out.
With a break from the rain, we were excited to make the most of a beautiful sunny day. We finally woke up to some sunshine, so we immediately hit the beach. The group swam together, and then the girls tanned by the pool and enjoyed some virgin piña coladas while Jack led the boys to jumping in the water. In the afternoon, we headed back out on the boat for scuba so the group could complete their certifications. Crawford collected a handful of sea cucumbers, and we also got to see a reef shark. Then we celebrated everyone’s accomplishments with pizza and ice cream for dinner.
Before wrapping up our scuba adventure, we had one last day of diving ahead of us. Our newly certified divers headed out to an island and dove at Old Lady Reef, while the advanced group got to dive at a shipwreck. Then it was time to head back to Nadi. We arrived at our hotel, showered, and had dinner together, where we played many rounds of Wavelength, enjoyed lots of ice cream for dessert, and then Nico closed out our final Moonup.
To end our time in Fiji, we spent one last day soaking up everything the islands had to offer. We woke up together in Fiji for the final time. We had breakfast and hopped on the van to take us to a catamaran for our last activity. We rode on the same boat Love Island was filmed on the week before, which Grace was very excited about. We got to tan and listen to music on the ride out. We pulled up next to an island where we got to swim and snorkel. Colin spotted a huge sea turtle with the boys while the girls swam and tanned. Then we enjoyed a fruit platter with pineapple, papaya, and watermelon while we headed back to shore. We had some ice cream before returning to the hotel to shower and enjoy one last meal together. Tripp got himself an I Heart Fiji shirt for the ride home.
Looking back on the past two weeks, we have loved getting to know each and every one of these kids, and we feel so grateful to have spent this time in Fiji with them. We will miss them so much and cherish the memories we made together!
Signing off,
William and Springer
Fun in the Sun!!!
June 28, 2026
Bula again from Fiji!
Day 6: The crew began to hit their stride upon arrival in the village. Picking up from where we left off, the group began the transfer to Tuvu village, stopping for a delicious lunch and ice cream on the way. Upon arrival, we were warmly greeted by the village kids, where we spent the rest of the day making new friends and playing rugby. Many of the kids really seemed to gravitate to Carter as they ran around the village. We closed the night with a traditional kava ceremony where we were formally inducted into the village as part of the Tuvu family.
Day 7: Rise and shine in Tuvu Village. The group was treated to a breakfast full of fried dough variants (no complaints from here) before crossing the river to the local school. The school principal greeted us and told us about the school before we broke out with the kids during their recess and lunch period. Jack dominated the rugby field, taking it in for a score several times. The girls dragged Grace and Jane into their dance circle, which ended in the whole group joining. Heading back to the village, the boys took a dip in the river to cool off from all the running around. After having lunch, one of our guides took us on a nature walk showing us different trees and plants and how the locals use them for medicine, food, and other uses in their daily lives. A few of us fell victim to trying the small pepper they grow, which packed a big punch, leaving us scrambling for water to cool our mouths down. Nico somehow decided to eat one after watching us, and ended up running back to the village for water. Hill was the only one to successfully get one down without a reaction. Finally, we returned from the walk for a chill afternoon. The day ended with a proper Fijian birthday celebration for Colin, where the group enjoyed an upside-down dinner with cake first, dinner second.
Day 8: The group slept in with an open morning of free time before packing up to head downriver to our new village. We teamed up in pairs to kayak down the Sigatoka River to Koroua Village. Crawford took the liberty of jumping off the kayak, leading others to follow suit. After an hour, we reached Koroua, where we once again were kindly greeted by the locals with cake ready upon arrival. We spent the rest of the afternoon meeting our new friends and helping plow the fields and plant peanuts down by the river. We once again were formally welcomed to the village with a ceremony, which quickly turned into a dance party where Lucy led the conga line. Dinner wrapped up the day’s festivities, where the village prepared a lovo dinner, which is a local underground cooking method to make delicious meats and vegetables.
Day 9: Our time in the villages is coming to an end. The group packs up and heads downriver on the kayaks one last time, but this time, not everyone’s journey goes so smoothly. Haven, Tripp, Charlotte, and Lila found themselves in a bit of a pickle, sliding off and into the water, where they floated down the final stretch laughing at the moment with a story to tell. We finally parked our boats for the final time and headed to the cave tour, where we got to explore the hidden home of former Fijian people who once inhabited the space back in the 1800s. We have now reached the final portion of the trip, where we will prepare for scuba diving and explore the world under the sea.
Talk soon!
Springer + William
Jack – Hey Mom and Dad, Thank you for sending me here I am having a great time.
Tripp- hello im having tons of fun and cant wait to tell you all of the exciting stories that have happened and thank you for this experience.
Nico – Hi Mom and Dad, I am having a great time here, thank you for sending me on this trip.
Crawford- Hi Mom, Thank you so much for sending me here. I’m having a great time here and can’t wait to tell some stories.
Colin – Hello parents, I am having a great time. Thank you for sending me on this trip.
Haven- Hi Mom, Dad, Amalie, Larken, and Tripp! I am having so much fun in Fiji! Thank you SO much for sending me on this trip! We have done so many fun activities here!! Today we practiciced scuba for the first time and it was so much fun! Tomorrow we go into the ocean! I have met the the best people and cant wait to tell all of yall everything when I get home! Love you guys and miss you!! Cant wait to see yall soon!
Grace – Hey Mom, Dad, and Lilla! Fiji is so much fun! We just finished being in the villlages which was a really cool experience and I loved playing with all the kids! Now we are starting our scuba diving certification and we have our first ocean dive tomorrow. We learned how to do the basic stuff in the pool today which was so fun! I am having such a great time and I can’t wait to tell you guys all about it!!! Love you guys so much! Tell Addie and Bailey hi for me!
Jane- Hi Mom + Dad! I miss you so much! In Fiji we’ve been surfing, fishing, staying at two villages and now we are at a hostel scuba diving (we get to dive in the ocean tomorrow). Thank you so much for letting me go on this trip it is so fun! (btw my layover in la is long so would you check with Bill and ask if teagan would want to get a meal in la?) I love you + and miss D + G! Thank you!
Hill-Hey Mom, Dad,Miller, and Kate! Thank you so much for sending me on this trip! I am having so much fun. I can’t wait to see yall once I get home! I miss yall so much! I love you!
Charlotte – Hi Mom and Dad! I miss y’all so much and I’m having so much fun. Fiji is beautiful and I’m so excited to tell you everything. I’m about to scuba dive and am so excited to see what the hype is about Fiji diving. I love y’all! Thank you for letting me go on this trip.
Lucy- Heyyyyy Mom, Dad, and Maggie!! I miss yall so much! I am having SO much fun in Fiji! It may be one of the coolest places i have ever been to! My favorite activity so far is scuba diving, the island was so cool and the coral reefs were so pretty!! Tomorow I am going scuba diving and I am so excited! If it wasn’t for yall I would not be here, so I want to thank y’all SO much! I love y’all and miss y’all so much! I prob get my phone around 5 am your time, so stay up to call me-can’t wait to see you guys and hope I don’t get lost in the airport again 😉
Lila- Hey Mom, Dad, and Charlie! I have had a blast here in Fiji, we have done so many amazing things here! I just did some Scuba practice and I am so exited to go out in the ocean and Scuba. I have met so many amazing people here and I cant wait to tell yall all about the memories I have made here. Thank you guys for this amazing opportunity to go to Fiji for 2 weeks! I love you guys so much and I cant wait to see yall and say hi to the dogs for me!!!
Carter – Hey Mom and Dad, thank you so much for sending me on this trip. I’m having so much fun, and can’t wait to tell you guys all about it.
Surfing and Snorkeling Under the Sun!
June 24, 2026
Bula from Fiji!
We are off to a great start with this group! After we met at the airport, we walked to a hotel for breakfast and then were on our way to our first stop of the trip. We spent the first day hanging out on the beach and getting to know each other. William taught the group how to play his favorite game, Dutch Cup, which was a huge hit. We enjoyed our first Fijian meal together while watching the sunset. We ended the night with Moonup and then headed to bed early.
The next day, we woke up, had breakfast together, gathered our snorkel gear, and hopped on a boat. We set sail for an island day at a village. The girls saw lots of dolphins on the ride there. The boys headed straight for the island to practice their volleyball skills for the staff match back at the resort, while the girls went snorkeling. The water was so clear, and Hill even spotted a barracuda! We all came back together on the island to enjoy a delicious lunch prepared by the locals. We had fish, sausage, chicken, pineapple, potatoes, eggs, and vegetables, which everyone enjoyed. After lunch, the girls relaxed on the beach, and Lila was joined by a little orange cat who cuddled with her.
Then it was time to head back to the resort for some surfing with our instructor, Bruce. We practiced our form on yoga mats before hitting the water. Everyone had a blast, and Grace and Colin were absolutely crushing it, catching so many waves on their first time surfing. After surfing, we showered, had tea time, and played more Dutch Cup. The boys then took on some locals in a volleyball match while the girls hung out on the beach, watching Haven and Jane push each other on the big swing. Carter was the MVP of the volleyball game and helped lead the boys to victory. We then had dinner, followed by Moonup led by Crawford and Lucy, where we talked about the role models in our lives.
The next day, it was time to hit the rapids. We headed down the Navua River with our awesome guides, who taught us lots of the native Fijian language. Crawford even took the reins and got to steer the boat himself down the river. William and Springer started splash wars, which was not particularly popular among the girls. Halfway through the trip, we stopped along the river for sandwiches, fruit, and vegetables. Colin nominated himself to finish all the leftovers before we got back on the water. On the last leg of rafting, Nico finally got to jump in and float down the river alongside the raft. After reaching the end of the river, we enjoyed some cookies and soft drinks before heading back to the resort. We indulged in the daily tea and biscuits and, once again, played a few rounds of Dutch Cup, where Jack finally dethroned William.
We had another delicious dinner and then played a round of Empire, won by Charlotte and Lucy. We ended the night with a game of Mafia narrated by Tripp and Moonup, where we shared our favorite drinks and talked about habits we want to break when we return home.
The next day, we woke up bright and early for some fishing. We got to cruise around on the ocean for a while and held a competition to see whether the boys or the girls would catch more fish. Lila secured the victory for the girls by catching a barracuda. After fishing, we packed up our things and are now heading to the village for a few days. We will check back in soon!
Moce,
Springer and William
Here are some shoutouts from our students:
Hi Mom and Dad I’m having fun meeting new people, and doing activities. -Nico
Hey Dad and Mum, Figi is super cool and the activities are so much fun. -Carter
Hi Mom, Dad, Amalie, Larken, and Tripp,I am having so much fun! I have met so many new friends and I am doing so many fun activities! Love yall so much!!- Haven
Hey mom and dad! I miss y’all but I’m having so much fun and I have met some new friends! Happy late Father’s Day, dad! – Charlotte
Hey mom and dad! Thank you so much for letting me go to Fiji! It’s so fun and I have met lots of new friends! Love you! – Jane
Hey mom, dad, and Lilla! We just spent a couple days surfing and rafting and now we are headed to the village! I’m having so much fun and I have made so many friends! I love you guys and I can’t wait to tel you about it!! – Grace
Hey mommy, dad, and Charlie! I have had such a good time in Fiji! The weather has been good so far! We have gone surfing, rafting, and fishing and they have all been so fun! I can’t wait to tell y’all all about the amazing things I have done I love y’all so so much and can’t wait to see y’all. thank you so much for this amazing opportunity love you guys!!!! ❣️ – Lila
Hey mom, dad, Kate, and miller! I am having so much fun but I can’t wait to see yall soon! I love and miss yall so much!! Hill Caine – Hill
Hi mom, dad, and friendsssss!! I miss yall all so much and I’m having such a good time! Fiji is so pretty and the weather so far has turned out goooood! I love y’all so much and I can’t wait to tell y’all about Fiji when I get home!! ILY ‼️‼️‼️-Lucy
Hello family I’m having fun and can’t wait to tell you all about it.- Tripp
Hello Mom, Dad, and Michael. I am having lots of fun. – Jack
This trip is awesome. I am having lots of fun.- Colin
Hi mom and dad it’s craw I’m having a great time and lots of fun can’t wait to be home tho-Crawford
Safe Arrival!
June 20, 2026
Hello Fiji Families!
We heard from our leaders this morning that the group has landed safely! The trip is off to a great start, and we cannot wait to hear more stories from their adventure! Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips, but we will be posting trip updates throughout the next week! This will allow you to follow along with the trip. You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to!
-Moondance HQ
