Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in Volume 7 of B.H. Magazine, order your copy now.
Sure, swimming with dolphins is a classic bucket-list experience (and thankfully doesn’t require finding a bucket big enough for both you and the dolphin), but I’ve discovered an ocean activity that might be even more thrilling: swimming like a dolphin.
Obviously, a puny human body is going to need a bit of help to pull off the frolicking feats of a dolphin – diving deep, at speed, before launching into the air and laughing a lot – but that’s where the Subwing comes in.
I’m standing in the bath-warm shallows off Turtle Island, where sand so white it seems to glow throws light back through the water, turning it an almost artificial blue, like something lifted from toothpaste packaging. In my hands is the contraption that promises to change everything.
The Subwing looks like two small skateboards fused together, slim as a snowboard, and it’s towed behind a boat. All you have to do is lie face-down in the water, with a snorkelling mask on, and hold on. That part – being pulled through the water as festivals of fish and coral flash past your eyes like an Attenborough doco – is fun on its own. But the real magic comes when you tilt your hands and take a breath.
With a subtle shift in angle, you’re suddenly diving, carving down towards the seabed, entirely in control. Tilt again, and you rise, breaking free of the water in a smooth, weightless arc. This is as close to being a dolphin as you’ll ever get.
It’s extraordinary. And yet, somehow, it wouldn’t make my top 10 moments at Turtle Island. That says everything about the small yet perfectly formed sandy dot in the South Pacific off Fiji.
The arrival by seaplane is right up there, of course, because the first glimpse of the island from the air – its welcoming arc of sunset-facing sand and eight private beaches (one of which you can book each day for
your own picnic) – makes it look like it’s wearing a giant coral necklace just beneath the shoreline, and it genuinely takes your breath away.
The welcome that followed was even more impressive: my wife was wafted ashore, perched on the crossed wrists of two grass-skirted Fijian warriors like a princess. I barely had time to question why I was being made to kick off my shoes and wade through lovely knee-high water before I was swamped – and sung to – by a welcoming party so exuberant I briefly wondered if we’d all met before, spent months together, and I’d somehow forgotten.
Adding to the magic was their repeated refrain of “welcome home” – not just a greeting, but a gentle way of telling you that this is your new home, and perhaps somewhere you’d secretly wish you could live, even if you don’t realise it yet.
It’s a phrase they use often, because so many visitors to this ultra-luxury, couples-only, all – and I do mean all–inclusive resort return again and again. People, especially those who can afford it, truly fall in love with Turtle Island, with more than half of guests rebooking before their first stay is even over.
We met several couples who had visited before; one guy had been just six months earlier, and another couldn’t quite remember whether it was their seventh or eighth visit. Considering that the room those two were staying in costs more than $5,000 a night, it’s remarkable how much people are willing to spend, repeatedly, to be here.
The sense of just how special Turtle Island is builds over your first day, as you devour the first of countless delicious meals featuring local lobster – including, astonishingly, three different breakfast options – and hold aloft your first cocktail for an Instagram snap with the picture-perfect beach as its backdrop.
Then you meet your Bure Mama, a member of staff assigned to know you better than you know yourself; anticipating your needs, restocking the champagne in your fridge before you notice you’ve finished the bottle, organising your activities and even washing and ironing your clothes. The “Magic Wash Basket” in your spacious bure is almost as much of a highlight as the giant jacuzzi and the fact that you have two separate toilets.
Turtle feels like the kind of place you could just come and melt into marvellous nothingness. And while that’s certainly an option, at an all-inclusive venue at this end of the market, you’ll really want to try out the many experiences on offer – starting, of course, with the Subwing.
Beyond that, there are soft-focus horse rides along a beach at dawn or dusk, private-beach picnics, deep-sea fishing, and just about any other kind of fishing you can imagine, including clam and crab hunting.
You can snorkel while feeding clouds of fish in the Blue Lagoon (yes, the one from the 1980s movie – Hollywood perfect), kayak, SUP, sail, and, if you still have the breath, scuba dive every day.
At night, there are half a dozen different locations you can choose to dine with your partner, including cliff tops and romantic docks, but the best option is the pontoon floating out off the beach, lit by candles and lanterns. Guests are dropped off by boat, incredible meal in tow, and you can call for more of whatever drink you fancy any time. This felt beyond spoiled and almost beyond belief.
At night, you can choose from half a dozen dining locations, including cliff tops and romantic docks, but the standout is the pontoon floating just off the beach, lit by candles and lanterns. We’re ferried by boat, with an incredible meal in tow, and are able to summon more drinks whenever we like. It’s indulgence taken to a level that feels almost beyond belief.
Many other nights are spent dining communally – picture giant tables set up on the beach – and it’s tremendous fun. Whether it’s the limitless cocktails or simply the atmosphere, there’s a genuine sense of joyful abandon and a willingness to mingle and laugh. Many return visitors speak of friendships forged during their stays here.
Then there’s the remarkable staff factor, unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Not only do every member of the team know your name and use it with genuine enthusiasm, but at the end of each evening, at least 30 of them (out of 95 staff on the island, serving a maximum of just 28 guests across 14 villas) gather in the bar area and invite guests to join a traditional kava-drinking session.
It’s completely unforced, yet most guests take part, and in doing so come to truly know and love the supremely attentive, hard-working staff who make the island so special.
One final, bittersweet highlight was leaving and watching other guests depart, as the island staged a ceremonial send-off filled with singing, dancing, squealing, hugging, and, for more than one guest who truly didn’t want to go, a few tears as well.
Even without the Subwing, my visit to Turtle Island was as profoundly moving as any encounter with a dolphin.
