Fiji: My Technicolour Dream Dives – Part 1
As a diver, there are places on my bucket list I never even imagined that I will visit. Fiji was one such destination, but I was privileged enough to travel there in March 2019. With the helpful organisation of Tourism Fiji, I embarked on a ten-day long journey to both the northern and southern islands of Fiji, exploring what the regions have to offer both above and below the water.
Fiji is widely known as the ‘Soft Coral Capital of the World’, thanks to the abundant Dendronepthya soft corals that dominate the reefs. Though do not let this fool you. Whilst I was there, I also experienced ‘fields’ of hard corals – with too many species to count – as well as shark encounters and a little bit of muck diving. In a nutshell, Fiji has A LOT to offer; even for the well-seasoned divers amongst us!
My diving experience here took me to the northern islands of Savusavu and Taveuni and then to the south island of Kadavu, diving Namena Marine Reserve, the Rainbow Reef, Somosomo Straight and the Great Astrolabe Reef.
I travelled from London Heathrow via Los Angeles, arriving into Fiji’s international airport in Nadi (pronounced Nandi) almost 24 hours after departure. A long trip, but well worth it. Upon arrival I was taken to the Nalagi Hotel. A stunning new-build, this resort features a snazzy rooftop bar and pool, which I took advantage of in the early morning after I arrived. A perfect stopover for rest and recuperation after the long journey. The following morning, we made our way back to Nadi domestic airport for our flight to Savusavu, ready to embark on the Fiji Dive Fiesta 2019.
Savusavu is located on Fiji’s second-largest island of Vanua Levu. Our first resort was Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort, 15 minutes’ drive from Savusavu airport. An outstanding resort that prides itself as being ecologically conscious; there was never any plastic in sight and the rooms have fans, not A/C (not that you need it with the strong sea breeze!). The hotel has an all inclusive setup and the dive centre was exceptional. We stayed here for two nights, with two dives at one of Fiji’s best-kept diving secrets: Namena Marine Reserve.
The Namena Marine Reserve is an island surrounded by reef that extends 20 kilometres south into the deeper Koro Sea. Located on the edge of the reef drop-off, it is surrounded by seamounts which make for extraordinary diving. Our dive guide, Geoff, also told us that in-season it is a major migration path for dolphins, whales and large pelagics. From Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort it was about 60 minutes' speedboat ride. The first site was ‘The Chimneys’, aptly named for the two chimney-like rock structures that we spiralled up and around. Both soft and hard corals dominate the structures, with glorious orange anthias decorating the edges of the chimneys. Blood-red sea whips and sea fans grow outwards from the structures and make for nice photos. Looking over my shoulder into the blue, I saw large schools of juvenile jacks, unicorn surgeonfish and snappers.
The second site we dived has to be dived in the right conditions. The current has to be mild and the tide level high. Sadly, we hit the site in less ideal conditions, but despite the strong current and lowered vis, we still managed to see a large white tip reef shark, supersize triggerfish, several tiny blue-dragon nudibranchs and completed our safety stop above some gorgeous anthias hovering above Acropora and Pocillopora hard corals. After a meal, relaxing back massage and an uninterrupted night's sleep, we awoke to have a delicious breakfast and a farewell song from the staff.
Our second hotel on Savusavu was the Koro Sun, located about 20 minutes' drive from Jean-Michel Cousteau. Koro Sun Resort offers a variety of room types and is in prime diving location, in-between Namena Reserve to the southwest and the Somosomo straight to the east. We were greeted with a welcome foot massage and I was taken to one of the edgewater floating bures. Decorated like a boat cabin, but with ample space, I spent one night in this room, which rested on the waters of the resort marina. Our dive here took us to the flagship site Dreamhouse. Famed for regular hammerhead shark sightings (in the right conditions), we spent 55 minutes underwater with pairs of multi-coloured butterflyfish, a whitetip reef shark and a hawksbill turtle, and shared our safety stop with inquisitive batfish. Once again, conditions were not conducive for us to see the hammerheads but this was an important reminder that the diving in Fiji can still be amazing even in less desirable conditions.
The next morning we left in a minibus which took us to Natuvu wharf to catch the speedboat to the next island. After an hour and a half in the minibus, we boarded the speedboat with our luggage and made the 45-minute journey to the island of Taveuni…
Read Part 2 of Emily's Technicolour Dives in Fiji
Take a look at our Trip Ideas for more information about diving in Fiji or contact Emily and the dive team on 01962 302 087.
