Seafarer and marine activist, Jonathan Smith, is bent on cleaning the bottom of the ocean for as long as he is physcially able to.
Mr Smith, a professional diver and sea captain, has travelled extensively during the course of his maritime career.
He spends most of time at the Royal Suva Yacht Club, where he carries out his marine engineering work.
“I enjoy being around people,” he said.
What is the one place you would take visitors to in Fiji?
Naitasiri, Namosi and Serua.
People come from abroad where they are surrounded by noise and concrete jungle.
While Fiji offers some of the best beachfront getaways… you can go to most other destinations in the world, and still get the sand and sea.
But there is hardly a destination such as Fiji where, while we offer the sand and sea, we also have rainforests, rapids and waterfalls in our interior.
There is a need to promote such destinations.
The advantage of promoting that is that it earns income for local communities in the surrounding interior destinations.
White water rafting in upper Navua.
What’s your secret backyard favourite spot?
Underwater.
Underwater at Vatu-i-ra passage, and waters off Namena Island in the southeast of Vanua Levu, which is the largest no-take reserve in Fiji.
The other alternative is being out at sea on a boat, fishing.
Namena underwater Marine Reserve. Source: https://www.afar.com/places/namena-marine-reserve
What’s your favourite place in Fiji for a pie/coffee?
I’m not much of a eater, but coffee is definitely a main attraction for me.
I’ll have coffee wherever Paul Waqanisaravi is.
He is the best barista the country over. (Mr Waqanisaravi, a barista trainer, is currently training staff at Sawaad Bistro in Flagstaff.)
What’s one Fiji spot on the top of your bucket list?
I’ve been to every place in Fiji that I had wanted to travel to – and I loved every bit of it.
The only bucket list I have is to clean the oceans.
Feedback: frederica.elbourne@fijisun.com.fj