still here but thinking about weighing anchor

(DZ typing). We're approaching a full week here at Beveridge Reef. The only signs of humans since our arrival are the wrecks we snorkel over each day. Otherwise we are incredibly, exquisitely alone.

Two nights ago Riina caught us a Crevelle Jack fish off the back of the boat and we made sushi. With all the accoutrements waiting in the cupboard we've been itching to roll up some tasty fish. It was awesome, and to follow, Riina stewed us up some Finish fish soup with the remains of the Jack, literally using every ounce of the meat. Yum-yum!

Last night felt like being offshore without the sailing. The wind backed thirty degrees to NNE from NE so that we started taking the NE swell on the side, which rocked us very roughly and nobody slept very well until the wind lightened around 5 am. Fortunately our not-so-rigorous schedule permitted everyone to catch up on sleep until around 10 am.

Riina and Matt jumped in for a morning swim, before baking some banana bread with the last of our browning produce. While they cooked, Danielle and I dove in to visit our neighborhood giant stingrays. After breakfast we all gathered snorkel gear for our first trip to the far side of the lagoon, about a mile and a half away. Before today the winds have been strong enough that we didn't feel confident that we could paddle our dinghy back into the headwind if the outboard cut out. Did I mention that
we are alone? Today the winds have moderated greatly and with the change of direction we decided to try it.

On the other side of the lagoon, about a mile and a half away, we found what looks like an underwater field of giant boulders. These were enormous living coral heads, the largest of which was around 30-feet in diameter, and awash at the top. We anchored next to one of them, did our usual 360-degree scan for sharks, tallied one who headed away once we jumped in, and then started exploring. The fish here were much larger than we'd seen in other areas. Tens of them were definitely in the 40-pound range;
mostly Jacks and Pampanos, and maybe a Grouper?

We motored from there around the perimeter of the reef, admiring the perfectly peeling, triple-overhead waves. These would be great for the Laird Hamilton set, but nothing that tempted the two of us. We ate chicken, cheese and crackers for lunch on the dinghy and then took another dive into the aquamarine water. This one was cut short when we saw the largest shark we've seen yet, nearly 6 feet, heading our way. We've all become more comfortable with sharks but the big ones still send us scurrying
up into the dinghy like a bunch of scared seals.

This calming weather seems to offer a good window to leave. Our hope is that with less wind the pass will be more, well, passable.

ETD: Tuesday morning for Niue Island.