Hi Brian--Thanks for the info you sent me about Fiji.  My husband and I are
going in February and since our main objective is to have fun shelling, we hope
we have better luck than you had!!!  Long way to go not to find shells!  Can you
tell us where you went shelling?  We are going to be on Viti Levu, but are also
going to Taveuni, Kadavu, and the Yasawa group.  If you have suggestions for
where to go on these islands and whether we'd have more luck snorkeling or
beachcombing, that would be really helpful.  Also if there's any chance I can
get copies of the letters you got from the Consulate, etc.  That would be
helpful in case we ran into problems, but hopefully we won't.  My fax number is
410=786=5010.  Did you get all the way around Viti Levu or just to certain
areas?  Do you think the shelling isn't good enough to merit a trip that far?
Thanks for your help and hope to hear from you soon.
 
>>> Brian McElaney <[log in to unmask]> 12/15/97 09:28pm >>>
At 10:26 PM 12/14/97 -0800, you wrote:
>Always double check what a dive shop tells you. We have found them to be
>"inaccurate" at times.
>
 
I actually did check at the Sheraton with Dive Tropex. They also told me
that collecting was not allowed.
>> ----------
>> From:         Brian McElaney[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
>> Sent:         Sunday, December 14, 1997 5:05 PM
>> To:   [log in to unmask]
>> Subject:      Shelling in Fiji
>>
>> Hopefully, I can help a bit with the question regarding shelling in
>> Fiji.
>>
>> I returned three weeks ago from a trip to Australia and Fiji. Prior to
>> the
>> trip, I had written to the Fiji Consulate in Washington, D.C. I
>> received a
>> reply stating that there were no restrictions on taking shells of
>> "any type
>> and quantity" out of Fiji. A call to U.S. Customs at St. Louis Airport
>> yielded a similar reply. I e-mailed the Fiji Dive organization (e-mail
>> address in the Lonely Planet guide for Fiji or I can supply it to
>> anyone
>> interested) and was told that collecting with SCUBA is now illegal in
>> Fiji.
>>
>> I stayed on Viti Levu and did some shoreline collecting. The
>> collecting was
>> OK but not spectacular. Snorkeling did not yield a great deal either.
>> I did
>> dive (with Dive Tropex out of the Sheraton Royal Denarau). While
>> diving, I
>> did look for shells even though I couldn't collect. I found almost
>> nothing
>> so I wasn't too disappointed with the collecting restrictions.
>>
>> I had kept a copy of the Consulate letter in case I ran into trouble
>> at the
>> airport. At the Nadi Airport, however, no one raised any questions or
>> checked my bag. If anyone has any more questions about Fiji, I'd be
>> happy to
>> try to answer them.
>>
>>
>>                                     Brian McElaney
>>
>>                                     [log in to unmask]
>>
>