The Beginning
Blue Lagoon Cruises was founded in 1950 by Captain Trevor Withers, a young New Zealand stockbroker with a passion for the sea. Withers and his friend, Harold Gatty, the renowned Australian aviator, came to Fiji with the intent of establishing a fishing industry, at a time when the then British Crown Colony had no tourism. Visitors to Fiji, for the most part, transited Nadi Airport or were shipboard passengers enroute between North America, New Zealand or Australia.

The Withers-Gatty team set up headquarters in the capital city, Suva, and began assessing the potential for tuna fishing using two small chartered boats. However, before they could proceed, protocol and Fijian tradition demanded that they make a special visit to the islands to pay their respects to the local chiefs.

At the picturesque Yalobi village on the island of Waya in the Yasawa Group, Withers discovered that the Chief, Tui Waya, and his people could neither speak English nor share a common dialect with his crew. Communication problems were resolved when the chief indicated that they should sail to the nearby island of Waya Lailai, where they enlisted the help of a young villager, Epeli Voli, as an interpreter. With Epeli’s help, Captain Withers obtained the full support of the Yasawa people for his fishing venture and established firm friendships with the chiefs and the people of the Yasawa Islands, which would later be crucial to Blue Lagoon Cruises.

After four years of effort, Withers and Gatty finally concluded that their hopes of establishing a tuna fishing industry in Fiji were not viable. But, both men had fallen in love with Fiji and wished to remain in the islands. Gatty went on to establish Fiji Airways, the forerunner to Fiji’s national airline, Air Pacific. However, the future for Withers was not so clear and he began to dream of taking visitors on a cruise through the idyllic Yasawa Islands: a dream that was to become Blue Lagoon Cruises.

A Slow Start but an enduring icon
Withers’ enthusiasm for this new cruise project was not shared by many. Critics asked logically, "Where are the tourists?" Still, determined to make his dream a reality, Withers returned to the Yasawa Islands to solicit once again the support of the chiefs and his people. To his delight, the cruise proposal was met with enthusiastic promises of co-operation.

While pondering over a suitable name for the venture, Withers remembered his association with the original version of "Blue Lagoon" filmed on location in the Yasawa Islands in 1948. He had lent a hand on the set, where he had met and liked the attractive English star, Jean Simmons and the name "Blue Lagoon", therefore, seemed totally appropriate for the idyllic cruise he envisaged.

Withers purchased his first boat from the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authorities in Fiji . The vessel was christened Turaga Levu (Great Chief, which was Withers’ local nick-name), and, amidst much merriment, it was launched down the slipway into Suva’s Walu Bay.

The first cruise date was then scheduled and advertised – with a complete lack of response. As the hour of the inaugural departure drew near, it appeared that if the Turaga Levu was to sail at all, it would sail empty. Withers, though tempted to cancel, was reluctant to disappoint the islanders anxiously awaiting its arrival and invited six Fijian men on the wharf who had previously assisted him to become the Turaga Levu’s first cruise passengers.

For the first month, Withers set sail every Monday, often carrying Fijians to their Yasawa villages but without a single paying passenger. Finances began to run low and it was 10 days into his second month before Withers secured his first charter, an American Colonel and his wife who had made it quite clear that they expected the perfect holiday. Unfortunately this didn’t prove to be the case. Withers had earlier conducted a painstaking inspection of the Turaga Levu to see that everything was shipshape: the only place, which required improvement, was the ship’s toilet, where the seat would benefit from a new coat of paint.

At the appointed time, the Turaga Levu set sail and soon the Colonel and his wife were relaxing in fishing chairs trolling for tuna. Later that morning, the calm of the cruise was shattered by a pained bellow from below. It transpired that the Colonel was firmly joined to the seat, still sticky from the fresh coat of paint. Some delicate and painful manoeuvring luckily parted man and seat, but the damage to his nether regions was such that the Turaga Levu was obliged to head back to shore in search of a doctor. On his return, drinks and lunch restored the Colonel’s humour and, after overnight treatment, he decided to continue the cruise.

During the following three months, only 27 passengers were carried on the cruise. Bankruptcy was imminent and Withers was forced to make a final desperate gamble. After securing agreement with the airlines flying the Pacific to undertake a joint promotion in North America, he sold all his wordly possessions for £7,000 to finance a whirlwind visit to travel agents in the USA and Canada. The gamble paid off. The trickle of visitors rapidly became a steady stream and Blue Lagoon Cruises was underway.

By 1966, Blue Lagoon Cruises had established an international reputation and Withers, now suffering from poor health, was ready to retire to his beloved Waya Island. After much deliberation, he sold the venture to Captain Claude Millar, a well-known New Zealand shipowner so completing the first chapter of the Blue Lagoon Cruise history.

This briefly is the story of Blue Lagoon Cruises. A simple story of a dream that became a reality and a reality that fulfilled a dream.

Today
Blue Lagoon supports the Yasawa Islands community financially and assists with the vitally important island children’s education and development projects, including the construction of schools around the islands, school fees and the necessary books, school uniforms and medical clinics.

Blue Lagoon is an important factor in the Yasawa Islands’ cash economy providing the opportunity for the people of the islands to earn revenue through the company’s payments to access beaches and visit villages, for performances of traditional Fijian entertainment and for the sale of shells and artifacts. Further assistance in times of hurricanes and medical emergencies is also made freely. Visit our very own Island in the Yasawa.

The New Headquarters
In 1986, Blue Lagoon Cruises further re-affirmed its investment commitment and purchased the freehold title of a 58 acre plantation on the beautiful island of Nanuya Lailai in the Yasawas’, as well as the commercial property adjoining the company’s Lautoka headquarters. By 1990, the company’s facilities were proving too small to support corporate needs effectively and the construction of a new $3 million complex for the headquarters of Blue Lagoon Cruises was planned.

Building commenced in 1991 and the new complex in Lautoka was formally opened in 1993. It houses a modern passenger pre-boarding lounge, a small café, a bar, boutique, executive offices, sophisticated engineering workshops, stores and refrigeration facilities, shore galley, staff association office and training rooms.

Our Private Island - Nanuya Lai Lai
In 1986, Blue Lagoon Cruises purchased the freehold title of a 58-acre plantation on the beautiful island of Nanuya Lai Lai in the Yasawas’.

The only commercial cruise boats permitted to visit this island are those from Blue Lagoon Cruises, which makes it a unique part of your cruising experience.
It remains one of the most pristine Fijian islands with clear blue water, white sand beaches, palm trees and deserted stretches of beach. It is also abundant with fish feeding and snorkeling opportunities.

On every Blue Lagoon Cruise you will become one of our honored visitors to our island and enjoy a beach feast ("Lovo") and party on shore.

This island has generated such an international reputation that many Hollywood productions have included it in their production.

This has included the US TV series "Swiss Family Robinson" and many others. In addition, the upcoming new advertising campaign by the Fiji Visitors Bureau will feature this magnificent island.

Mystery, Myths and Magic
The Fiji Islands are rich in history and legend. As your cruise ship draws away from the jetty look back to the east at the dark rugged mountains, which act as a backdrop to the fertile coastline. According to legend, it was here that the great Fijian God-Chiefs, Degei and Lutunasobasoba landed in a giant war canoe named Kaunitoni. Lutunasobasoba established a coastal settlement at Vuda, while Degei moved inland to establish a village near the northern coast of Ra.

Tradition has it that from these villages the Fijian people spread out and populated all the islands of Fiji. It is said that the great God-Chief Degei lives to this day in the form of a serpent on the triple-headed peaks of Mount Uluda in the Nakauvadra Range. There is little doubt that the ancestors of the Fijian people arrived in these islands over 3,000 years ago. Ancient pottery pieces abound in many areas of Fiji and have been carbon-dated at 1,500 BC.

Directly behind the port of Lautoka, the craggy profile of the Evans Range reaches over 1,230 metres while beyond are the Nadrau plateau and extinct Tavua volcano, source of the rich Vatukoula gold mines and much wealth for the islands for many years.

To the north and west lies the fabulous Yasawa Islands Group which comprises six major islands, numerous islets and coral cays, listed as one of the oldest geological formations in the region. It is believed that thousands of years ago, a tear fault in the earth’s crust pulled the Fiji Islands, Solomons and the New Hebrides from their alignment with Tonga and the once continuos Vitias: Tonga-Kermadek Trench. As Fiji’s largest islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu were sheared off counter-clockwise from Tonga while the Yasawa Islands were further spun off to the west.

The stunning natural beauty and tranquility of the Yasawa Islands elevates the soul. Here is a sun-drenched paradise of turquoise lagoons and colourful tropical fish darting amongst the delicate coral reefs. A rare and romantic place where pristine palm fringed beaches are endlessly caressed by the crystal clear waters of the vast Pacific Ocean. A place of fascinating mystery and myth where the Fijian people live as they have done for centuries, keeping the spirit of the islands alive with their traditional and simple lifestyle. It is here that visitors are treated to the Ultimate Fiji Experience a Blue Lagoon Cruise.

Passengers, like the Fijians, can find peace and enjoy the time honoured rites that have been practiced for centuries – from the sharing of the "yaqona" and the making of artifacts, to the enjoyment of a "lovo" oven feast. The only memory of the Fijians warring nature can be found in a more modern, internationally recognised pastime – rugby!