-
Turtle Island, Fiji
Photograph by James L. Stanfield
Fiji is a nation of islands. Many of them are low coral or limestone hideaways of palm trees, trade winds, and white sand. The rest are volcanic towers cloaked with rain forest and sugarcane fields.
-
Beqa Island, Fiji
Photograph by James L. Stanfield
Tantalizing sunsets, warm beaches, and plenty of activities have made Fiji a travel hot spot. Tourism has taken over sugar as Fiji's leading industry, and the archipelago is growing in popularity with charter-boat sailors, surfers, and windsurfers.
-
Viti Levu, Fiji
Photograph by James L. Stanfield
Evening calm ushers a fishing boat past a reef off Viti Levu, largest of the 300-plus islands in the South Pacific archipelago of Fiji. These islands boast some 4,000 square miles (10,000 square kilometers) of reef, a vital trove of marine biodiversity.
-
Garoka Boy, Papua New Guinea
Photograph by Jodi Cobb
A youngster in tribal regalia—beads, face paint, and a wig of bird plumes—shows off with bubble gum at a sing-sing, or festival, in Papua New Guinea.
-
Anemonefish, Papua New Guinea
Photograph by David Doubilet
A spine-cheek anemonefish moves in safety among the tentacles of its toxic host in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea.
-
Jellyfish, Palau
Photograph by Gary Hughes
A snorkeler in Palau's usually hazy Jellyfish Lake finds a spot of crystal clear water to enjoy the caress of millions of pulsing, golden jellies. Fortunately, this species' sting is so mild that it's usually unnoticeable.
-
Chuuk Lagoon
Photograph by Amelia Weiss
Divers flock to Micronesia's Chuuk (or Truk) Lagoon for its plentiful marine species and its proliferation of shipwrecks. The tranquil waters are littered with Japanese vessels sunk during World War II.
-
Sea Moth, Papua New Guinea
Photograph by David Doubilet
Hopping along with clawlike fins, a sea moth in Papua New Guinea's Milne Bay probes with its long nose for food in the soft bottom, levitating briefly to scout its territory.
-
Viti Levu Island, Fiji
Photograph by James L. Stanfield
Most of the landmass of Fiji is made up of two volcanic heaps: Vanua Levu and Viti Levu. The latter, shown here, is strikingly two-sided, with rain forest on the wet eastern slopes and grassy slopes and rock outcrops like these on the leeward side.
-
Huli Wigmen, Papua New Guinea
Photograph by Jodi Cobb
In the leafy highlands of Papua New Guinea at a gathering of clans—some of them former headhunters—photographer Jodi Cobb went looking for beauty. "What interested me," she says of groups like the brightly painted Huli, "is that men are flamboyant in this culture. They take their cues from the birds. The males are the colorful ones."
-
Yasawa Island Sunset, Fiji
Photograph by James L. Stanfield
Beneath the serene surface of lazy sunshine and warm rain, life in Fiji is laced with conflict and uncertainty—but under that is more serenity. And under that…well, nothing is simple in Fiji.
-
Scorpionfish, Papua New Guinea
Photograph by David Doubilet
Resplendent in art nouveau camouflage, a Merlet's scorpionfish in Papua New Guinea's Milne Bay lies in wait for a hapless victim to swim by.
-
Sharks, Marshall Islands
Photograph by Emory Kristof
A photographer enjoys the protection of his shark cage as gray reef sharks patrol the waters of Rongelap Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
-
Corals and Shipwreck
Photograph by Maree Toogood
From loss comes life in the waters of Espiritu Santo Vanuatu, where soft coral and a featherstar have made their home on the hulk of a sunken ship.
-
Large Jellyfish
Photograph by Mary Lundin
A large jellyfish surrounded by tiny fish rises in the crystal blue waters off Fiji.
