Aside from diving, snorkeling, and photographing the reefs, we are also interested in the history of Samoa… where the local inhabitants’ cultural history is so intertwined with the geography and terrain we are exploring. One of the best ways to gather such knowledge is by meeting with people like Park Ranger Jason Bordelon, who, as “Chief of Interpretation” at the National Park Service in Pago Pago, had his staff provide a wonderful introduction before he took us out on a tour of the parklands.

We headed north from the park office to Vitia Bay:

After that stop we headed towards Craggy Point where we walked through a tropical forest to find an opening out to a rocky coast.

There, we were joined by a local man named Dave, who shared a delicious coconut with us: