Fiji - Lau Islands: Totoya
Part of the regional summaries: Fiji - Totoya, Fiji - Moala Group (Moala / Totoya / Matuku), and Fiji - Lau
2013-06-04
2013-06-05
More info
Fiji (NOAA CRW virtual station)Totoya is a horseshoe-shaped volcanic island in Fiji's Lau group whose drowned caldera forms a near-enclosed lagoon, and nine expedition transect stations around the island recorded 12-46% hard coral cover; Anderson's photographs and the transect data from these dives are on the nine station pages (FJTO01-FJTO09). The Fiji region has averaged 8.9 DHW in recent years, above the severe-bleaching threshold, and Fiji lies within the South Pacific cyclone belt.
Ko Totoya e dua na yanuyanu vulikano e vaka na ivava ni ose ena yatu Lau i Viti, ka na nona caldera e vodo e buli kina e dua na loma ni cakau (lagoon) e voleka ni sogo vakadua; e ciwa na vanua ni vakadidike (transect) ni ilakolako e wavokita na yanuyanu ka vola kina e 12-46% na ubi ni lase dina. Na itaba nei Anderson kei na itukutuku ni transect mai na nunu oqo e tiko ena ciwa na tabana ni vanua ni vakadidike (FJTO01-FJTO09). Na yasana i Viti e 8.9 DHW na kena ivakatagedegede ena vica na yabaki sa oti, e sivia na iyalayala ni vulavula bibi, ka tiko o Viti ena sala ni cagilaba ni South Pacific.
AI translation of this summary; the English is authoritative. (low confidence)
One other CRD dive site with its own page within 5 km shown in orange — click a marker to open its page.
Site description
Setting
Totoya is a horseshoe-shaped volcanic island in the Moala Group of Lau Province, its drowned caldera forming a near-enclosed lagoon.
Coral cover
- Nine Global Reef Expedition transect stations were surveyed around Totoya on these dives (GRE Fiji - Totoya FJTO01-FJTO09). Their hard coral cover ranged from 12% to 46% (mean 32%). Each has its own page; this island-level pin carries no value of its own.
Stressors
Regional thermal context: the NOAA Coral Reef Watch Fiji virtual station has averaged an annual maximum of 8.9 degree heating weeks across 2021-2025 (NOAA Coral Reef Watch), above the 8 DHW threshold at which severe bleaching and mortality are expected, and Fiji lies within the South Pacific cyclone belt. That is stated as background for the region, not as an observation at Totoya.
Comparisons with other data
Wilson et al. (2008) surveyed this site (Totoya) in 2000 and 2006. If you have survey data from this site to share, please email us.
No underwater photographs from this site are on file.
Dive history
| Date | Time in | Max depth (m) | Bottom time (min) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-06-03 | 11:33 | 19.5 | 54 |
| 2013-06-03 | 14:37 | 15.5 | 59 |
| 2013-06-03 | 16:34 | 21.6 | 54 |
| 2013-06-04 | 08:01 | 23.8 | 58 |
| 2013-06-04 | 10:02 | 21.3 | 65 |
| 2013-06-04 | 14:28 | 14.6 | 63 |
| 2013-06-05 | 09:00 | 25.3 | 56 |
| 2013-06-05 | 11:03 | 12.8 | 64 |
| 2013-06-05 | 15:37 | 29.6 | 59 |
Data & links
Data on this page are from NOAA Coral Reef Watch, not Coral Reef Diagnostics; Coral Reef Diagnostics has no coral cover estimate of its own at this site.
© Coral Reef Diagnostics.
References
- Wilson SK, Fisher R, Pratchett MS, Graham NAJ, Dulvy NK, Turner RA, et al. (2008). Exploitation and habitat degradation as agents of change within coral reef fish communities. Global Change Biology 14:2796-2809. DOI