A Sad Comparison

[boulderjohn]

In June of 2001, 22 years ago, I did a week of diving in Beqa Lagoon, Fiji. This was my first Pacific diving trip, and I had my first experience with bommies. Bommies are like coral skyscrapers, and you dive them by going to the bottom and spiraling your way to the top. I was quite impressed by what I saw, and I just pulled out my log book from back then to see what I wrote. I specifically noted the living coral from bottom to top. My memory has visions of the reef fish in the coral, while the predators, like the divers, swimming around the outside in.

I am sadly comparing that to what I aw last week when I once again dived Beqa Lagoon, sometimes on some of the same structures. I am sure the dive operation was taking us to the best ones. In fact, on one of our trips the DM said that specifically--he thought we were going to the best site in the area. How depressing! In some cases, there was close to no life whatsoever from the bottom until perhaps 20-25 feet from the surface--just a tall rock with some reef life at the top.

Most of the other divers at the resort liked what they saw, but they were not around that long ago, and they don't know what it was like then. On the same trip in 2001, I went on from Fiji to dive the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. I dived the same section of the GBR in 2013, and I was shocked by how much it had deteriorated. The head of diving on the liveaboard I used then said he thought that there would be no reason to dive the GBR in 20 years. That was 10 years ago.

 

[tursiops]

I sympathize. It is one of the reasons I keep going to Bonaire; it has hung in there a little better than many other places. It is ABOVE ground (and with cruise ships) that is killing Bonaire.

 

[living4experiences]

I am planning to go to Fiji next year, so your comments are very helpful. In addition to the lack of marine life, did you also find that the corals were bleached or had lost color?

Did you do any shark diving while at Beqa Lagoon?

 

[davehicks]

You might want to prioritize doing a Fiji liveaboard. They can go to all of the BEST places. I did one last fall and it was incredible. Very healhty reefs, amazing hard coral boomies and soft coral walls.

There wasa devastating typhoon in 2016 that did a lot of damage. We saw some of this on the 2022 trip, but also witnessed some incredible recovery and regrowth.

Some details below:

Reef revival: Fiji's corals bouncing back after ruinous cyclone

Cyclone Winston devastated vital coral colonies off Fiji, but five years on, the reefs are alive again, teeming with fish and colour

www.theguardian.com

 

[Joneill]

In June of 2001, 22 years ago, I did a week of diving in Beqa Lagoon, Fiji. This was my first Pacific diving trip, and I had my first experience with bommies. Bommies are like coral skyscrapers, and you dive them by going to the bottom and spiraling your way to the top. I was quite impressed by what I saw, and I just pulled out my log book from back then to see what I wrote. I specifically noted the living coral from bottom to top. My memory has visions of the reef fish in the coral, while the predators, like the divers, swimming around the outside in.

I am sadly comparing that to what I aw last week when I once again dived Beqa Lagoon, sometimes on some of the same structures. I am sure the dive operation was taking us to the best ones. In fact, on one of our trips the DM said that specifically--he thought we were going to the best site in the area. How depressing! In some cases, there was close to no life whatsoever from the bottom until perhaps 20-25 feet from the surface--just a tall rock with some reef life at the top.

Most of the other divers at the resort liked what they saw, but they were not around that long ago, and they don't know what it was like then. On the same trip in 2001, I went on from Fiji to dive the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. I dived the same section of the GBR in 2013, and I was shocked by how much it had deteriorated. The head of diving on the liveaboard I used then said he thought that there would be no reason to dive the GBR in 20 years. That was 10 years ago.

Interesting as that was not at all my experience in Taveuni and Voli Voli last August. Lots of life and healthy coral in most areas. Still some areas where the effects of cyclone Winston were clearly evident, but amazing recovery in most areas given how devastating that storm was. Vuna Reef was amazingly healthy and full of life!

 

[Joneill]

I sympathize. It is one of the reasons I keep going to Bonaire; it has hung in there a little better than many other places. It is ABOVE ground (and with cruise ships) that is killing Bonaire.

I was in Bonaire in 2018 and enjoyed it - but it was not even remotely as good what I saw in Fiji and Raja Ampat last year/early this year.

For those on the fence or procrastinating - don’t be discouraged as it’s still on another level vs anything you’ll see in the Caribbean. So…get to the western Pacific while it’s still good as it’s not going to last, I suspect.

 

[tursiops]

I was in Bonaire in 2018 and enjoyed it - but it was not even remotely as good what I saw in Fiji and Raja Ampat last year/early this year.

For those on the fence or procrastinating - don’t be discouraged as it’s still on another level vs anything you’ll see in the Caribbean. So…get to the western Pacific while it’s still good as it’s not going to last, I suspect.

Agreed. I've been in numerous places in the Coral Triangle that are fabulous. But I can't go to them as often as I can go to the Caribbean.

 

[boulderjohn]

Did you do any shark diving while at Beqa Lagoon?

The Beqa Lagoon Resort is famous for its shark dives, but my friends and I are not big fans of such dives. We did do a dive at that site and went into the arena where the sharks dive is held, and we saw about a dozen big sharks while we were there. They were also buzzing around the general area. so we saw a lot of sharks.

The actual shark dives were a problem. Because of the incessant rain rain rain rain rain rain rain that week, the runoff created poor visibility, so much that shark dives were canceled.

Interesting as that was not at all my experience in Taveuni and Voli Voli last August.

We were in Taveuni the week before. The coral was generally in excellent shape there. I would bet that more than 90% of the divers in history have never seen a reef as good as the house reef at the place we stayed, Paradise Taveuni.

 

[Joneill]

We were in Taveuni the week before. The coral was generally in excellent shape there. I would bet that more than 90% of the divers in history have never seen a reef as good as the house reef at the place we stayed, Paradise Taveuni.

We stayed at Paradise as well - great spot. The house reef was awesome - had a few good night dives there as well. Vuna Reef to the south was incredibly dense and healthy!

 

[Centrals]

Diving is never the same in most places that I had revisited. Vis is the first that I noticed.
And I learnt to lower the expectation.
Over development is another issue.
Pity.