Sughulamp Reef is not technically an anchorage. There are no anchor spots on the charts or guide books. But, there was a beautiful sandy area next the reef that was screaming for our attention.
We edged up to the reef and dropped the hook in 2.4m of sand. We have a reef in front of us that blocks the swell from the sea. There is a reef to the right and left and the lagoon behind us. A perfect spot for relaxing and soaking up the pure beauty of the Maskelyne islands.
It is raining a lot so we got several rainbows in between the rain storms. We were re-anchoring when Matt captured this rainbow.
Matt got the drone out when we finally had a sunny moment. I am so glad he did as he captured some amazing shots!
In the sandy area below the boat we found a huge school of trigger fish, a school of squid, and several small soft coral patches with nemos.
The red arrow is Sugar Shack at the Sughulamp Reef.
And the most important part of this location is that it is close to the dugongs. We went out several times to see them but it was always raining. Still a huge pleasure being in their presence.
Vulai Island
This is an uninhabited island. It is said that it used to be the leper island and is now tabu amongst the locals. Nobody lives here either because of the tabu or the fact that there is no flat dirt anywhere to build. It is overgrown with palm trees and vegetation making it pretty difficult to imagine where a settlement might be.
But we did wander around and tried to get to the beach on the other side of the island. But the deeply thick mangroves prevented access.
This island had so many small palm trees growing. The coconuts fall from the tree, and start to sprout a little palm. When this palm is about 3-6″ you can open the coconut and have tasty coconut cake. If the coconut is left on the ground, the little tree will break free from the shell and grow roots into the ground. Making a lovely coconut farm on Vulai.
Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events. We were at Sughulamp Reef around mid-July 2024. In our last blog I share our photos from our dugong adventures.